Thursday, 31 March 2011

Analysis 3: Calvin Klein Jeans Avdertisment

Firstly, when focusing on this print advertisement for Calvin Klein Jeans, the idea of the new man and the female gaze can be applied. Again, similar to the television commercial for Dolce and Gabbana, it is the idea of the ‘new man’ that is the main focus of the advertisement and the woman’s body appears covered up and in this case her once objective body is cropped out of the entire advertisement. However, what is most interesting and emphasises Phillip Patterson statement in his essay Stereotypical Images of Men in Advertising that there is ‘more of the ideal male body in the ad than the product being advertised’ (Lester, 1996), is the fact that the product, being the Calvin Klein Jeans are hardly in the shot and almost merged in with the dark background in comparison to the amount of male flesh that the consumer of the advertisement are faced with.  This could enable the female gaze theory to be applied as it could be argued that he is just another pretty image that all women want to fixate on whilst flicking through Cosmopolitan or Vogue which could trigger them to buy Calvin Klein Jeans for themselves or their partner in order to get the same attention as the male in the advertisement.
Secondly, like the Dolce and Gabbana commercial, the male model appears to be a tall, dark and handsome, toned and tanned young man. It becomes quite obvious that this ‘type’ of male has to be used in order to catch the female gaze leading the idea of the ‘new man’ to almost become a stereotype just like the blonde and busty female who is mainly the recipient of the male gaze. It could be argued that the media has drilled this idea of a perfect man into the heads of the consumers as this flawless image of the male body is seen in numerous media texts which are reflected in the range of media texts that are apparent in this blog.
Thirdly, the fact that the woman is dominating the male in this sexual advertisement could suggest to the female consumer that if her man buys Calvin Klein Jeans he will be as desirable as the model in the advert. In addition to this, the dominance of the female could be emphasising the idea of ‘the new man’ as he appears to be in a vulnerable state and the idea of role reversal could be applied. It is the male that in the past has been dominant of the woman, however it could be argued that the male has been feminised in this advert as he appears to be pinned down by the woman in a sexual manner.  On the other hand, when focusing on the male consumer, he may think that if he buys these jeans it will be easy to get a woman which is the focus of this advertisement emphasising the fact that the male body is used in order to sell the initial product, however, this process portrays his body as the product which takes the attention away from the actual product the company is wanting to sell. In addition to this, the similarities are constant in terms of the Dolce and Gabbana commercial. It could be argued that the man is not looking at the woman and is in fact admiring his own body in his Calvin Klein jeans, suggesting again that the male is the main focus of the advertisement rather than the woman and that the woman is only part of the advertisement to emphasise the sexual desire of the female gazer and to almost create a starting point for the fantasising consumers.  

