For many of you, this may be a new concept, but it is an important concept you will need to learn when you graduate from college. It is important now.
Writing Assignment: You will select an advertisement that objectifies someone of the male or female gender. The term objectification means to dehumanize a person. It removes the lines of person and in place, we are looked upon as objects. For example, examine “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent. If we look at the lyrics, examine how it refers to women? How is the term “candy” used to describe women? Take “Lollipop” by Lil’ Wayne for instance. Apply the same scenario to these lyrics. Although these are lyrics, the same applies to advertisements. There are a number of advertisements saved to the O/P drive that you can choose from.
Once you have selected an advertisement, you will be asked to identify the target demographic. It is not enough to suggest that only young white, rich women are the target demographic of a Gucci ad. What you will need to do is explain why young white, rich women are the target demographic. I have provided an example below.
This advertisement targets white, middle class 50’s housewives. The husband and wife portrayed in the advertisement features a young white couple in their thirties. The husband is wearing business trousers, a long-sleeve white dress shirt and suspenders. The wife is sporting a brunette, to the shoulder haircut and a 50’s era dress, hemmed at just below the knee with dark heels. The advertisement features Chase and Sanborn coffee, an American coffee company founded in 1862. The way the husband is posed, sitting in a chair with his wife turned over his knee, similar to the way a parent has a child bent over his/her knee, with the husband’s right hand in the air. The husband’s hand is in direct location to the wife’s rear. Typically in the 50’s, the woman remained in the home, tending to the housework and children. As such, the ad reads, “If your husband ever finds out you’re not “store-testing” for fresher coffee…” The quote leaves it up to the target demographics’ imagination; however, the visual representation tells these young housewives that their husbands will turn them over their knee if they ever find out.
Identifying the target demographic will provide you with an explanation of why the objectification occurs. It may be helpful to research the product that is being advertised (e.g. Chase and Sanborn coffee). Once you have identified and explained why the target demographic is targeted, explain the action of objectification. Answer the question, “How does this advertisement objectify men?” This is a question you will need to explore in your essay. There is no need to fear. We will be examining advertisements over the course of the unit – working to identify a target demographic and of course, why – and how the ad objectifies males or females. It is important that you arrive at your own conclusions in regard to your own writing assignment.
Objectives of the Written Assignment:
1) Identify an audience for a chosen advertisement.
2) Explain how this is the target demographic (and why).
3) Describe in detail what is going on in the advertisement.
4) Describe in detail how the advertisement objectifies men or women.
5) In your own words, arrive at your own conclusions about this advertisement (e.g. your feelings in regard to objectification. For instance if you are a part of the target demographic and part of the gender that is being objectified, how does it make you feel? What does it suggest or imply of your gender?)
Identifying a Target Demographic: Go beyond identifying people or young men or young women. I have included categories for assigning a demographic below. This should help you with this written assignment.
• Age
• Race
• Gender
• Geographic location
• Education
• Occupation
• Social Class
• Politics
• Religion
• Marital status
• Sexual orientation
What you may find in Easy Writer: A Pocket Reference by Andrea Lunsford:
Thinking Critically About Visuals, 26 – 28
Exploring a Topic, 17 – 18
Planning and Drafting, 19 – 20
Developing Paragraphs, 20 – 22
Reviewing, Revising and Editing, 22 – 23
Find It. Fix It., 1 – 10
Language That Builds Common Ground, 145 - 147
MLA Style, 206 - 207
Format of the Written Assignment: For this written assignment, you will follow MLA format to set up your paper. This format can be found in Easy Writer, pages 206 –
207. The written assignment must be three to four pages in length. A works cited page will not be required for this assignment; however, you must include a hard copy (e.g. or link) of the advertisement with your written assignment.
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