advert: score media lang+rep

Question 1

social context: how does this ad build a fantasy lifestyle for the male?

Answer 1

Post-war Britain was increasingly class-conscious. The ad suggests that the Score man is high-status, desirable, and in control—qualities many working- or middle-class men may have wanted to embody. It reflects how products were sold not just for use, but to build a fantasy lifestyle.

Question 2

social context: what was there less of in the 1960s which allowed ads to get away with portraying women how they did?

Answer 2

there was less regulation of how women were portrayed in the media and ads were rarely challenged to they contributed to the normalisation of stereotypes

Question 3

social context: how was masculinity in crisis and how does the ad reflect this?

Answer 3

As feminism and social change gained momentum, men felt their traditional roles were being challenged. The ad can be seen as a reaction to those changes,: “Use this product and you’ll still be the alpha male.” The man on a pedestal, idolised by women, restores a fantasy of unchallenged masculinity.

Question 4

social context: what was there a strong focus on in the 60s?

Answer 4

personal identity and appearance which this ad reflects

Question 5

cultural context: what was the mentality for men in the 60s?

Answer 5

“look good, feel good” mentality. ads like score played into this mindset, presenting well-groomed men as confident and sophisticated

Question 6

cultural context: what does the lack of diversity in the ad reflect?

Answer 6

the attitudes towards beauty at the time, with many media products failing to include ethnic minority models. there was a strong focus of the white ethnicity in the media

Question 7

political context: the ad was produced during a time of what?

Answer 7

social change e.g the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the equal pay act. the ad’s hyper-heterosexual tone
may be seen as a pushback against these shifting norms

Question 8

political context: What key gender-related political shift was emerging in the 1960s?

Answer 8

second-wave feminism movement. however, this ad does not reflect the rise of feminist ideas. patriarchal values still dominated advertising. The advert projects a vision of traditional masculinity: men as dominant, powerful, and desirable, while women are shown as submissive and purely decorative.

Question 9

historical context: what does the man being armed reflect?

Answer 9

the post war period where men who fought in the recent war were glorified as heroes and women were excluded from the front lines

Question 10

media language: what does the women wearing revealing outfits reinforce?

Answer 10

the idea of the male gaze and it objectified them for a male audience and showed that they are vulnerable which was becoming common in the media in the 60s

Question 11

media language: what does the 4/5 women looking at the man and reaching out show?

Answer 11

shows the sexual desire they have towards him and how he is the ‘prize’

Question 12

media language: what does them carrying him on a pedestal show?

Answer 12

shows he is god-like while he sits comfortably not paying attention to the women and smiles

Question 13

media language: what does the gun imply?

Answer 13

that he is in charge and is the provider

Question 14

media language: what does the jungle setting imply?

Answer 14

that the man hunts the women. it also fulfils male fantasy and promotes escapism

Question 15

media language: what does the text imply?

Answer 15

“get what you’ve always wanted” is direct address which makes it more personal for the viewer and implies the product will make women attracted to him. the word “new” creates excitement and has a modern appeal

Question 16

media representation: what does the man being positioned at the top represent?

Answer 16

he is dominant and heroic which was a traditional representation of men in the 60s

Question 17

media representation: the representation of the man carried up high is designed to what?

Answer 17

flatter and appeal to a male audience

Question 18

media representations: what are 2 props that are typical representations of masculinity?

Answer 18

• gun
• watch

Question 19

media representation: what should women ‘have”?

Answer 19

male appeal achieved through good looks and the ability to cook a decent meal

Question 20

media representation: how is the man represented?

Answer 20

as the breadwinner and superior to their female spouse

Question 21

media representation: in the ad, how are the females represented? (5 things)

Answer 21

• objects of beauty
• sex objects
• subservient
• vulnerable
• falling at the feet of men

Question 22

media representation: in the ad, how is the man represented? (3 things)

Answer 22

• dominant
• patriarchal
• hunter protector of his ‘tribe’

Question 23

what was advertising like in the 60s?

Answer 23

advertising agencies relied less on market research and more on creative instinct

Question 24

was copy (written) used in 1960s advertising?

Answer 24

copy was still used to offer an explanation of the product but the visuals took on a greater importance

Question 25

who is the target audience for score?

Answer 25

the male breadwinner

Question 26

in the 1960s, what was advertising like in the uk post-war?

Answer 26

advertising in the post war period was characterised by campaigns that reinforced the idea that a women's place was in the home

Question 27

how did gender roles in advertising change in the 1970s?

Answer 27

advertisers did try to lead the way with a more progressive representation of gender, achieved through 'role-reversed' adverts, in which the man was seen to undertake a series of household chores

Question 28

why didn't the 'role reversed' adverts last long in 1970?

Answer 28

according to audience feedback, they portrayed men as 'wimps' and women as 'lazy'. females preferred to see themselves as the housewife. it could be argued this stereotype continued for so long was because women allowed it to happen

Question 29

theorists: propp's narrative theory

Answer 29

the advert identified the man as Propp's "hero" and the women as Propp's "princess". the image infers he is the hunter protector of his 'tribe' (women) which has an appeal to the young male target audience who aspire to share the same status

Question 30

theorists: hall's reception theory

Answer 30

Dominant reading: the 1967 male audience may read the narrative as ironic/humorous. Negotiated reading: females (not the target audience) may not enjoy the representations of women but at the same time accept its representation of a patriarchal society as normal/inevitable. Oppositional reading: modern audiences will be aware that its sexist narrative is outdated/offensive

Question 31

theorists: butler's gender performativity

Answer 31

gender norms: women wearing makeup, man holding a gun gender performativity: women reaching out to the man reinforced binary opposite gender ideals

Question 32

theorists: mulvey's male gaze

Answer 32

she argues that film put the spectator in a masculine position, with the figure of the woman on screen as the object of desire. in score, the audience are positioned to look at the women through the male gaze. this appeals to the male breadwinner target audience. the revealing outfits objectifies women and the fact the women are reaching out portrays the man as the object of desire which would appeal to the male audience