Switch it up! Roles in Advertising

Many of you might be familiar with the controversy over the advertising for The Avengers Movie.

 See this link to read more:

http://jezebel.com/5908730/good-things-happens-when-you-pose-the-men-of-the-avengers-like-women 

The problem with The Avengers and most advertising is the sexualization of women and extreme masculization of men. In a lot of ways this problem seems almost old hat. Haven't we been talking for years how women are exploited in the media? 

The reaction to the Avengers Film Poster has got me thinking. Critics took the pose of The Black Widow and flipped it, placing the men in the same pose. What happens is a hilarious picture of strong super hero men with giant butts facing the front of the picture. Its hilarious because it shockingly redirects the problem. It uses humor to rip the band aid off the exploitation in the picture. It brings us to the great virtue of empathy. Truly it asks: "What if this happened to you?"

Recently, I was sitting with a friend watching my TV shows for the day when this popular add came on:

 

As I began to complain about just how jokingly "manly" this ad is a thought occurred to me: "What if we switched the roles?" My mind started racing as I thought of all the other super masculine and feminine commercials that could be disrupted by simply switching out the sexes. Imagine this very same commercial (above) but with women. Even imagine the pretty women props switched as good looking men. I love picturing the last scene in this commercial with a woman running down the beach with a giant log over her back as she plops it down triumphantly at the fire pit. It literally gives me chills. 

Now switch it again but only this time place men in a jokingly feminine commercial...let's take a good birth control commercial (yes men don't use birth control but these commercials are often the most gender role promoting ridiculousness in advertising): Here's a perfect example: 

 I'd love to see men wandering in the pretty shop, picking out their perfect woman, ogling at the stork...maybe even trying out college (oh my!).

Do you get my point yet? 

Try it out for yourself. While you're watching your favorite shows, don't skip the commercials. Flip the roles and see what comes to light. 

If you don't watch TV walk down the street and put women in men's pictures and vice versa. With some visualization maybe we can start making a real difference! 

Its not just a matter of gender roles and sexism that advertising promotes. Advertising and other forms of media stereotype men and women into little boxes. Media creates cultures that tells you this is how you should act, this is happiness. It literally controls culture. Even if you do your darn hardest to keep away from such images its pervasive. Companies are finding every last spot on planet earth to slap an ad on. What we see on TV and billboards frankly is not what we see on the streets or in our homes. We attempt to be something else instead of being ourselves. We are all created in God's image not in the commercial's image made for you. We are meant to seek God in the uniqueness of each other, NOT in the cliche of advertising. 

Here's some more food for thought: