Femininity is the social process which recognizes female sex with certain characteristics. Such traits are developed by the society from the time when a female is born and creates a sexual difference of being female. Among many ads that create female awareness, I love the advertisement “ Under Armour” ( https://youtu.be/zWJ5_HiKhNg ). It crates awareness of sports fabric garments. It really motivates and sends a positive message of determination. The road to success is often hit with rejection but in the end it only makes you stronger. That is exactly the message that “Under Armour” commercial gets across. In it, Misty (the first African-American to become a principal dancer in an American dancing theatre) dances while a young girl reads a rejection letter that the dancer received when she first started dancing. The letter was brutal telling the dancer that she did not have a good body and she was too old to become a ballerina. Clearly Misty didn’t listen and her determination propelled her to succeed. Her story rhymes Under Armour’s mission statement “I will what I want.”
Under Armour’s main target in the above advert was to honor under-recognized feats of female athleticism by showcasing women who cannot be compared to anything that has come before. They are made to appear “iron like” and are elevated to the level they deserve.
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Does the ad combat stereotypes? Yes it does. Misty is a female dancer among other female athletes used by Under Armour in its marketing campaign. During the Rio Olympics; every time a woman won, she got compared to men. There has always been framing in society; whenever a woman does well she is always compared to the greatness of a man. This stereotypic setting in society is the one Under Armour is trying to undo by omitting gender in its narrative. For example, in another advert Under Armour uses 5 successive athletes in its campaign. They include both genders and are persons who have had tough and bitter success stories. This is simply meant to create the mentality that; everyone can make it in life regardless of gender. It only takes determination and persistence.
Does this advert offer alternative forms of femininity or masculinity? The advert does not offer alternative forms of femininity or masculinity. Faulkner, (2009) states that cultural notions of feminine and masculine behavior are shaped by observations about what women and men do. He goes ahead to state; this kind of gender marking tends to discourage women or men from entering gender-inauthentic occupations. Under Armour instead combats alternative forms of femininity or masculinity. In the past society viewed athletics as a sport for men. Men races were given more attention and media air time compared to female races. However this advert creates a new perception. By the fact that successful women have been continuously used in running the advertisement and men; a notion of athletics being a sport for all is generated.
Does the advert use diverse body types? Under Armour does not use diverse body types. In this scenario the advertisement uses an athletic body which is relevant to its campaign of creating awareness to the sports garments. The body type does not create any illusion in the viewer whatsoever. Unlike in (Jhally & Kilbourne, 2010) video (provided in the question’s link) , an example of a building material advert in the first 7minutes of the video uses a woman’s body and banks on its curviness to capture the attention of the viewer. Despite the fact that the advertisement states that the building materials are as firm as he body; in real context my opinion in the two (nude body shape and building materials) do not relate in any way. It is only meant to create an illusion in men since the advert was created at a time society regarded men as the main real estate developers.
Does the advert empower women? The advertisement empowers women in that Under Armour encourages women to be fierce and fearless with their aspirations. The advertisement uses women who have been dejected before by society. Looked upon as inferior and incapable to achieve anything. They at last become successful in their various talents more than even men would do. This enables women to realize their potential and need to exploit t with zeal knowing that society will give them an equal chance with men.
References
Faulkner, W. (2009). Doing Gender in Engineering Workplace Cultures: Part II—Gender In/Authenticity and the In/Visibility Paradox. Engineering Studies, 1 (3), 169-189.
Jhally, S., & Kilbourne, J. (2010). Killing us softly 4: Advertising image of women. Northampton, MA: Media Education Foundation.
