Everyone knows the best part of the superbowl has to be the commercials. However, GoDaddy.com(a website that helps you make websites) sparked a lot of controversy regarding a a scene where supermodel Bar Refaeli shares an uncomfortable kiss with actor Jesse Heiman. I remember watching the commercial as a shocked 10 year old kid just waiting for it to be over. I couldn't look away, no matter how much I tried.
The whole point of the kiss was to symbolize the idea of "smart" and "sexy" coming together. However what are the standards of sexy and smart? As you can see to the left, they use model Refaeli to portray the sexy side, and they use Heiman to portray as the smart side. Some people may think that this commercial "does nothing wrong" or "its just a kiss" but there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. Heiman, who plays "Walter" in the ad, is dressed and acts as a nerd because thats today's visual outlook on what a nerd would look like. Model, Bar Refaeli is placed in a revealing dress to maintain the "sexy" part.
As you can see in the upper left, the caption is an innuendo in the advertisement. It is comparing small businesses to the nerdy guy, implying that they are both going to "score" when sexy meets smart. This is one way advertisers use sex to get our attention. According to the first paragraph of "Three Ways A Woman Can Get Hurt," it states that "We know that advertisers like to use sex to get our attention and that they make exaggerated claims about a product's ability to make us attractive, popular, and successful." The innuendo in this particular advertisement is trying to tell its viewers that if you use their product, you could be as lucky as the nerdy guy. This whole idea objectifies the model and most likely makes her feel like she is being used.
Here's some things people do not tend to notice while watching these types of ads. He is wearing glasses, button up, and has weight to him. If you go on google images and type in "Nerd" in the search bar, many people with that style will show up. These ads not only objectify women, they objectify men too. In the film "Killing Us Softly 4," Jean Kilbourne goes to talk about other examples of how advertisers can objectify anyone.
Works cited
Kilborne, Jean "Three Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt" Rereading America. Eds. Colombo, Cullen, Lisle. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's P. 2013.
Go Daddy Bar Refaeli Kiss Super Bowl Commercial 2013 - FULL-Youtube, unkown, 2013, Web 26 April 2021
Pictures are screenshots from above