We’ve had a number of submissions of examples of gendering food, so I thought I’d post a few that illustrate connections between food and masculinity. Edd T. saw this commercial from New Zealand that presents wine as an insufficiently manly drink which all men should reject as a matter of course:
Even beer isn’t without risk, though; a man must choose carefully. Roger B. sent in several Miller Lite commercials that connect masculinity to drinking the right beer. Men in these ads are ridiculed for wearing tight jeans and singing the wrong songs at karaoke:
As Roger points out, “the female bartender is implied to have a masculinity that the man in the commercial doesn’t possess (due to her knowledge of beer and, presumably, her policing of masculinity), and…this is treated as part of the joke (as if a woman possessing more masculine traits were inherently absurd).”
So what can men eat and drink? Well, apparently fried chicken is so masculine it can even compensate for a pink sweater, according to this Australian KFC ad sent in by Katrin:
And anything that includes lots and lots and lots of food is inherently for men. Tyler R. saw a notice for a buffet on a BC Ferries vessel that travels between Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. Women apparently need to know about the ingredients and dishes. Men just need to know food is available, in unlimited quantities:
Gwen Sharp is an associate professor of sociology at Nevada State College. You can follow her on Twitter at @gwensharpnv.
Comments 35
Steve Pan — March 7, 2012
The absurd gendering of food in America is something that makes even my jaded immigrant parents roll their eyes. I'm so glad my friends can order a huge quantity of chicken from Church's and chow down without thinking it's odd that, gasp, women might like chicken too!
Joyce — March 7, 2012
Additionally, the Crema specials infantilizes women by calling them girls.
Food and Masculinity » Sociological Images | Food News — March 7, 2012
[...] original here: Food and Masculinity » Sociological Images This entry was posted in Blog Search and tagged commercial, connections, edd, food, gendering, [...]
MissDisco — March 7, 2012
is that a girly pink cupcake by the men only breakfast?
And it's mostly all in pink! No man chalk?
Ricky Sharp — March 7, 2012
That skinny jeans guy in the Miller Lite commercial is truly an inspiration. I too love to wear them out in public just to troll the hell out of people IRL. Well played sir.
Elana Millman — March 7, 2012
The very sad point about these clips is that it preys on men's sense of self and deep insecurities. These ads know that on some level, we all want to fit in, we all want to be accepted, we all want to be loved and this form of advertising uses this insecurity against men. If a man drinks the right beer, wears the right jeans, sings the right song, then and only then, they will be accepted into the club of masculinity.
It is also interesting that all of the ads pit men against women. It is women who are drinking and enjoying wine. He chose to sing a Britney Spears song, a decidedly un-masculine choice. He wears skinny jeans, a fashion deemed more acceptable for women. It is not just that men need to be accepted into the men's club, but it is also that they need to define themselves in opposition to anything that is feminine (jeans, music, fashion, drinks) or dare I say, homosexual in nature. I believe that this puts an enormous erroneous pressure on men. I don't judge the men in my life according to what they drink and wear. That is only for the small minds of marketing who insist on telling men and women how unworthy they are unless they succumb to very narrow societal pressures.
Erin Dochartaigh — March 7, 2012
Reminds me of when I used to work for an upscale pizza delivery place. Very frequently, female customers would ask "how much pizza should we get for 4 women?" Uhhh....
My response was always "Well, it depends on how hungry you are. We usually say that one large pizza feed about 4 PEOPLE."
So silly, this gendering of actually ungendered objects. I blame the backlash.
Manly Food « Feminist Philosophers — March 7, 2012
[...] or attempts to ‘butch up’ cupcakes, seem food is ripe for gendering. There’s a nice post over at Sociological Images about this that’s worth [...]
Thomas Gokey — March 7, 2012
Here's another example from a GQ interview with Herman Cain about the difference between a "manly" pizza and a "sissy" pizza (http://www.gq.com/news-politics/politics/201111/herman-cain-interview-alan-richman-chris-heath-devin-gordon#ixzz1oU0EFmGd)
Chris Heath: What can you tell about a man by the type of pizza that he likes?
Herman Cain: [repeats the question aloud, then pauses for a long moment] The more toppings a man has on his pizza, I believe the more manly he is.
Chris Heath: Why is that?
Herman Cain: Because the more manly man is not afraid of abundance. [laughs]
Devin Gordon: Is that purely a meat question?
Herman Cain: A manly man don't want it piled high with vegetables! He would call that a sissy pizza.
...Herman Cain: It's a very serious business. It all gets back to the quality of the ingredients. That's the secret to making a great pizza. [pointing to the arugula pie] Now, personally I like this particular one, better than the others.
Chris Heath: As Devin said before, one would think that you'd brand that one the sissiest pizza of them all.
Herman Cain: Well, you didn't let me finish answering the question the first time! It's not only abundance; it's taste. Okay? It's taste.
...Herman Cain: That I haven't had experience holding an elected office. That's how they're trying to paint me. And guess what, I give them the brush and the paint. Want to know why? The American people love the fact that I haven't held an elected office. They love it— [Another pie arrives, covered with meat.] NOW THAT'S A MANLY-LOOKING PIZZA!!
Captain Pasty — March 8, 2012
Ugh, New Zealand. There have been some complaints here lately from a feminist groups about the Tui Beer commercials. But they have been on TV for 6 years, so I don't know why it took them so long.
Here's some examples of them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn7u5XvupSU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-OoNwHKUcM
The Tui company was gonna meet with the feminist group, but they pulled out at the last minute.
Anonymous — March 8, 2012
Something that always gets me about the Miller Lite commercials...
I work in a bar. Eventually, one starts noticing trends and associating the brand with who tends to buy it more. Miller Lite buyers tends to be middle aged women. I rarely ever see young, stylish, insecure men buying Miller Lite. I wonder if the commercials have actually turned off their target demographic, or if they even had their target demographic in the first place.
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DoctorBirch — June 28, 2023
I'd never have thought that it would occur to someone to divide food into women's and men's. You have to try all kinds of foods, develop your taste buds, that's all. So, I tried black truffle for the first time and I didn't even think I'd like it that much. I advise find out the cost of black truffles here, and in the same online store to place an order or see the entire selection of specialty products.