Gender In Advertising

1. What are your initial impressions about the advertisement?

• Directed towards parents + male focused 

2. List the key words that are used in the ad?

•  Scholar, Future, Genius, His 

3. What are the connotations and implied meaning of each key word used? 

• Scholar + Genius- That GAP clothes will make you smart
• Future- That your child's future is determined by the clothes they wear now 
• His- This ad is directed towards males and their futures 

4.  Positive, Negative, or Neutral connotations 

• Scholar +
• Future + 
• Genius - 
• His 

5.  How does this affect you and your perception of the clothes being sold? 

• It makes the viewer feel a sense of necessity to buy these clothes for their child 
• If you do not buy them these clothes you are not advocating for them to have a bright future 

6. What specific images are there of the child in the ad? 

• Male 
• Smiling 
• Einstein graphic T-shirt 
• Maturely dressed 

7. How do those images affect your perception of the clothes being sold? 

• The clothes give your children confidence 
• The clothes demonstrate and consequently determine the intellectual abilities of your child

1. What are your initial impressions about the advertisement?

• Directed towards parents of young girls 

2. List the key words that are used in the ad? 

• Social, Playground, Her 

3. What are the connotations and implied meaning of each key word used?

• Social- The GAP clothes will make you popular and likable 
• Playground- The ad has a focus on children and their well-being 
• Her- This ad is directed towards girls and their school status 

4. Positive, Negative, or Neutral connotations 

• Social +
• Playground
• Her 

5. How does this affect you and your perception of the clothes being sold?

• It makes the viewer feel a sense of necessity to buy these clothes for their child 
• If you do not buy them these clothes you are not advocating for them to have a good school life 

6. What specific images are there of the child in the ad?

• Young Girl 
• Looking stylish and cool 
• Posed 

7. How do those images affect your perception of the clothes being sold? 

• The clothes give your children confidence 
• The clothes demonstrate and therefore determine the popularity of your child 

Part I: 

1. What are the major differences between the advertisements? 

The major difference between these two advertisements for the GAP is the gender associated with different characteristics of young children. While young boys are depicted as being scholarly and destined for a bright future, young girls are associated with what most would agree to be a less intellectual quality: popularity. 

2.  Did your perception of the GAP change after looking at and analyzing the second advertisement? Why or why not? 

After viewing the second ad, the viewer is naturally inclined to believe that the GAP uses sexist stereotypes to sell their products. Using a male child in addition to specific "his" pronouns to promote an intellectual future brought on by their clothes, does not seem inherently problematic on its own. The sexist overtones of the advertising is made clear by the second ad. While the male was advertised to have intellectual potential and a bright future, the female child was promoted as being a "social butterfly". As they assign one gender to each advertisement, the GAP is inherently assigning one gender each characteristic demonstrated in either ad. In doing so, the GAP determines the interests and fate of a child based solely on their gender. 

3. How do you think and feel about the ways boys and girls are depicted in these advertisements for clothes? 

While clothing in and of itself should not be a determining factor of one's intellect or social skills, the ad uses it as a means of defining a person's traits. In addition, the ad demonstrates that these traits are more likely or rather, only to be apparent in one gender versus the other. Personally, I think it is a little ridiculous to appeal to a certain gender using qualities that should not be assigned one gender, especially in an advertisement for clothing.

4. Should anything be done with these advertisements? In other words, are you okay with them? Do you find them sexist or offensive? Or should people just lighten up? Why or why not? 

I think that advertisements such as these have no room in our progressive modern society. While the ads themselves do not appear to be sexist in nature, when placed in sequence, the sexist implications of the advertisement shine through. This could easily be fixed by simply including a diverse group of children and replacing "his" and "hers" with "their". While the GAP probably meant well in their promotion of healthy personality traits, or at the very least, thought it to be good marketing, assigning anything to one gender often demonstrates ignorance and a lack of cultural understanding.

5. What, if anything, can be done about gender stereotyping in advertising, especially at such a young age? Or is it just something we have to accept? 

