The student writes:
In this commercial it seems like the wife is punishing her husband for trying to break his "diet." I have two issues with this: One, if this commercial was reversed in the gender roles, it would have never made it to TV. They would never show a man kicking his wife, or shoving her face in a pie. Also, this plays into the angry black woman stereotype.
I, too, found this ad problematic. Other thoughts?
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Media don't seem able to retreat from the tradition that women are "in the know" about dieting products. This is much like the Yoplait commercial where the man overhears her talking about desserts that turn out to be flavors of yogurt. It is women who seem to have to be knowledgeable about dieting. And here, although a man is seemingly trying to eat healthier, it is because he is forced and bullied into it by a woman. This man seems admirable and likable (he's the funny character in the commercial) to audiences, and thus, the woman is somewhat demonized for wanting him to eat healthier. He could care less about dieting. It seems to uphold the division between men and women that women must care about the body, be it health or physical appearance. And I would argue that although we might not be sure which the woman is promoting at first, the appearance of an attractive, thin, athletic, blond woman who distracts the husband's attention points to the stereotypical emphasis on dieting for simply losing weight.
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