Old Spice & Gender Theories Notes

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OLD SPICE

Image result for old spice isaiah mustafa bahamas


  • Humour
  • Not to be taken seriously ''This fact has not been fact checked''
  • Archetype image of burying someone in sand; summer
  • iconography of holidays, tropical islands; sand, boats, sunbathing women.
  • Building up connotation of a tropical island holiday.
  • Volcano = product might be mind blowing, humour.
  • Model facial expression; smug, direct address, confidence from old spice.
  • Making fun of OTT male grooming adverts.
  • Product on bottom right, conventional.
  • In some ways this is traditional (logo, main image and tagline appearing) but in other ways there are lots of layers of meaning.
OLD SPICE ADVERT:
  • Displaying confidence, meant to be a man desired by women
  • Episodic Structure; from one location to another. 
  • from bathroom to a boat and then on a house, last two locations link to print advert.
OLD SPICE 1947 Advert
Traditional message, men groom themselves to be desired by women. 
Female is displayed in a very sexist way; male gaze.
OLD SPICE 1965 Advert
Very manly,  mature white man.  

CLASSIC 1970 Iconic Advert 
  • Always a seductive type woman; male gaze.
  • Manly
  • Cheesy
JUDITH BUTLER & GENDER REP
  • We perform our gender role; it is created in the performance. 
  • We've taken on a role, crucial to the gender you are and gender you present the world.
  • ''Nobody really is a gender from the start''
  • Gender troubles can occur when heterosexual norms are not fixed.
OLD SPICE & GENDER ROLES
To what extent is Isaiah representing a performance of masculinity?
  • Shirtless, targeting female partners
  • Women literally on his body
  • Confident in sexuality, smug gesture.
  • Displaying him to be strong as he's holding up a whole island.
  • Well built & muscular as shape of island follows the contour of his body.
  • Ethnicity, black male and that he's young directy juxtaposes the older advert where the models are older white male.
  • Ethnicity linking to the bahamas, suggesting he might come from that part of the world; this then might become problematic.
MYTHICAL MASCULINITY - Strong arrogant, muscular. Originated by Barthes, telling us about how these are based on exaggerated tropes and culture. Ideological, makes it seem natural. 

Based on Heteronormative Ideas, works on the assumption that people are in heterosexual relationships and that women are going to buy their product for their partners.

Van Zoonen says Isaiah is more a spectacle, rather than an object of desire. Differing to when women are shown semi-naked, shown as objects to look down on. Male gaze relies on power, man still has power. Subtle but important difference when portraying male and female bodies in the media.

OLD SPICE IS A POST MODERN ADVERT

We know there's a lie there ''Anti Perspirant Mine in the Bahamas' but that's okay because we're supposed to have fun with it.  

  • Deliberate reference to old fashion advert of men being desirable to women, this is intertextuality.
  • Portrayal of Bahamas is hyper reality
  • Self referential
  • Pastiche of Old Spice & Mythical Masculinity
SIMULACRA - It looks like the product but it's not.
HYPER REALITY - We can't tell the difference, but we accept it as that.


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