Child's Play During the Superbowl
There is a certain time in February when Americans gather in front of the television to watch the same program at the same time, as they used to do in years passed. The Superbowl is a tradition every year that is about the only time when you will find anyone actually looking forward to watching the commercials that play during the breaks of the football game. Over the years, there has been controversy over the display of humor and objectification that airs over the waves during these creative advertisements that have become as popular at the game itself. This year exhibited a decrease in the objectification of women, and one company truly took the opportunity to push the boundaries of gender identification. Audi, a well-known auto company, had two advertisements that were relatable, relevant, and delivered a strong message. These commercials addressed issues this country, parents, and children are all facing at the moment.
Children were the focus of these two ads, which used a car race and a toy store as their settings. In one ad, there was a little girl racing with a crowd of boys in a boxcar race. The father was having a conversation with himself questioning how he was going to explain the societal view that women are valued less than men and that in society, this can be an automatic assumption no matter her intelligence and skills. He cheered his daughter on as she fought her way to the finish line, and after she won and the two of the them were walking toward his parked Audi, he hoped that maybe he would be able to tell her something different when it came time to have the conversation. The second ad showed a darkened toy aisle with gender identified boys toys on one side and girls on the other. The lens shows four dolls on a shelf in various female roles of a lady at her vanity, a dancer, a mother with a stroller, and the pretty girl in the carriage. The doll in the carriage looks across the aisle to see a row of boy toy cars. A blue sports car offers her a ride, but she insists on driving it. After going for a joy ride through the aisles, the store begins to open, and she races to return to her area. The doll and the car end up stopped in the middle of the aisle, and shortly after, a boy child picks up the car saying that this is what he wants. His mother responds that the two toys do not belong together and puts the doll back on the shelf with the carriage. After hesitating, the boy is seen picking up the doll, and then a tag line appears stating, “Playing, just like driving, shouldn’t be a matter of gender.”
Gender lines are being conveyed more and more in a blurred manner within the media, and mixed signals can often be interpreted in the messages the media sends out. In the race ad, there is a girl who is dressed as a tomboy with dirt on her face surrounded by boys in what is mostly viewed in society as more of a boy’s game. It enforces a competitive attitude, aggressiveness, and a need to succeed. This would not often be considered “ladylike,” and she was not demonstrating the usual feminine behaviors of submission and upkeep in appearance. In the second add where the doll in pink rides around in the blue toy car, the line that is usually placed between these two toys is taken away. Simply put, a girl and toys are not being portrayed in the stereotypical, societal norm. The fact that the girl won the race in the midst of her father trying to figure out how to explain her de-valued place in the world she lives in was impactful and interesting. It sent a message that just because one would be considered female or feminine does not mean that they are incapable of accomplishing the same things as a male who is taught the more masculine behaviors. The alliance of the girl and boy toys displayed a message that sometimes there can be balance between the two genders and that a line does not necessarily have to be drawn between the two.
There are some theories that pertain to how both of these ads play out in their stories. The social learning theory, stating children can learn behaviors from peers and parents, is demonstrated in both of these ads in two separate ways. The father to the little girl is seen encouraging her in more masculine activities and behaviors. There is a possibility that she will later demonstrate gender transcendence because of the support her parent showed her in not remaining within gender lines. The little boy may not achieve gender transcendence because it is obvious his mother is commenting on and establishing societally appropriate gender choices. The mother made it a point to separate the girl toy from the boy toy, taking the more femininely viewed toy away from him. The mother is putting emphasis on what is considered feminine and masculine and that the boy should set aside the more feminine toy. There is a distinction that has been made here in the second ad that was not made in the first. The way these two parents have either not or have established separation in behaviors, choices, and roles within the masculine and feminine can have a great influence on their children as they continue to grow and learn from the society and culture around them.
Gender stereotypes are molds that some are hoping to break or lines to be blurred as younger generations begin to grow up. Audi is sending a powerful message that views should possibly be reconsidered when it comes to the narrowed roles we place on males and females, masculinity and femininity. The fact that femininity may continually be considered weaker than masculinity or that females may automatically be less valued, even though they may have a strong masculine presence in their self, are certainly issues that should be addressed. It is obvious Audi felt the same way and wanted to get that agenda and message across to the public in one of the most public ways. Through the use of child’s play, this auto company chose to send a message of equality and choice.