Analysis 2: Dolce and Gabanna Light Blue Commercial


When focusing on the television commercial for his and hers perfume Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue it is evident that the theory of ‘the new man’ could be applied to the tall dark and handsome male that we are faced with. The idea of ‘the new man’ comes from the essay ‘The Great Pretender’ by Rowena Chapman, who deeply analysis the fact that ‘In order to sell products, advertising had to sell men’ (Chapman, 1988) enabling them to become the recipient of the gaze which is female. This is exactly what this commercial does, despite the advertisement being aimed at both men and women, which is specified at the end of the commercial.
Womans point of view shot:
Whole male body in foucs
(we do not get this fom the woman)
Firstly, the fact that the commercial opens with a shot of the woman appearing to be gazing at an ‘object’ opposite her on the boat suggests that she is fixated with whatever is on the other side, leading the consumer to believe that there is something admirable opposite her immediately taking the focus away from the woman. It could be argued that her fixated facial expression leads the consumer to trust that there is something more sexually desirable waiting to be revealed.
This becomes apparent when the camera portrays a point of view shot, so that we see the typical ‘new man’, being an attractive tall dark and handsome Italian looking male, through the woman’s eyes. This shows how the roles have been reversed in terms of Laura Mulvey’s ‘male gaze’ theory which suggests that women are objects and are ‘gazed’ upon by men by using the technique of the point of view shot in films for example. This technique has been applied here but it is the female that is doing the gazing therefore emphasising Rowena Chapman’s statement that the ‘new man’ has become the recipient of the gaze.
Female body covered up, male body in full focus.
However, the male does not initially seem interested in the woman as he is not gazing at her. This could be emphasising the fact that it is not the woman whom the audience should be focusing on and that the female consumers should be sexually drawn to the male in order to sell the product. It could also be argued that the male knows that he is being gazed at as he appears to be holding a pose and focusing into the distance, as though he is fully aware and is enjoying being admired by the woman, and the female consumer giving that sense of ‘you can look but you can’t touch’ making the female more eager to see the man as a sexual object rather than a person.
Male viewed from womans side of the boat so that we can
get the full focus of his face (womans back turned to camera
showing that the male is the main focus).
Secondly, although it is made clear that the commercial is advertising for a product aimed at both men and women, the camera mainly focuses on the torso of the male as we are faced with an extreme close up of the males oily, toned body as he clambers on top of the woman in a sexual manner. This technique could have been used in order to objectify the man in a way that he is no longer a person but a sexual image, in the same way that women were objectified in commercials for more than thirty years. The idea of the male body being seen as a sexual object again reiterates the fact that he is the recipient of the female gaze as the female consumer may fantasise about the mans flawless body. In addition to this, it is interesting how it is the male who is wearing the least clothing. The woman could have easily been dressed in only a skimpy bikini, yet most of her chest is covered up by a less than skin tight blouse, yet the male bares all, only wearing petite white trunks. This could emphasise the idea of the ‘new man’ as the product will sell if women believe that their partner will miraculously turn into the male in the commercial if they buy it for them, or they will manage to find someone like the man in the commercial if they buy the female fragrance for themselves.  It could also be argued that it promotes word of mouth such as, ‘have you seen that man in the Dolce and Gabanna advert’, which allows the brand and product to become an even more popular buy. 
Overall, It is apparent that this commercial solely focuses on the typically attractive ‘new man’ and it is evident that he is the recipient of the female gaze as his body is objectified and turned into an image. The only time that we see the actual product, being the perfume bottles for him and her, is at the end of the commercial, which is hardly visible as the images are that small. This emphasises the fact that the ‘new man’ technique has been applied in terms of using the male body to win over an audience in order to sell a product. It could also be argued that it is not only the female consumer that will be persuaded by the commercial as men may think that they will become as attractive as the man if they buy the product, again reiterating the fact that the ‘new man’ is a unique selling point and essential to 21st century commercials.

Analysis 1: the stereotypical Image of the 'New Man'



When focusing on these three media texts it is evident that they reflect the stereotypical image of ‘the new man’, toned, tanned, perfected looks and slightly in touch with his feminine side. Each of the media advertisements for different men’s fragrances portrays an image that is similar in all three advertisements emphasising that the new man is a stereotype. 
Firstly, when focusing on the posture of each of the males they are all notably similar. All three are men are positioned with their arm around the back of their neck as though they know that they are being gazed at and allowing the consumer to openly look at their toned bodies.  In addition to this it could add to the sexual objectification of the male’s body, linking to the female gaze, as with their arm locked behind their neck they are welcoming the consumer to admire them and to lure the consumers into buying the product being advertised.

Secondly, although the advertisements are all aimed at the male consumer, it could also be argued that using this technique of the new man in advertising helps gain a wider audience as men will want to buy the fragrance so that he can fit into this stereotype of the perfect new man and the female consumer will want to buy the fragrance for the male as she will think that he will turn into the man of her dreams similar to the men shown in the advertisements backing up the quote from Rowena Chapman in her essay on the 'new man' which suggests that men in advertising are 'characterised as the hopeless dupes of romantic fantasy' (Chapman, 1988) suggesting that the men portrayed in the above advertisement is the stereotypical man that every woman wants, therefore suggesting that they are the recipients of the female gaze.


