How does this "ad" depict men and women?
What visuals does it use to do this?
What assumptions does this reveal about gender?
Who is the ad targeted towards?
Traditional Gender Roles
Traditionally, household appliances and household cleaning supplies have been targeted at housewives. The stereotype is that the wife and mother stays at home and cleans. This stereotype was enforced by advertising from the 1950s such as the ad above which suggests that a wife and mother should be as good at home-making and taking care of family as a doctor is at healing people. This is harmful as it does not provide a picture of what a wife or mother is for themselves, outside a role of service.
Male Stereotypes
The “big boy appliances” are not real products - the ad is just a joke, making fun of gender stereotypes. The “big boy appliances” ad uses male stereotypes to make fun of gendered ads. The stereotypes presented in the ad suggest that products targeted towards men must be strong and hardy and help them to do big and powerful things. This is harmful as it suggests that men should be big and strong and fix houses etc... it is a toxic view of masculinity that does not provide a wide spectrum of ways to understand male roles and intentions behind purchasing tools.
What is a stereotype?
A stereotype is a simplified and generalised belief or assumption about a group of people based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, or other factors. These beliefs often oversimplify and may not accurately represent the individual diversity within the group. Stereotypes can come from looking at data and making sweeping judgements and also from assuming personal experiences are indicative of larger truths. While we all use data and personal experiences to understand the world, it is important to try and look for nuance to ensure we are not operating entirely out of assumptions. One of the challenges of stereotypes is that can lead to biased judgements, reinforce social prejudices and inequality and prevent us from understanding others.
How are stereotypes related to 'target audience?'
Stereotypes can be present in graphic design work when a target audience is identified. By aiming to target a particular group of people, this can lead to assumptions of that group of people and influence how a movie or advertisement is perceived. When designers rely on stereotypes, they can deliberately or accidentally reinforce biased views and limit the appeal to a broader audience. This can alienate individuals who do not fit the stereotype and hinder the message's effectiveness. Creating inclusive designs that challenge stereotypes allows for a more diverse and relatable connection with the target audience and can create greater engagement.
What do stereotypes and audiences have to do with ethics?
Ethics refer to the principles of right and wrong that guide individual and collective behavior. In graphic design, ethics relate to making responsible and morally sound design choices that consider the impact of visuals on society, culture, and individuals. Because stereotypes have the power to harm individuals or society, it is important to consider how to represent people groups accurately and with nuance as well as seeking to understand diverse target audiences. Recognising and challenging stereotypes is important for promoting inclusivity, understanding, and treating each person as unique.
How do we deal with existing stereotypes?
It is important for designers to recognise that stereotypes have existed and that targeting ads and designs based on this can still work. Some designers will still use stereotypes to easily promote their products. There are some places that are improving but you will still see more blue on packaging in the 'boys' section of a toy isle and more pink packaging in the 'girls' section. These forms of stereotyping may even have affected out experience of the world. To avoid a stereotype, I would not say "boys like blue" and "girls like pink," rather I would say "There has been a history of advertising using particular colours targeting specific genders, based on cultural norms of the time. This has led to pink being used for female products and blue being used for male products while rainbow or purple have been used to advertise towards gender diverse and queer audiences." You could add further nuance by researching where and when this started and why. Colour-gendered clothing for children was introduced in western culture the 1940s as this meant that parents would buy more products than if they used them interchangeably (Britannica, 2023). It was decided that boys would wear a "strong" colour, while women should wear a "dainty" colour (in western countries). In the 1960s and 70s the women's liberation movement led to a dip in pink products being sold due to the negative association.
Do stereotypes still work?
Even though we might think these stereotypes are in the past, sometimes the design choices still work. Someone who is female identifying may choose to purchase a cosmetic related product as it is pink or white and therefore they understand it is targeted towards them. This does not mean "girls like pink" but that this person has picked up on an existing code used to target them. I personally buy bathroom products in black packaging, not because I identify as male but because I like a minimalist colour pallet.
This website shows you your own implicit biases in a variety of situations and can help you identify what areas you may need to seek more education or experience in to avoid stereotypes (18+).
Class Project: Ethical Designs
You are going to create a design layout plan for a film poster that targets and audience but does not rely on stereotypes. You may complete this in a pair or group of 3 or your own. If you complete yours together, each person should take a photo of the layout you create and put this in their own portfolio.
Instructions
Chose a film genre from this list:
-Action
-Romance
-Drama
-Sci-fi
-Horror
-Fantasy
Choose a target audience from this list:
-6-8 year old boys who enjoy sports and have not yet been high users of technology
-16-18 year old people of varied gender identities (including non-binary), medium level technology use and progressive social values
-30-40 year old single mums with 1-2 kids
-60 year old men with high school level education and who are adept at using technology
Create your layout plan. This will be a rough sketch of elements that you would include in a film poster. It should include:
-a background
-a subject
-at least one additional element (e.g. a secondary character or an object like a car or building)
-a title (and description of font style)
-note what colours would be used and where
For your Portfolio
Under your 'Class Projects' page on your portfolio, create a subpage called 'Ethical Designs.'
Insert a photo of your layout plan
Explain how your visual choices helped to target your audience without relying on stereotypes. The questions below will guide you:
-What subjects and objects have you included in your design layout? (Minimum 1 sentence)
-What colours and font styles have you included in your design layout? Minimum 1 sentence)
-How did these choices convey the film genre and target the audience provided? Minimum 1 sentence)
-How did you avoid creating stereotypes to engage your audience? Minimum 1 sentence)
Complete previous steps
Find three or more examples of existing film posters that use similar visual choices to yours. (colours / styles / fonts / subjects etc..). Insert and APA reference them. Extend your reflection to include how the choice you made align to visual choices for film genres and how these examples help show this.
Complete previous steps
Use editing software (e.g. Adobe Photoship, Pixlr or Canva to mock up your design in more detail
Consider which fonts and colours you are using
Extend your written response to be a structured paragraph that also notes any editing choices you made