The scene opens upon two beautiful women, sitting in the front of a high-business office. They’re clearly secretaries and, if you listen close enough, you can hear a man complaining in the main office; complaining about not being able to pitch coffee as sexy. The camera pans back to the two women who are clearly dressed in a style reminiscent of the 1950s. They smirk at one another, stand up and move over to the coffee pot near the businessman. The camera closes in one of the secretaries; the brunette one, as she takes a drink of coffee, moans and says in a smoky voice, “Mmm…isn’t Fierce Roast Coffee delicious?” The camera then swings around to close in on the other secretary; the blonde one, as she says something equally loaded in sexual innuendo. The scene snaps to the businessman, who’s looking extremely flustered, as the two female secretaries move over to his desk. The brunette female has a container of coffee beans that she’s running the tip of her pointer finger around, very slowly. This is happening at the same time as the blonde female is leaning closer to the businessman, whispering low, “Mr. Driesdale…is everything okay, Sir?”
Welcome to the world of nonverbal communication concerning women and media.
This opening scene was an actual commercial filmed for an episode of America’s Next Top Model, filmed on March 16. In it, the women were supposed to try and “sell” the idea of Fierce Roast Coffee to Mr. Driesdale; to make coffee sexy. Now, I love Tyra Banks just as much as the next person, but I remember watching this episode thinking, “What the flaming HELL is she trying to say about women?”
Whether it’s blatant sexual innuendo or a portrayal of a weakened woman, these are, in the majority, the ways we see women in the media. They’re either pushing their breasts out or shrinking into the background; lowering their eyes in submission. Women are either retreating flowers or ravenous sex kittens. Or, rather; almost all of them are. We occasionally will have the powerful women like those exhibited in Nikita, but it’s truly amazing to think about how often women are portrayed as inferior, particularly in nonverbal language, in the media.
What’s most interesting is that research shows that women tend to interpret nonverbal language better than men. Though, you hardly see anything of the sort in the media. In some ways, I do agree that women are better at interpreting nonverbal language. If only because women are known as the “nurturers” and that just means that you’ve got to be a bit better at perception, now doesn’t it? But, again, there’s the question hanging in the air that if everyone’s so aware of women being better at interpreting nonverbal language, why are they always shown in media as either unable to handle even the simplest of body signals or sending out particular signals with their bodies that doesn’t necessarily show how perceptive they are? Well, aside from that one category.
For the second year in a row, I’ve participated in being part of AVC’s production of The Vagina Monologues. It’s with a group of truly fantastic people that we talk about women’s issues and rights and how they’re portrayed. We spend time identifying with the women Eve Ensler wrote about in several of her books. We laugh and cry and it’s these things that should be shown in media; these nonverbal cues that women truly pick up on. One cast member’s monologue sticks out to me. Or rather, one particular line from the show over the weekend: “When she gets over that, and over all of us, she will finally, perhaps even triumphantly, belong to herself.”
The scene that you described involving the Fierce Roast Coffee piece is an extremely blatant example of sexual innuendos used in media and advertising. This takes place all over media and advertising, and often portrays women as pure sex objects, or like you said, “either retreating flowers or ravenous sex kittens”. Although not as often, advertising also uses sexual innuendos to get the attention of women as well as men. Remember that dude named Fabio with his hair flowing in the wind to sell “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”, as well as the romance novels that he would grace the covers of? And we have all seen the Old Spice commercials with the Black guy with his shirt off saying that he is “the man that your man could smell like”. These advertisements are clearly aimed at getting the attention of women using the same kind of sexual innuendos that are used to attract men. Sex sells, and we can expect for media to be full of examples of nonverbal and verbal behavior that have sexual undertones as well as overtones. It only bothers me when the product has absolutely nothing to do with sex or the images being used in the ad, such as the Fabio margarine commercials that I mentioned above, or Paris Hilton washing a car to sell cheeseburgers for Carl’s Jr. Margarine? Cheeseburgers? C'mon now...
ReplyDeleteI thought the commercial you explained was kind of funny. Being a woman, it is a bit offensive, but the idea of making a can of coffee sexy is just funny to me.
ReplyDeleteWhen we hear “it’s a man’s world”, sometimes I think it is a man that is behind all the media that stereotypes women in the submissive, weakened state. When I heard the story of “Barbie”, I did not know that she was created by a man. She was made to how a man thought woman should be or how they want women to be. With the media, I think women are portrayed by what men think women should be or what they want them to be.
I do not know a lot of what goes on behind the scenes in the media, but I know women work in the industry as well. Someone like Tyra Banks would seem to try to portray women in more of a positive strengthening light. She is a woman in the spotlight where she can demonstrate power in being a woman, showing independence, success, and beauty all in one.
It is too bad that the media does not show too much of the strong, independent woman. Though the strong, independent woman is in the media, we do not usually see them without something “sexy”, whether it is a music video, magazine ad, poster, or fashion. I do not see anything wrong with being sexy, but it is kind of sad when that’s the way to get the attention and the strength and independence falls to the background.
"This is a man's world, this is a man's world... But it wouldn't be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl..." The Godfather of Soul had it right. There is really no need for clarification or explanation. No matter how much we as men can do we cannot compare to the women who are involved in our lives. Although it is cliched to say that I would be lost without my wonderful girlfriend, it is true. I depend on her as more than just my lover, she is my friend, my companion, and every so often she is that lovely slap in the face, I call my reality check...
ReplyDeleteIs it sad that in our society sex sells in the media. Even though it may be funny, mindless, and downright undignified, it achieves its purpose. I cannot sit here and preach that it is the worst thing to happen to our society, that would make me a hypocrite. I almost died when I saw those Old Spice commercials, but as for that Paris Hilton commercial it made me boycott Carl's Jr. for a while, I dislike Paris Hilton and how she is officially on her sixteenth minute of fame...
Although our society has evolved there are some things that may never change. Sex in the media may fit in that category because I am sure there were tons of men watching that Paris Hilton commercial thinking, "If I was that car..." I personally had to stifle my gag reflex, but if it was some other celeb I probably would have been drooling. Hey, I'm only huMAN after all...