Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyrY_zCcoCw
2. AXE body spray commercials portray men as chick magnets when they use AXE body spray. Women will literally throw themselves at you if you use this product is what the commercials are demonstrating. This particular commercial uses the stereotype that men are masculine when they use AXE body spray and women will grovel at their feet.
Commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvIzHgWtwTU&feature=related
3. There are many TV shows that depict the main male character as overweight, but funny. Usually he will have a petite and pretty wife who puts up with his shenanigans. A prime example is the show King of Queens. Doug is the main male character and he is overweight and works as a delivery man.
4. Another example is the show Family Guy, which depicts the main male character Peter as overweight and stupid.
5. The movie "The Ugly Truth" depicts men as being dogs who only want women for sex and not for a committed relationship. Once the right woman comes along, she changes the man's perspective on woman in general. The man is now changed and can commit to a relationship.
6. There are many superhero movies such as Batman, Spiderman and Iron Man that all have very strong male heroes. These heroes hold a great responsibility of saving the world and setting a good example. These movies encourage young boys to grow up and be like these heroes. Even today, men see themselves as the protector of their families , so they must be strong in order to uphold this responsibility.
I think we have so many stereotypes about men because we have personally witnessed a particular stereotype in the real world. I know I have seen the typical funny, overweight dad of the family and the guy only looking for sexual relationships, not committed ones. A problem arises when we label all men the same way regardless of really knowing if the stereotype is justifiable. Not all men are pigs, and they deserve the benefit of the doubt. I think men are under a lot of pressure to be the "hero" of the family. It is considered embarrassing if they are not the breadwinner of the family, or not strong enough to protect their family. Many times there is so much focus on the stereotyping of women, that male stereotyping is not really given much thought.
I think it is interesting because as much as I know male stereotypes are degrading to men as well, I find it your Captain Improv commercial really funny. I also found the Old Spice "The Man Your Man Could Be" really funny as well. It seems apparent in both of those commercials that the commercials are just trying to be funny. I know they can be construed at degrading, but I think they have a stronger humor effect than degradation effect.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing you could consider when thinking about stereotypes in general is Self-Categorization Theory. People constantly categorize everyone in groups all the time. Think of an example of a guy that goes to Paris for one day and meets an unfriendly cab driver. When he comes back to the United States, he tells all of his friends that all French people are unfriendly. This is because people have confirmation biases - people tend to ignore disconfirming evidence and focus on evidence that will confirm their prior beliefs. Whenever people rely on confirmation bias, they end up strengthening their personal stereotypes and believing them more strongly.
You are right in your assessment, I just wanted to give the Psychological background to stereotypes.