Tide Representation Flashcards
what’s the intertextual references?
WW2 adverts for ‘Women’s Land Army’ and ‘Rosie the Riveter - We Can Do It!’. the similarities between her and the women in the Tide advert makes women feel empowered and capable.
were the representations reinforcing or challenging stereotypes?
it challenges stereotypical views of women being confined to the domestic sphere, something society needed at the time as traditional ‘male roles’ were vacated as men left to fight.
what’s the historical context?
women were expected to stay at home and be mothers and housewives full-time. women were encouraged to work during the war to replace the men (given freedom), this made them dissatisfied when they had to go back. positive representations of women to encourage them to go back home and resettle the established gender roles.
what does the hairstyle represent?
a stereotypical 1950s hairstyle incorporating waves, curls and rolls made fashionable by contemporary film stars Veronica Lake and Betty Grable. the shorter hair has a practical catalyst as long hair is hazardous for women working with machines.
what does the dress code represent?
the headband is linked to practicalities of dress code for women. her hair held back connotes that she’s focused on her work. this binary opposed with her full make-up. the perfect makeup represented in an idealised fashions. it’s conventional of adverts as an aspirational image for the audience.
how can Hall’s representation theory be applied?
the images of domesticity forms part of the “shared conceptual road map” that gives meaning to the world. despite it’s comic strip visual construction, the scenario represented is familiar to the audience.
how can Gauntlett’s identity theory be applied?
women represented in the advert act as role models of domestic perfection that the audience may want to construct their identity against.
how can Van Zoonen’s feminist theory be applied?
while their roles socially and politically may have changed in the proceeding war years, the advert contradicts her theory that the media contributes to social change by representing women in a non-traditional roles and using non-sexist language.
how can hooks theory be applied?
her theory argues that lighter skinned women are considered more desirable and fit better into western ideology of beauty. the advert is reinforcing this by only representing modern white women.
what are the gender roles?
the advert reflects traditional gender ideology. the representation of the women as content and fulfilled by cleaning promotes the idea that a woman’s place is in the home, aligning with 1950s societal expectations. the repetition of slogans and her enthusiatic expression suggests that domestic labour is a source of pride and identity.
what does the hugging and smiling connote?
the woman’s love for the product and her love for her role as a housewife. the symbolic codes of the hearts signifies that women enjoy staying at home.
how does the ‘Tide’s got what women want’ represent women?
they want to be involved in the chores. it reinforces a positive representation that suggests its desirability for the female consumer at the time.
how the stereotypes of women constructed positively?
the marketing suggests women have power in the domestic sphere (positive stereotype of the time). there’s credibility of using women from the same demographic as the target audience - these women look happy and are aspirational to the audience.
how are the stereotypes of women constructed negatively?
there are narrow stereotypes saying women are only housewifes with nothing else going on. she is in a patriarchal world despite the active role women had during the war. the women is glamourised and has links to screen stars (Doris Day). she would be a dissapointing role model for women who had an active role during the war.
how do the representations reflect historical and cultural contexts?
the stereotypical representation of gender reflects a post-war domestic role of women in the 1950s. women were the target market for domestic appliances and products. these products reflect the status of the family
how does the representation of women convey values and attitudes?
women should be happy in the domestic sphere and should want their wash to be the cleanest and whitest. everyone else is using this product so women will be influenced to buy it. it’s a woman’s role to ensure the domestic chores are complete.
