Gender and Stereotype Inquiry Blog Post
First ad:
Second ad:
Third ad:
Cars are widely seen as one of the few objects that represent masculinity. The better your car, the more of a man you are. And commonly, "better" is dictated by if the car is faster and more expensive. This would also relate to the gender role, heavily associated with men, "the Bussman", or otherwise known as the "provider." This gender role would also emphasize the concept that the faster and more expensive your car, the more manly you are (or rather, the more society will accept you as a man).
As seen from the links and image I have attached, the ads that I have chosen are ads by the car company, Lexus. Lexus, however, isn't just any car company, it is a LUXURY vehicle company and Japan's largest-selling company of PREMIUM cars. And if Lexus were to make ads, it would be safe to assume that the ads will be very male-oriented and would focus on the "male gaze."
For the first ad, which was published before the other ads, in the fashion of many other male-oriented products, there is a woman who is blonde and slim in skimpy clothing, in front of the new car being, giving her the decorative role. This is done as to attract men, who want to be seen as, well, a "man." Furthermore, the woman is considered attractive in societal terms, so if a woman such as the model in the ad is "endorsing" this product, this will increase the chances of the consumer, the man, to buy the product because it gives the sense that they will have the opportunity to attract other attractive women with the product. This also connects with the idea that if a man is with an attractive man, this will also increase his masculinity and thus make him a "man."
The second ad, "2015 Lexus RC: Face off", can also be juxtaposed to the first ad, however, they both share the trait of being very male-oriented. The "Face off" ad consists of a lot of action-esque scenes with a lot of quick cuts, flashy colors and "loud" music. This action-packed method of the ad attracts the "male gaze" as these attributes are heavily associated with men. The reason this is because "manly" men, in society, are seen as "hard" (tough) and "cool". And of course, the tougher and cooler you are, the more you are accepted as a man in society. Additionally, in the end, there is a woman narrating, this, again, can give the impression that women are endorsing this. And as mentioned earlier, women are one of the devices implemented into male-geared ads.
In the third and final ad, "2015 Lexus NX TV Commercial, 'What You Get Out of It'", it battles the very gender roles that were previously established. It consists of an equal amount of men and women (2 men and two women), and both are represented dominantly (through "serious" looks at the camera, standing with their chests high, etc.). Additionally, the use of women as a device to interest the male gaze has been greatly minimized. In the 30 second ad, a woman is showed in a skimpy outfit for 3 seconds, and even then she is portrayed in a very dominant perspective. The ad itself doesn't focus on having a gender-specific demographic, but rather a class-specific demographic (since it is a luxury vehicle company). This ad is an active portrayal of the product with all the models. This is an establishment of a union between the two genders, rather than having one gender superior to another (and in most cases: male over female).
Second ad:
Third ad:
Cars are widely seen as one of the few objects that represent masculinity. The better your car, the more of a man you are. And commonly, "better" is dictated by if the car is faster and more expensive. This would also relate to the gender role, heavily associated with men, "the Bussman", or otherwise known as the "provider." This gender role would also emphasize the concept that the faster and more expensive your car, the more manly you are (or rather, the more society will accept you as a man).
As seen from the links and image I have attached, the ads that I have chosen are ads by the car company, Lexus. Lexus, however, isn't just any car company, it is a LUXURY vehicle company and Japan's largest-selling company of PREMIUM cars. And if Lexus were to make ads, it would be safe to assume that the ads will be very male-oriented and would focus on the "male gaze."
For the first ad, which was published before the other ads, in the fashion of many other male-oriented products, there is a woman who is blonde and slim in skimpy clothing, in front of the new car being, giving her the decorative role. This is done as to attract men, who want to be seen as, well, a "man." Furthermore, the woman is considered attractive in societal terms, so if a woman such as the model in the ad is "endorsing" this product, this will increase the chances of the consumer, the man, to buy the product because it gives the sense that they will have the opportunity to attract other attractive women with the product. This also connects with the idea that if a man is with an attractive man, this will also increase his masculinity and thus make him a "man."
The second ad, "2015 Lexus RC: Face off", can also be juxtaposed to the first ad, however, they both share the trait of being very male-oriented. The "Face off" ad consists of a lot of action-esque scenes with a lot of quick cuts, flashy colors and "loud" music. This action-packed method of the ad attracts the "male gaze" as these attributes are heavily associated with men. The reason this is because "manly" men, in society, are seen as "hard" (tough) and "cool". And of course, the tougher and cooler you are, the more you are accepted as a man in society. Additionally, in the end, there is a woman narrating, this, again, can give the impression that women are endorsing this. And as mentioned earlier, women are one of the devices implemented into male-geared ads.
In the third and final ad, "2015 Lexus NX TV Commercial, 'What You Get Out of It'", it battles the very gender roles that were previously established. It consists of an equal amount of men and women (2 men and two women), and both are represented dominantly (through "serious" looks at the camera, standing with their chests high, etc.). Additionally, the use of women as a device to interest the male gaze has been greatly minimized. In the 30 second ad, a woman is showed in a skimpy outfit for 3 seconds, and even then she is portrayed in a very dominant perspective. The ad itself doesn't focus on having a gender-specific demographic, but rather a class-specific demographic (since it is a luxury vehicle company). This ad is an active portrayal of the product with all the models. This is an establishment of a union between the two genders, rather than having one gender superior to another (and in most cases: male over female).
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