On the other end of the spectrum, we must also ask ourselves what impact does television commercials have on the young adult male audience? By the time a young male has turned 14 he has been exposed to more than 350,000 television commercials. So how can young males not watch a commercial and be influenced to follow its underlying message?
Young males are more apt to believe a message that a specific brand or a piece of clothing will make them irresistible and essentially attract women. There is an unspoken set of rules that are provided to men through the making of television commercials. The message for men is “you need to look for women who look like and behave like this”. For example, television commercials keep the attention of most men and boys focused mostly just on the women and girls that are presenting the product being advertized. Many campaigning advertisements will show women seductively drinking alcohol, dressed seductively or sexually eating food that will somehow arouse the male audience viewing the commercial. For example, there is a commercial “Here Kitty, Kitty” that features a woman seductively licking a lollipop, much to the delight of the male actors aroused by her actions. The advertisement was targeted at the 14-24 age range.
On the other hand, commercials aimed at children usually portray boys building, fixing toys, or fighting. They are also shown out of the house and in the yard up to 85 percent of the time. Many males in commercials are generally leaders and problem solvers that are portrayed as funny, confident, successful and athletic. It is very rare to see men or boys crying or otherwise showing vulnerability and could not be described as “sensitive”. They are very rarely seen at home performing domestic chores and one third of boys most likely have never even seen a male do a simple household chore in their own household.
The underlying message of men shown in media such as television commercials are portrayed as socially powerful and physically violent. This causes concern for how this message will show young adult males of how they should act in society, how they should treat each other, as well as how they should treat women and children.
When you first turn on the television, there is a 90 percent chance that the first person you view is male. Commercials perpetuate male stereotyping in two ways. There is a restricted range of male traits that “key” character roles portray and the “less manly” characteristics are displayed as flaws in the character or as a source of humor. There is a major emphasis on a male’s strength, performance and skill.
When young adult males view television commercials, they need to understand how to relate to the characters presented, how specific characterizations influence their ideas about masculinity and how they relate to the men in their day-to-day lives.
This post reminds me of a discussion we had in psychology last year about the attractiveness of males and females in perception of one another. Did you know that women actually find it more attractive to see a man working on a car or laughing with friends at the bar than it is seeing them vacuuming? Vice versa women are perceived as more attractive when they are cooking or holding a baby... (for the record these factors are on marriage)
ReplyDeleteI found it absurd that there is a 90 perfect chance that when the television is turned on a male will be seen first. I think that it is media influences like commercials that cause a power struggle between men and woman. Why can’t men and women be seen as equals? This statistic sends a strong message and I feel as though it has an impact on the attitude of men.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that “real” men are described as people with characteristics such as being strong, powerful, and skillful. This puts a lot of pressure on males, especially middle school aged males who may be going through puberty and who have no yet fully developed.