The way our society's treats gender and gender relationship have evolved over the years. We have come from traditional gender roles to more modern times, where the notion of conventional gender roles is being challenged. Advertisement reflects the changing dynamic of society's views on gender roles. Pepsi is one of the major corporates that invest heavily in ads. Through the 2004 Pepsi Superbowl commercial, this essay takes an in-depth analysis of gender stereotypes and portrayal (Pepsi, 2004) .
Representation
The 2004 Pepsi commercial was a big-budget undertaking. The ad recreated the ancient Roma gladiator battles. Through the ad, we can develop a discourse on female sexuality and the power dynamic between the two genders portrayed. The project involved world stars such as Beyoncé, Pink, Britney Spears, and Enrique Iglesias. All of the four leads are powerful forces in the entertainment and business industry. Only the man got to play the powerful position of being a Cesar.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The female superstars played a highly sexualized version of female gladiators. They wore bikini costumes that were bronze. They walked into the arena and started singing. The emperor, played by Enrique, just sat down and drank a Pepsi. This representation both flips traditional gender roles and institutionalizes them. Traditionally gladiators were men who fought each other in the arena. However, the emperor was still played by a man. The most powerful individual is obnoxious Caesar. And he is brought down by the feminine voices of the female gladiators. Traditionally the power positions have been held by men, and this is no different in the commercial. The role of the Cesar portrays the evident secular view that leadership is male-dominated.
Traditionally, men are seen as providers, while women are always portrayed as nurturers and still sexualized through the male gaze. The costumes worn by the three female leads in the commercial gives them a femininity touch and are meant to expose their sexual attractiveness. The female leads walk into the arena, and through this, the viewer is exposed to their bodies. Each of their frames dominates the screen time as they walk through to the stadium. Their exposed upper bodies and legs represent the suggestive dressing.
The viewers may expect the female leads to go and fight as traditional gladiators did, but they all stand in the middle of the arena and start singing the song We Will Rock You. This is the representation of women as desirable commodities. The advertiser is using well-known superstars' sexuality as the objects of the viewer's gaze. The three characters sing with passion, but remain sexy throughout the song. They dance, and the crowd is fired up with excitement as they join on the chorus. Viewers and the spectators in the video are supposed to consider the sexual appeals of the three leads through their clothing and physical characteristics.
Music
Advertisements are represented in four dimensions. There is the music, the speech, the picture, and the writing. The inner meaning of adverts is supposed to come when all these dimensions are combined. The other dimensions enhance each aspect. In this commercial, the central theme is to get people to buy Pepsi by persuading the viewer’s using sexuality, feminine excellence, and prowess. The lyrics of the song sang by the characters accompany the images represented to send out a moral message. The image represented also sends out a particular message. The actors wear gold and silver ornaments. This represents their social status as the wealthy. The music supports the song. The trumping and the clapping are the fundamental instruments of the music as the characters sing. The melody comes out as cheerful and represents the mood of the spectators being entertained by the presence of feminine sexuality and prowess.
The characters suggest suggestively by moving their hips and their breasts. They seem to do this unintentionally. These movements are also considered as aspects of sexually-oriented appeals. Suggestiveness can be described as performing or possessing sexual stimuli that arouse or puts the ideas of sex in people's minds. The song We Will Rock You was initially performed by Queen, and its lyrics are confrontational and relaxing at the same time. The song contains several words that refer to the male gaze and traditional masculine activities. The words male and buddy traditional belong to conversations about males and males. The phrase playin' in the street is a traditionally male activity. These signals that the female characters want more power and want to be equal to the men. This signifies the representation of women as free individuals who wish to gain equal standings as the men in society.
The dressing of women as gladiators oppressed by a male emperor represents the concept of women undervalued in our society by the opposite gender. The song bridge We Will Rock You represents the intention of women to topple the current status quo. The women are singing to the emperor, and the "you" in this case refers to him. The rocking part refers to their intention to overthrow him. The writing on the commercial is in two main categories, the brand name, and the tagline. The brand name is Pepsi, while the slogan is Dare for More. The motto can be interpreted as building the female sexuality discourse of women can become by being more daring. The tagline is a play on the female sexual revolution and plays the existing tensions about the current debate concerning the sexual power women possess. The Pepsi brand is represented as the solution to female ownership, anxiety, and sexual freedom. The audience is supposed to beg for more Pepsi.
The commercial does well by contrasting the sexual appeal of the women involving by showing their bodies, which are appealing sexually and are represented suggestively. They compare this with their faces, which are expressing anger and no sexuality at all. The creator of the commercial assumed that there is a positive representation of women in the advert. The women are represented as strong as men in the commercial, and in the end, they appear to overwhelm the most powerful man in the commercial.
Conclusion
Pepsi's portrayal of women utilizes the popularity of the three cultural idols who were already considered sex symbols and talented icons. The women are represented as strong and courageous in the commercial. The main aim is to transfer the celebrity appeal of these women to the brand. Pepsi represents a positive female sexuality discourse by portraying the three women as liberated and in charge of their situation. The music enhances the female sexuality and brings its power to the viewer.
Reference
Pepsi (Director). (2004). Pepsi Commercial We Will Rock You [Motion Picture]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7jkygJ_QNo
