For years now, AXE Body Spray has created countless ads and commercials highlighting the powers of using their products whether it be shampoo, body spray, hair gel, etc. These complete bogus effects consist of ‘getting girls’, receiving increased attraction from the opposite sex, being a man and not a boy, etc. In no way can using such a product guarantee any of these things, however AXE mainly relies on the targeted 15-25 year old male population to believe that their product can increase their sense of masculinity.
This ad wants men to believe that the fact that because they have dandruff and ‘flakes’ in their hair, that is what is preventing them from receiving attention from the opposite sex. This is in a way similar to what we talked about in class about ‘medicalization’, the process in which nonmedical problems become defined and treated as medical problems. This is a real life process and is being demonstrated as something unnatural and a problem.
Because the targeted audience starts with boys who are going through puberty, individuals grow up believing the stigma that puberty is a time when boys become men, they get stronger, they get the girls, they become more popular, etc. These are all seen as positives, and the media neglects to show the negative effects of puberty. For girls, puberty is seen as a rough transition, individuals may become less popular, changes in girls’ body may create anxiety, depression, etc. Even at the age of 15, there is a gendered double standard. AXE is known for targeting younger males, especially those going through puberty and ‘becoming men’. Never would there be a shampoo advertisement (targeting younger females around the age of 15) showing a late adolescent female surrounded by multiple shirtless men. It is obvious that AXE uses the naïveté of their audience to lure them into buying their product.
Another reason why this advertisement may be successful is because sex clearly sells. In an article titled “Amusing or offensive, Axe ads show that sexism sells” on the Seattle Times, they show that although they largely exploit gendered stereotypes, so much so that they can be offensive, their products will continue to sell. Individuals in these types of advertisements are almost always skinny, extremely attractive, half naked and posing seductively. This ‘lifestyle’ is what men might dream of, strive for and want, therefore may be more willing to buy a product because it will allow them to be one step closer to reaching that ‘goal’. In an article from the Huffington post, they suggested that the AXE campaign “insults and undermines men”, suggesting that men cannot control themselves around attractive women. This further demonstrates the power of sex and women and its control it may have on men.
There are rarely any ads where females aren’t being objectified. On one website, they believe that female objectification is AXE’s ‘sense of humor’, however their advertisements can be very offensive especially towards women. AXE probably believes that this is okay because their target audience is younger men and therefore they won’t be offended by the ads. Less than 10% of AXE products are geared towards women and this will probably stay the same for that exact reason stated above.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an interesting topic to look at from a sociological perspective. I definitely remember anytime from the 5th to 10th Grade when guys would put on ridiculous amounts of Axe Body Spray to almost flaunt the same type of masculinity that is shown in the advertisements. It makes me wonder if Axe would have been such a successful product if they hadn't relied on the idea that using their products will somehow attract all the pretty girls. The fact that something as simple as shampoo was gendered to help guys seemingly enforce their masculinity is something so silly that reminds me of the part in Pascoe's book when the school put on a skit that showed nerdy boys working out and stealing their girlfriends back from "thugs". I really can't see why either of these are necessary but I'm sadly not surprised that they were successful in getting their message across to their anticipated audiences.
ReplyDeleteI was definitely intrigued by this post because masculinity is often so focused upon in advertisements promoting toiletries for men. I am constantly seeing ads that focus on the "nerdy" guy who is able to apply a product and become desirable to the most attractive girls. The product itself is equivalent to masculinity, and by buying this product consumers are buying into the idea that they will become masculine in this process. This just reaffirms the norm that hyper-masculinity is something that our society is so focused on and to be desirable, you must be masculine. This is very stereotypical and teaches young boys that to be liked by girls, you must come across as masculine. There are so many campaigns to promote positive body image in females, such as the Dove Campaign, but I think there need to be more campaigns like this for males. Males are often neglected due to the norm of masculinity in our society.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post. I remember when I started using deodorant, I didn't need it. I didn't sweat and I didn't smell, because I hadn't even come close to puberty. For me it was something about "being a woman" and not a little girl. I wanted femininity to surge through my body, but of course I was a child. When I became 14 or 15 and started playing sports all of my friends used Old Spice because it essentially works better than any of the deodorants marketed towards women. I think that creates a devastating cycle that leaves women feeling like their bodies produce more scent than is naturally expected and they need a "man's" product that is "stronger" and "better" to help aid the situation.
ReplyDeleteI think this was a great post. I remember in 5th grade we went on a trip to the middle school and they showed us a video with one of the main points being that it's time for ll of us to start wearing deoterant. I'd also like to evaluate the point you make about how we as a society genderize things for no apparent reason despite to seperate the sexes, which is what creates a hierachy.
ReplyDelete