Week Seven Blog
The first advertisement implies many things about society. When first analyzing the photo, you notice that the woman is clinging to the man. This shows that women are needy and also that this is how they should act, if they want to be a loving wife. Also, the man has his back toward the woman instead of facing her and possibly embracing her as well. This shows the man's superiority over the woman's inferiority. It hints that maybe women are supposed to show all the affection in the relationship while the men look powerful, needed, and respected. Both of the people in this ad are in more formal wear while in the "kitchen," which is kind of odd, but in turn shows that appearance is a big deal and that both man and wife should always look at their best. The suite shows that the man has power and lives in the business/ job world and the formal wear of the woman shows that even when she is doing housework she should still look good for her husband. Aside from the things we can pull from the image like body language, attire, and appearance, they also give us some text. "The chef does everything but cook-that’s what the wives are for," implies a few things. It shows that women's place is in the kitchen and that a "good" wife cooks for her husband. It also implies that women are still useless in the kitchen without some sort of "manmade" mechanism. It shows that men do all the work, but that wives should follow their lead and be at their husband's every beck and call. The smaller text saying "I'm giving my wife a Kenwood Chef," is saying that men control the money and the buying of goods and that women don't have a say. Also, it makes women seem inferior, helpless, and needy because the husband has to "give" the wife everything.
The second advertisement is a little less obvious than the first. At first glance it just looks like a model, but if you look closer and think about the ad you can get a lot more out of it. First, the woman seems to be pinned to the wall along with the other material goods. This implies that women are just another material good like a microphone or sunglasses; that women are just objects to be bought and sold. Also, like in many ads, since it is a woman of color she is dressed in a more exotic print. This is stereotyping that both women are animals and also that women of color are exotic and different from white women. The way in which the woman is positioned says something more about her status as well. It could mean that she is helpless, but also that maybe she is somewhat risqué, sexually seductive, or whorish. This goes along with the wording on the bottom "cheap." Having her arms and legs spread and pinned down is showing male dominance over females. Lastly, this ad, like the first, shows something about appearance and how people should look. This woman is very skinny, so skinny must be beautiful.