{"id":164,"date":"2025-03-21T13:39:35","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T13:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigating-teacher\/chapter\/masculinity-in-advertising\/"},"modified":"2025-03-22T19:16:20","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T19:16:20","slug":"masculinity-in-advertising","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/textbook.mediasmarts.ca\/navigating-teacher\/chapter\/masculinity-in-advertising\/","title":{"raw":"Masculinity in Advertising","rendered":"Masculinity in Advertising"},"content":{"raw":"Have students access the student chapter Masculinity in Advertising - Ad Analysis<\/a> and have students answer the questions.\r\n\r\nWhen students have finished, have them access the student chapter Masculinity in Advertising - Decoded<\/a> and go through the analysis with them.\r\n\r\n[h5p id=\"5\"]\r\n\r\nWhat shapes do you see? What effect or meaning do they have?<\/em>\r\n\r\nOn the second\u00a0 slide, point out that\u00a0 the most prominent shapes are triangles. In general, triangles are the most dynamic shape, compared to rectangles (which are stable and static) and circles and ovals (which are seen as comforting). This makes an overall effect of power and energy, but also a little bit of danger: the one prominent circle is the tire, which haloes the boy\u2019s head to reassure us that the lifted car won\u2019t hurt him.\r\n\r\nHow does the composition of shapes and images direct our attention? What are we drawn to look at?<\/em>\r\n\r\nOn the third slide, show that the two most important composition elements are the car and the boy\u2019s eyeline, both of which lead us to focus on the man \u2013 and, specifically, the bottle in his hand. Following the boy\u2019s eyeline in the other direction draws a line between the bottle in the man\u2019s hand and the bottle in the bottom right foreground.\r\n\r\nWhat audience is this ad aimed at, and how can you tell?<\/em>\r\n\r\nAsk students who in the image we would most want to be. Highlight that the use of triangles and the way the composition directs our eye all show that the man is the focus.\r\n\r\nThen ask: How does this ad try to convince men to buy milk?<\/em>\r\n\r\nExplain to students that one reason advertisers make gendered ads is so that they can sell you a solution: if you are anxious that you\u2019re not masculine enough or feminine enough (or not \u201ctough enough\u201d or \u201cpretty enough\u201d) then buying something that feels masculine or feminine helps. It can also help reassure audiences that it\u2019s okay to buy a product that they\u2019re worried might be unmasculine or unfeminine (such as calling dolls \u201caction figures\u201d or calling perfume \u201cbody spray.\u201d)\r\n\r\nNext, have students access the student chapters Masculinity in Advertising - Ad Analysis 2<\/a> and Masculinity in Advertising - Ad Analysis 3<\/a>. Have students answer the questions and then discuss their answers. (If you choose, you can half half the class anlayze one of the ads and hte other half analyze the other.)\r\n\r\nNow ask students what messages these ads send about men or masculinity. Are any of them concerning or unhealthy, especially if they were seen by teens? For instance, the Axe and body building ads might make teen boys self-conscious about their weight or their muscles; the milk ad suggests that to be a \u201creal\u201d man you have to be a superhero; and the body building ad suggests it\u2019s unmanly for men to seek out help when they have problems, saying that when they have \u201cthe weight of the world\u201d on their shoulders they should \u201cjust add more.\u201d (If applied literally to weight lifting, following that advice could also lead them to injure themselves.)\r\n\r\n ","rendered":"

Have students access the student chapter Masculinity in Advertising – Ad Analysis<\/a> and have students answer the questions.<\/p>\n

When students have finished, have them access the student chapter Masculinity in Advertising – Decoded<\/a> and go through the analysis with them.<\/p>\n

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