Thirdly, when focusing on the appearance of the males in the advertisement, in terms of the stereotype of the new man he is portrayed in a feminine way for example the long hair and use of eyeliner within the Gucci advertisement. This could show how popular culture and the feminization of men suggesting that they need to look perfect in order to sell a product, even if it means going to the lengths of wearing makeup. In addition to this, the use of eyeliner in the Gucci advert could have been used to emphasise the male’s eyes and draw attention to the fact that he is using his eyes as a sexual gesture in order for the product to be sold.


Lastly, when reiterating the quote from the book Stereotypical Images of Men in Advertising that advertisements display ‘more of the ideal male body in the ad than the product being advertised’ (Lester, 1996) the three advertisements above all show that this is the case when advertising a product using the image of the new man. It could be argued that that the advertisers use the ‘new man’ as the product or a sexual object in order to lure consumers into buying the actual product which is usually placed in the left or right bottom corner of the image or poster, leaving the rest of the poster to the image of the toned and tanned new man.

Images of the 'new man' in advertising


An Introduction to the New Man and the Female Gaze

‘The New Man’, he is the tanned, toned and fully waxed male that struts his stuff in perfume advertisements, the man who bares all whilst selling fixated females Diet Coca Cola at the eleven thirty appointment and the oil drenched body that dominates the screen in the Dolce and Gabanna Light Blue advertisement. The New Man is caring, domesticated and slightly in touch with his feminine side, perfecting his looks with not a hair out of place.
Before the twentieth century, Laura Mulvey’s well established theory on ‘the male gaze’ dominated the world of advertising. Women were ‘objectified' and portrayed as an image or spectacle in order to grab the attention of the sex crazed male, such as the infamous Cadbury’s Flake advertisement which sees a woman sensually wrapping her red lips around the chocolate bar. Essentially, this would gain a mass of male consumers in order to sell the product as they would become fixated on the woman and her sexual posture.  However, Levi Strauss’ notorious Jeans advertisement turned this theory around and introduced the stripped ‘New Man’ to television screens across the country in 1985. Many argue that he is the ‘recipient of the gaze’ such as Rowena Chapman who discusses the theory of ‘The New Man’ in her book Male Order. It could be argued that this was the beginning of the evolving ‘female gaze’ as he began ‘strutting his stuff across posters, calendars and magazines’ (Chapman, 1988) allowing himself to be gazed at and admired by the female consumer, as though he were an object or product himself, just like the female body has been used in advertisements for over three decades.
In the 1970s the idea of ‘the new man’ coincided with a number of new developments in popular culture. Advertising companies were seeking for a new market (the female) and magazines were focusing on lifestyle rather than products. This landed the slick young man inside the covers of the glossy women’s magazines such as Company and Cosmopolitan. It could be argued that men were feminised due to the men’s liberation movement of the 70s in which it was made accepted for men to open up emotionally whilst still maintaining their masculine status, leading women to see them as the newly caring and loving ‘new man’ whom was finally on the same wavelength emotionally.
It could be argued that ‘The New Man’ has become a well established stereotype in itself. The majority of advertisements that aim to win over the female consumer portrays a tall dark and handsome figure who is muscular and tanned with a chiselled jaw, such as the male model Garrett Neff in the ‘Calvin Klein MAN’ fragrance advertisement from 2007. These stereotypical images of the perfect man have been cloned time again to the point where the new man is seen as a particular type, the type of man that all women want as the media has constantly reiterated that he is the dream man by portraying him as a compassionate fashion fanatic who takes care in his appearance, in order to sell a product. Phillip Patterson argues in his essay Stereotypical Images of Men in Advertising that commercials or print advertisements display ‘more of the ideal male body in the ad than the product being advertised’ (Lester, 1996) suggesting that the male body is seen as an image, object and even a product emphasising the theory of the ‘female gaze’ as the male is there to be admired and fantasised about.
The following media texts will analyse in depth how the male is portrayed in print and television advertisements in terms of the ‘female gaze’, and how the stereotype of ‘the new man’ is applied in each media text that's mission is to sell the man in order to sell the product.