Inclusivity can and should be incorporated not only in advertisements but into daily life. Marketing, consequently, has quite an impact on our daily lives and therefore in many ways shapes the opinions of viewers of all ages. By incorporating sexist overtones into ads marketed towards young children and their parents we implant stereotypes into the average human at a very young age. This spirals and causes self consciousness, unequal opportunity, and sexism to flourish. To accept this form of advertisement would promote the continuation and development of an intolerant society of unequals. 

Part II: 

In conclusion, when it comes to advertising the GAP appears to be, at its best, ignorant. While it may have had good intentions, the pairing of stereotypes with gender promoted sexist ideologies and, in turn, directly contradicted its own goals of appealing to the parents of a self-inspired future generation. While the GAP aimed to create a sense of self-worth in the youth of tomorrow, through the use of deterministic ideology and stereotypes it may have fueled a continuation and, therefore, a future of self deprecation and inequality.

Advertising, Happiness and The End of The World

Part I:

Happiness is a difficult thing to define as it can mean different things to different people. For me genuine happiness comes from surrounding myself with the people that I adore most in this world. I am happiest when I have an authentic connection with another living creature, or when I have the opportunity to make someone else happy. In other words, I am happiest when I am surrounded by love.

Although most people can relate to that sentiment, happiness can still vary from person to person. For this reason, I think that although a national happiness index is an interesting concept, it does not seem very reasonable. Happiness is not constant. As much as we all want to believe in happily ever after, there will always be lows in addition to the highs. In fact, happiness wouldn't be nearly as wonderful if it weren't for these lows that teach and humble us every day. Therefore, an entire nation's happiness can not possibly be determined through a series of questions and statistics as emotions will always be far more complex than that.

Part II:

In Kurt Vonnegut's short story I've Been Called a Luddite, a man goes down to his local post office to deliver some of his writings to his typist friend. Being somewhat old-fashioned, the man prefers this traditional method of getting ever day tasks as opposed to using the shortcuts that technology often provides. In this sense the theme is rather simple and apparent in the part of the story in which the man describes his phone conversation with his typist Carol. He simply states "I love to talk to people".

While technology may be far more convenient then traditional methods of getting things done, Vonnegut emphasizes the small, everyday joys that come with doing things by hand. I would agree with this sentiment. I believe that one's ability to use or have access to technology does not necessarily coincide with their happiness. Although it is increasingly difficult in today's society to get by without understanding how to use computer, there is something beautiful about the intimate human interactions that one tends to enjoy far more when not burdened with the fast paced, hyper-organized nature of modern technology. This idea of intimate spotaniety is perfectly summed up in the slogan of the piece: "We are here on earth to fart around. Don't let anybody tell you different". Sometimes the most joyous moments in life come from not knowing what comes next.

Part III:

The New York Times article "But Will It Make You Happy?" suggests that consumer goods and happiness do not go hand and hand, and that they can even be polar opposites. The article emphasizes the emotional dangers that can coincide with a material focused lifestyle, especially in today's fast paced society. While people are constantly trying to "keep up with the joneses" by following the latest trends and buying the newest gadgets, they tend to become accustomed to this constant change and in turn, lose the feeling of excitement that comes with it. "Over time, that means the buzz from a new purchase is pushed toward the emotional norm". 

While a minimalist lifestyle does sound quite appealing, I found myself relating to the Fashion blogger referenced at the end of the article. "'No way,' says Hayley Corwick, who writes the popular fashion blog Madison Avenue Spy. 'I could pull out things from my closet that I bought when I was 17 that I still love.'" Fashion is a form of expression. In my mind, pairing pieces together that ultimately creates something that is uniquely me, is an extremely fascinating and exciting process. However, this does not mean that I don't think that pairing down on material items is a good idea, in fact, I full heartedly support it. The reason I will always love shopping for clothes is because I am passionate about what I am buying. This being said, indulging yourself for the sake of your hobbies can be a joyous experience, the danger comes when you stop spending thoughtfully and start spending constantly. 

Part IV: 

Here is a song that represents happiness to me. <3

Song: First Day of My Life
Artist: Bright Eyes