Class Notes

11.20.02

By: Kim Gregg

Ads
Outrageous Act
Monday-Term Paper
Next Week
Happy Thanksgiving

Ads:
- Kari’s ad: A picture of RuPaul without the dress and make-up.
• Ad is of RuPaul in a very traditional masculine suit, his legs open with a cane/stick in-between in a very promiscuous spot, he has dominating eye contact, the angle the photo was taken makes him appear very tall, not smiling
• Girls are taught from young age to always make eye contact and smile.
• What is it saying?
• It’s gender bending and playful- it’s saying gender is not fixed and rather is an act
•If they choose someone like Arnold Swarchneiger it would not be as funny.

Group Exercise with our ads:
1. put your name on ad
2. choose a time keeper, a scribe, a presenter
3. show the ad you brought to group members, analyzing it’s gender content (3min each)
4. write up a summary of what you can learn about gender from all the ad (10min) list group members present
5. present your findings to the class (2min)
6. turn in ads and summary

Presentation:
• Group 8: Ad for Alcohol: A man and woman with their eyes cut off at the top- possibly for the audience to see themselves in their place. The man is in a suit and the woman in a reveling dress sitting/ lying across the man, the man looks to be controlling her. The top of the bottle of alcohol casts a shadow on the woman between her breasts that resembles a penis.
• Group 7: Phone Ad: A picture of a phone next to a shrunken down woman of the same size. Both have lines pointing to certain parts of them with text. The woman’s texts say “sleek built, powerful feature (pointing to breasts), bronze skin, demands personal trainers and ski holidays in Vail”, this is implying women are objects and that these objects are gold diggers. Ad later says “Okay, both would look great sitting next to you on the couch.” & in fine print “Uniden’s New 5.8 GHz Power Max is the sleekest, most featured-packed cordless phone ever. It’s one of the few things that’s both sexy and sensible.” –implying women are one or the other, not both.
• Group 6: Erection Enhancer: CoLossal: This ad had many sexual references, “give her all she can handle”= women are sexual objects. Only had a picture of a woman, not a pictures of the “enhanced object”, implying woman sell sex
• Group 5: Ad for Art Show found in Stuff Magazine: Showed woman’s bodies w/ animal heads on in lingerie w/ such captions as, “if you really want to screw her, grind her into hamburger” & “she maybe the boss of the company but she still poops in a box”. Women are animals according to this ad, leading the audience to believe then women are less human, wild, can be controlled, and domesticated
• Group 4: EsPn Magazine showed an Audiovox ad: “Ahead of the Curve”-point to woman’s butt which is the entire background of the ad. Picture of TV. with a woman in a bikini that stated, “nice wide screen in a tight place”- woman must be a certain body size, but should accommodate a lager penis
• Group 3: Hydroxyeol-a weight loss pill: taking the pill=more masculine and thereby get married to beautiful girl
• Group 2: Breast Enlargement ad: “Won’t just turn heads, you’ll break necks”- that what women’s purpose is, to get men’s attentions. Girl in ad is in dorky pose- it is weird in everyday life, but normalized in ads
• Group 1: Sky Vodka: Woman and Man: Woman’s face is hidden (no identity) and is in a very reveling swim suit with a very obvious computer enhanced body. The picture depicts the pool boy fantasy and the woman seems to be the aggressor. despite being the one who is being sexualized

Outrageous Act:
Due Monday after Thanksgiving Break, Dec. 2. In class on Dec. 2 discuss our different acts

Term Paper:
Due next Monday, Nov. 25 at the Woman Studies Office to either Room 108 or the secretary’s desk. Open from 8-12 and 1-5.

Next Week:
No class. Fall Break.

Dec. 4th:
Welfare Monopoly

Friday, Nov. 22:
QUIZ over Still Killing Us Softly video & Yamada