Ads are a super let down
Posted February 10, 2010 at 10:27 pm in Opinion
This year’s Super Bowl broadcast shattered records by becoming the No. 1 most-watched television program of all time in the United States, kicking the 1983 series finale of M*A*S*H off of its golden pedestal. A grand total of 106.5 million people tuned in to see the Saints beat the Colts,and, though this might be a wild assumption, I am fairly sure that at least some of those viewers were female.
Oh yes, it is true — not all women roll their eyes and huff-and-puff their way through the American holiday that is Super Bowl Sunday. An estimated 40 million women tuned in to watch the game, and guess what? They like sports, they like beer, they like the halftime show — and (gasp!) they like watching the highly anticipated, severely overpriced commercials.
So why has the advertising industry failed to acknowledge the female Super Bowl audience year after year? The Super Bowl offers the finest in creative advertising. Each 30-second spot strives to be better than the last, and the ads that debut during those hours often become ingrained in our pop culture (Aflac and “whazzup” should jog your memory). They have become so popular over the course of Super Bowl history that many people look forward to them just as much as the game itself.
Unfortunately, the advertisements consistently seem to stereotype their male viewers and pander to their most primitive instincts and desires. They insult the intelligence of men and every possible feminine characteristic by consistently focusing on advertising topics that deal with female sex objects, dominating wives and grand displays of a Homer Simpson-esque gluttony of beer and junk food.
I typically look forward to the Super Bowl ad lineup, but I have grown weary of seeing the same themes echoed over and over again.
It seems counterintuitive for the advertising companies to blatantly neglect their female market. According to their portrayal of standard American domestic relationships, women are nagging housewives, and men just want to sit around with the guys and belch. But if women presumably do all the shopping, why don’t the companies behind Doritos and Bud Light want to endear themselves to the card-toting gender group instead of the lazy male one?
This year’s collection of advertisements seemed more offensive than those of recent years. Women were physically abused, objectified and negatively depicted — outraging many female viewers and media outlets.
The Focus on the Family ad, which showed Tim Tebow “humorously” tackling his mother, has garnered the most controversy for its loose handling of domestic violence. Although it is disconcerting to see a woman so violently struck down in an advertisement for a religious organization, the outcries seem a bit extreme. At least in the Snickers commercial poor Betty White was tackled just as much as an elderly Abe Vigoda. Because, you know, making fun of old people is just good entertainment.
Then there’s the persistence of the image of the hen-pecked husband. That poor, long-suffering soul who just wants to be left alone. That’s right, men — don’t listen to your wives, don’t take out the trash, be a man. According to Dove, FLO TV and Chrysler, all you need to do to regain your manhood is drop some dollars and buy back your testosterone.
Always working as hard as possible to offend every American each year is the unoriginal GoDaddy.com, which offered up a derogatory commercial. Its ads never focus on what the company does, but rather on how hot its really hot models are. See how hot that girl is? The blonde one is taking down her hair so she can be “too hot for television!” At this point, every male viewer is expected to quietly excuse himself to go somewhere private and cool off because GoDaddy.com is just that hot.
Sorry GoDaddy.com, Dove, Focus on the Family, et al. — we American females are not so easily conquered. Gender equality might still be in a woeful state, but women are slowly and steadily fighting back. Maybe someday the advertisers will realize they can profit even more by discontinuing their practice of insulting the intelligence and integrity of their Super Bowl fans (men and women alike) and give them commercials that leave them feeling satisfied.
Amy Baack is a senior majoring in cinema-television production.
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This is not about being PC, this is about the advertisers being stupid. Many of the Super Bowl commercials were insulting to men as well as women. Take the Dodge Charger “Man’s Last Stand” commercial, for example. Not only does it paint women as overbearing and controlling, but it also portrays men as spineless and “snivleing” [sic]. Maybe instead of buying a car, the men in the commercial could stand up for themselves and actually get what they want out of life. According to Dodge, however, men are just too weak to handle it.
The argument can be extended to several other Super Bowl commercials, including the FLO TV’s shopping spot. And don’t even get me started on Focus on the Family.
In short, Amy – don’t let these bros get you down. I really enjoyed the article. Keep up the good work!
Our entire pop culture is a super let down and Superbowl ads are the epitome of cultural sludge. Wait….people watch COMMERCIALS for entertainment value? That’s like buying into the car salesman’s entire schtick before he even opens his snout.
haha – what do you want?
a f**king tampon commercial?
For gosh sakes….you are trying way to hard to be complicated and PC. I dont think the commercials are going to start a wave of abuse of women….they are funny, and thats it. stop looking for the “inner meaning” of dumb comedy and grow up. Life is WAY to short to worry about that stuff…and no, childeren and men are not “sent a message” by the commercials. This is the kind of whining that is ruining the country…the attempted feminization of American men. Stop being a weak snivleing individual.