Gender and Advertisement
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Wherever we look advertisements flash before our eyes blinding us with catchy phrases and sharp images, making the product being sold simply irresistible; but what is the advertisement really saying? Is it simply selling a product or is it trying to define the way in which our society views gender? In 1983, Vanity Fair made its appearance into the mainstream providing young, affluent women with the top designer fashion, art, entertainment, politics and products (SRDS). An advertisement for Guess Jeans, found in Vanity Fair's October 2003 issue, looks at the lower half of what seems to be two ruggedly handsome men in vintage jeans posing in front of a classic American muscle car. In the following pages, I will explain how this advertisement of high fashion jeans contains three distinct readings of gender ideologies. First, I will explain how the advertisements preferred reading could be seen as an implication of what masculinity is in America. Second, I will express how the product being sold may not only be targeted at men but to women as well. Finally, I will explain how the young reader may view the advertisement as limiting to the everyday man and disregard its preferred reading of masculinity.
Masculinity in America is a large category to define, but an advertisement for Guess Jeans in Vanity Fair's October 2003 issue is able to capture the preferred assumption of what masculinity truly is. The advertisement shows two men, pictured from the mid-torso down, wearing vintage Guess Jeans, dirty boots, and stylish shirts, posing in front of a classic muscle car...