AT&T and gender: commercial critique part 1
By LindaBeth
Is anyone besides me really annoyed by the latest AT&T Wireless commercial campaign? They sure say a lot about gender expectations and values vis-a-vis gender and behavior.
The "alter ego" commercials (or so they are dubbed on youTube) have one version of the commercial's subject talking to the camera and one acting out a scene in the background. The person talking to the camera is saying how someone doesn't have AT&T, therefore they have no reception, therefore something awful is happening to them, represented by the storyline being acted out in the background.
"Kelly's Dad" was the first one I saw that I really didn't like. Like most other annoying representation of stereotyped assumptions, I rolled my eyes and said "great." But after several more commercials from AT&T that feed unhealthy gender assumptions and values, a pattern has emerged.
Is anyone besides me really annoyed by the latest AT&T Wireless commercial campaign? They sure say a lot about gender expectations and values vis-a-vis gender and behavior.
The "alter ego" commercials (or so they are dubbed on youTube) have one version of the commercial's subject talking to the camera and one acting out a scene in the background. The person talking to the camera is saying how someone doesn't have AT&T, therefore they have no reception, therefore something awful is happening to them, represented by the storyline being acted out in the background.
"Kelly's Dad" was the first one I saw that I really didn't like. Like most other annoying representation of stereotyped assumptions, I rolled my eyes and said "great." But after several more commercials from AT&T that feed unhealthy gender assumptions and values, a pattern has emerged.
8 Comments:
it's never implied in the first commercial that the teenage girl is lying. it's actually a pretty integral plot point that she isn't actually there.
By
Anonymous, at 10:20 PM
I agree with you wholeheartedly. The commerical that I detest the most is the one where the guy is checking out other girls with his phone. I think this is setting a horrible standard that people will see and actually believe that it is okay to behave in manner.
By
Anonymous, at 9:22 PM
my husband and i are appalled at the one with the girl about prom. how awful to make the guy in the back some kind of undesirable person. as a teacher, i see how this brings great pain to young people. i am so disappointed that a company would air that now it is still airing. we have at&t and am thinking about cancelling and telling them why.
By
Anonymous, at 10:26 PM
Agreed sir.
The one that appalls me is the one with the "prom dreams."
Anyone else notice the poor kid is actually buying the girl something? And of course she takes it (because come on...she was born. That means she earned it) without a second thought.
Moreover I think the best *What we Learn* from that scene is,
**It's okay to use people as long as you don't have to hurt their feelings to their face**
I for one will never EVER use AT&T/Cingular because of the above mentioned stereotypical Hollywood mentality they project.
Way to feed the kids *Laguna Beach* in 30 second increments AT&T!!!
By
BJMAR13, at 11:57 PM
Holy crap. Grow up. They're commercials designed to sell you something, not a chapter out of your Sociology 101 textbook.
By
Anonymous, at 11:39 AM
Um, thebadrabbit? Isn't that the problem? That they're using offensive stereotypes so flippantly? Though you may not think so, how we advertise is part of our society, and both reflects how we think and instructs us on what is socially acceptable.
And that has nothing to do with sociology. Absolutely nothing, right?
By
Anonymous, at 12:28 AM
I believe you are reading too much into the commercials. They are only meant to solicit a laugh by creating situations that are utterly ridiculous.
Like The Onion, those commercials are not meant to be taken seriously. Written with a grain of truth, but most of it is extremely exaggerated reality.
By
Anonymous, at 5:04 PM
I came across this blog looking to see if I was the only one who thought (the Shine commercial) was ridiculous.
I think it's very sad...we can already see how society has been affected by this type of attitude. The sad thing is that it's not going to stop...only get worse.
As a women I resent the hell out of being continually told my value is only equal to my sex appeal.
My hope is that eventually women will become society and advertising's primary influence and we can start parading men around as women are now. Maybe the men who treat women like sex objects will finally feel the pain of being valued by looks that they have no control over....I know it won't fix anything, but it would feel like sweet revenge...
By
Anonymous, at 4:12 PM
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