Comments on: Gender Body Messages in Christmas-Themed Ads

By: De Dragon

De Dragon — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 01:52:00 +0000

It was the ‘flexible’ that got me. Why would I want to be more flexible? And is the ad suggesting physical flexibility or moral flexibility? Oh wait, I think I just answered that….If I use the product I will become the sexiest contortionist, stripper/hooker to ever rock a cheap velvet Santa’s helper costume! Map Questing the nearest GNC right now.

By: Mouse

Mouse — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:20:00 +0000

To be fair, men can obtain that body shape. Women too, just ask bodybuilders. The woman’s shape, however, is physically impossible

By: Xiao Mao

Xiao Mao — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 08:57:00 +0000

Yep, pretty much. Chilling, truly.

By: Rabbit

Rabbit — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:57:37 +0000

Ditto. I would have sent it in myself if my cell phone had a camera function. I NEVER would have noticed (beyond a casual, longing glance at the female image) before I began reading this blog.

By: Brandon

Brandon — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:16:51 +0000

It’s the whole “Ladies’ Night” philosophy done for the holidays.

By: Alice

Alice — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:20:21 +0000

That sweater thing is shocking. It’s like women aren’t even people. They’re just there to act as boner-inducing room decorations while the men have a party and enjoy themselves.

By: Alice

Alice — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 12:17:42 +0000

…and you think the image of the man hasn’t?

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 18:11:03 +0000

I walk by these every day and think of this blog. Thanks for bringing this sort of thing to my attention!

By: jhoff

jhoff — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 11:13:47 +0000

I agree with carlo…the language is gendered but the idea is the same.

As Dave Chapelle said, “guys don’t drive nice cars because they like nice cars. They drive nice cars because they know women like nice cars”

by which i mean most guys don’t consider getting ripped purely for being ripped (some do! and those guys tend to be the most ripped, but not most), but for the idea of a woman looking at you and going “oooh”. It’s still about being sexy.

You know what is interesting is the way the “ideal” male image is actually changing. i’ve had more than a few women tell me they like a guy with a belly. That information left me a little flabbergasted.

By: Treefinger

Treefinger — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 08:24:11 +0000

K is kind of right- the words next to the male imply that his figure will give him qualities that can be used for things other than pleasing the opposite sex, while those next to the female (except energetic) are all qualities that help her attract men.

I agree with you that the muscled man image is unattainable AND is associated with being sexy for men… it’s just that the sexiness standard is implied rather than overtly stated. The sexiness of the male figure comes from them being athletic, strong, confident- traditionally masculine concepts that a masculine figure can help one achieve. The sexiness of the female figure comes from her being visually sexy. In other words, the sexual attractiveness of the male comes from the traits one would expect someone with that figure to have, while the sexual attractiveness of the female comes from her appealing appearance, and nothing more.

Not that I don’t think some women (there is much more variation in women’s tastes in men’s bodies than men’s in women’s, from what I’ve observed) find muscular men attractive purely for their figure- but the ad doesn’t really acknowledge that.

By: K

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 00:03:32 +0000

But men aren’t overtly told that they need to look sexy. You see the same thing all the time on the covers of Men’s Health and Women’s Health: “Get Ripped Abs!” vs “Get Sexy Abs!”

By: carlo

carlo — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 14:08:56 +0000

I disagree than men aren’t supposed to think they need to be more sexy. Imaging any average man walking past that poster, full of unattainable rippling muscles and not thinking, “man, if only i worked out more…”. While I recognize that female sexuality is exploited as an object to sell things, the GNC ad is a different problem. In this case, men and women are both being told they aren’t sexy or attractive unless they look like these models…and the way to look like this is by buying weird supplements in GNC.

The sweater party thing, on the other hand, is totally a sexist double standard.

By: Betty

Betty — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 08:35:40 +0000

Well, vitamin B complex gives your skin a healthy glow, which I suppose is one definition of “radiant.” Doesn’t have a damn thing to do with gender, though.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 07:06:22 +0000

In those GNC ads – I can tell you for sure that the image of the woman has been digitally altered. Her right side has been moved in. It makes her right breast look much larger, the curve of her hip is unnatural, her waist is not even from side to side, the belt got butchered and has no end; the image is a mess. It’s obvious if one looks with a critical eye; not so much if one already has a negative self image, and/or is already expecting to be insulted by the picture.

What’s horrible is that the original image would likely have done its intended job just fine. Perhaps the marketing department felt that they needed an image that would make *everyone* insecure about their appearance – even those who’ve already gone as far as they can down the rabbit hole of “fitness” – even the original model. No considerations other than profit.