Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Masculinity in Advertisements







In the image above Dr. Pepper is showing a picture of a Dr. Pepper can with muscular arms sticking out from the sides, giving a non-living item human (more hyper-masculine) qualities. Surrounding the can is a phrase that reads, "Are you man enough for Dr. Pepper ten?" The company is trying to sell their new kind of soda, targeting men who are body builders and care about their image, in my point of view. The advertisement is telling men that somehow, a soda determines how "manly" you are. Masculinity will be defined by this Dr. Pepper Ten, it is not intended for men who are perceived as "skinny" and "all bones" without muscle. It is saying that muscles show how much of a man you are, without them you're not "enough of a man." Men should be muscular and drink Dr. Pepper in order to be considered a real man. This entire ad is problematic. What does being "man enough" mean? Who determines who is "manly" and who isn't? This questions the masculinity of men, and it is a very fragile thing to even joke about. Why are they personifying a can and giving it muscular arms? Is it important and crucial for their sales? Dr. Pepper is ridiculous.

1 comment:

  1. I really like how you emphasized what a "man" is, I agree with your statements as well.

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