Reflective Log

Day1
In today’s media culture seminar I was given the information that I need in order to start thinking about what I am going to base my portfolio on. I have heard ideas that other people on my course are already thinking of doing. However, I want to write about something that is unique and interesting therefore I have been doing a lot of research into popular culture and bought a few magazines so I could browse through the advertisements and see if I could find anything interesting. I found an interesting advertisement for Elnette Hairspray where the woman appears to have been on a night out with her friends or been at work and has come in to her husband who is dressed in a cooking apron with a candlelit dinner for two placed on the neatly presented dining room table. This has sparked an idea in my head and I am considering basing my portfolio on gender role reversal which I want to confirm with my tutor tomorrow.
Day 2
It has been a few days since I wrote on my reflective log; however I have been busy gathering a large amount of media texts that I could possibly consider using in my portfolio. I talked to my tutor after the lecture on feminism, which was a great help as we were introduced to the theory of ‘the new man’ which suggests that the male’s role and media representation has changed dramatically. We discussed how the male body is used to help sell a media product and it made me think about the opposing side of Laura Mulvey’s ‘male gaze’ as a ‘female’ gaze could be applied to a numerous amount of media texts that I have collected for my portfolio. My idea has been approved by my tutor and the lecture was extremely helpful.
Day 3
After attending the lecture on ‘the new man’ and feminism I have borrowed a book from the library by Rowena Chapman and Jonathan Rutherford Male Order: Unwrapping Masculinity. The chapter by Chapman The Great Pretender was a great read and a huge help. I have written down a few points that she mentions and I hope to use a few quotes to back up my media text analysis. I have learnt a great deal from this such as the history of ‘the new man’ and how he came to be. I have also been introduced to the Men’s movement of the 1970s which helps make sense of the whole subject. Alongside my reading I have found the Dolce and Gabanna Light Blue perfume advertisement for him and her. This I find particularly interesting as it evidently uses the male body to sell both products and it is unusual that he dominates the advertisement rather than the woman who is usually the centre of such advertisements and seen as an object. I will definitely be using this in my portfolio.
Day 4
I have decided to publish my portfolio as an online blog as I have found numerous videos that would greatly link in with the idea of ‘the new man’ and the female gaze that I do not want to go to waste. I have also read a few chapters from a book by Paul Martin Lester Images That Injure which includes some helpful essays by numerous authors. One essay that particularly helped me was an essay written by Phillip Patterson called Rambo’s and Himbo’s: Stereotypical Images of Men in Advertising (Himbo’s meaning male bimbo’s apparently) which focuses on the fact that males have been feminised in advertising and ‘the new man’ has become a stereotype of a tanned, muscular and fully waxed male that all women fantasise about.
Day 5
Today we had a question and answer session in the seminar which cleared up a few issues that I had and I think that it helped everyone else too in terms of portfolios. I asked a question about what Marxism is, I don’t know how I would apply it in my portfolio but it has certainly helped. We were also shown two similar media texts for perfume advertisements. One being a woman based on Marilyn Monroe, portraying a classy woman advertising an expensive perfume. We then compared this with a perfume advertisement of Coleen Rooney’s new fragrance. It was interesting how I could point out which one reflected popular culture with Coleen’s over tanned body and over the top makeup.  I think the aim of this was so that we were able to link two media texts together which I definitely want to do an example of in my portfolio.
Day 6

 I have finally started to piece my Portfolio together, after doing a lot of reading I am finding this quite easy to fit together. I am happy with the media texts that I have chosen to analyse as there is a huge amount of things to say about them in depth.