Alright, so today I’m gonna walk you through this little experiment I did with ads and gender differences. Nothing too fancy, just a bit of messing around to see what sticks.
First off, I started by brainstorming. Like, what kinda products scream “male” or “female”? Obvious ones, right? Shaving cream for guys, makeup for the ladies. But I wanted to go a bit deeper, see if I could find stuff that’s more subtle.
Next, I dug up some actual ads. Old ones, new ones, online banners, magazine spreads – the whole shebang. I wanted a good mix to compare against.
Then came the fun part: analyzing. I looked at everything. Colors, fonts, models, even the freaking wording. How did they try to appeal to each gender? What assumptions were they making?
- Colors: Blue = “masculine,” pink = “feminine”? How often did that hold up?
- Language: Was it all about “strength” and “power” for men, and “beauty” and “grace” for women?
- Imagery: Were the women always smiling and the men always serious?
I noticed some patterns, for sure. But it wasn’t always black and white. Some ads were surprisingly progressive, others were just… ugh, stereotypical. Like, the cleaning product ads where the woman is ecstatic about how shiny the floor is. Seriously?
After that, I tried to create my own ads. Just mock-ups, nothing professional. But the idea was to flip the script. What if I advertised a rugged pickup truck with a woman in overalls fixing the engine? Or makeup designed for men who want to express themselves?
It was a good exercise. Made me think about how much advertising reinforces these gender roles, and how easy it is to fall into those traps yourself.
Finally, I wrapped up by writing down all my observations. It’s a bit messy, but it’s all there: the ads I looked at, the patterns I found, and my thoughts on the whole thing.
What Did I Learn?
Well, a few things. First, gendered advertising is still a thing, even if it’s becoming less blatant. Second, it’s important to be aware of these stereotypes, both when you’re creating ads and when you’re consuming them. And third, sometimes it’s fun to just mess with expectations and see what happens.
Honestly, it wasn’t rocket science. Just a bit of digging and thinking. But it was a good reminder that advertising isn’t just about selling stuff, it’s also about shaping our perceptions of the world.
