Dr Pepper 10

“It’s not for women.”

I don’t know about you, but I barely pay attention to commercials these days. A commercial has to do something extreme for me to even give it my attention. However, recently, the end of one advertisement caught my attention. The advertisement was a new Dr. Pepper advertisement, featuring their new Dr. Pepper 10 diet soda. This Dr. Pepper 10 commercial caught my attention using the sexist and extreme marketing phrase, “It’s not for women.”

Normally, I don’t care about advertisements for diet soda, but this commercial caught my attention with the very aggressive catch phrase – “It’s not for women.” At first, I wasn’t even sure what this statement was even about, as I had only caught the last scene of the commercial. Since the commercial and the bold catch phrase had perked my curiosity, I looked up the commercial on Youtube. I easily found the commercial just by searching the phrase ‘It’s not for women dr pepper.’ The commercial begins with a big body builder running from lasers through thick jungle. He turns toward the camera and says, “Hey ladies. Enjoying the film?,” as he backhands a snake with glowing red eyes- which dies with a puff of smoke- without looking. “Of course not,” he continues, “Because this is our movie!" as he jumps off a cliff. The commercial continues as he promotes Dr. Pepper’s newest product, describing it as containing only ten manly calories and still containing all 23 flavors. The commercial ends with the comment, "You can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks. We're good." The commercial tried really hard to be as masculine as possible. The idea behind this ad is that there is a negative image associated with men and drinking diet soda. As a result, men don’t drink diet soda because it isn’t considered ‘manly’ enough, so this commercial was designed to appeal to men as much as possible, resulting in this extremely macho, action packed, and anti-feminine commercial.

Am I the only one who hasn’t heard this association between men and diet soda before? As a male viewer whom this ad is targeted, I personally have never felt any social taboo against drinking diet soda. I’ve never been a fan of diet soda just because, in general, I prefer water over soda. In my experience, it wasn’t the negative imagery of diet soda that made me dislike it, but the taste that never really satisfied me. Dr. Pepper could have marketed their new product without the need to cater to men and exaggerate how their new product was men only, no women allowed. But, I was curious to see what responses from more vocal (and possibly offended) viewers had to this commercial.

There were several main responses to this overtly sexist commercial. Dr. Pepper made an announcement regarding their alienation of female viewers. Dr. Pepper responded that they are not worried about their commercial alienating its female consumers at all. They ran a test run in 6 different markets across the country and before promoting it nationally, and 40% of drinkers who tried Dr. Pepper 10 were female. Dr. Pepper claims that in general, women don’t take the commercial seriously and weren’t offended.

However, there can not be a doubt that some women are offended. As part of their advertising campaign, Dr. Pepper created a page on Facebook for the Dr. Pepper 10 product. It contains macho games on there such as a shooting range with targets like high heels and lipstick, and a ‘man quiz’ that has questions on activities like fishing and hunting. Some girls have posted on the Facebook page for the advertisement that “You shouldn’t need to challenge someone’s masculinity to get them to buy your product. This ad campaign is insulting to women and men alike.” In response to some of the offending comments on the Facebook page, some men wrote witty comebacks such as “To the women complaining about sexism; Man up.” Clearly, there are women that do not ‘get the joke’ like Dr. Pepper claims in their study.

Regardless of the public response, one thing that is certain is that not only did their extremely sexist commercial quickly grab my attention, but it also cleverly creates a lot of indirect advertising. An advertisement that is as blatantly sexist as the new Dr. Pepper 10 commercial will generate far more press than just its paid advertisements – people will be outraged and talk about it, generating even more press. Actually, in reconsideration, even this blog has been an indirect advertisement for Dr. Pepper’s new product.

Works Cited:

Anderson, Mae. "Dr. Pepper's new brand is a manly man's soda." msnbc.com. The Associated Press, 10 October 2011. Web. 14 October 2011.

Lobello, Carmen. "Does Dr. Pepper 10 Have Penis Envy?". deathandtaxesmag.com, 11 October 2011. Web. 14 October 2011.

"drpepper10image.png." Picture. Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

"Dr. Pepper 10." facebook.com. Picture.

"dr_pepper_bigpic.jpg." gawkerassets.com, 2011. Picture.

Lara Croft:Tomb Raider, Mr. & Mrs. Smith with Angelina Jolie

Along with Milla Jovovich from the previous blog post, there is another female actress who has brought block buster films to Hollywood, Angelina Jolie. Probably one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood, Angelina Jolie has shown her feisty and seductive personality throughout her action movies such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Who would have known that these “harmless” movies offend women with female stereotypes?

(Jolie showed strong character in numerous movies)

One of Jolie’s debut films in the action film industry was the Lara Croft: Tomb Raiders. The movie series were influenced by the release of Tomb Raider game in 1996. Angelina Jolie, in my opinion, was a fantastic person to play as Lara Croft. First, the actual game character looks like Angelina Jolie. Second, Jolie was able to successfully portray the similar action scenes from the game. Third, Jolie was also able to say her lines in dialogues exactly like Lara Croft giving audience the satisfaction to the question: “What would Lara Croft be like if she was a real person?”

(Starting her debut as an action character!)

The movie was a huge success which profited double of its original budget. Jolie’s action scenes and her distinct character have brought joy and amusement to viewers. However, similar to Resident Evil and Ultraviolet, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was unable to hide female stereotypes and their male gaze components.

Just like Resident Evil and Ultraviolet, the biggest male gaze component of the movie was clothing. Tights..Tights? In adventure movie, you would wear tights? If tights were best clothing for action adventure, why weren’t U.S. marines wearing tights during the war against terrorists over the past years? If I was a U.S. general, I would make wearing tights in a battle field to be mandatory because that would “enhance” soldiers’ movements.

(Can such tight-fitting improve your movement? I don't know, ask Angelina Jolie!)

About four years after having success with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Jolie shot another movie which showed her feisty and energetic character. Critics view Lara Croft: Tomb Raider to be the turning point for Jolie’s character as an adventurous and action-filled character. In my opinion, Jolie’s character shift was shown on the next film of discussion: Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The film featured two of Hollywood’s hot topics, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Frankly, my reason for Mr. & Mrs. Smith being a masterpiece was because of its true portrayal of Jolie’s sexy character. Plus, this was when Jolie was at her peak of her beauty where she had less wrinkles on her face with luscious physical appearance and her shiny trademark lips. Yes, this was when she was suit for adjectives “amazing” and “sexy” (What happened to her!)

(Poster for Mr. & Mrs. Smith, 2005)

Enough with my discussion on her past beauty, and let’s discuss the true value and harm of the film. Despite the success Jolie had with Lara Croft: Tomb Raiders, Mr. & Mrs. Smith was not able to satisfy the audiences’ expectations. The film critics only gave 6.4 stars to the film.

Despite its terrible ratings, the film still held multiple male gaze components. First stereotype was shown in the commercials. One of the trailers focuses on showing Jolie’s seductive traits and her sex scene with Brad Pitt. Even the poster has the focus on Jolie’s legs! I am guessing that being an action film, the director was using Angelina Jolie’s body as a magnet in attracting male audience. Second male gaze component can be found on a scene where Jolie receives her mission. Although the voice is changed, the speaker was male. Why can’t most female characters receive orders from another female? Are men the only gender to be on the ruling class? Third stereotype comes from the sex scene.

(That is just too seductive)

Personally, I am fine with the scene since I am a male viewer. However, the scene may be very offensive to female audience because it might give a false impression that women were created for man’s enjoyment. Last male gaze component, related to the third component, can be found from the last scene of the movie.

The movie ends with a marriage consultant asking the couple how their sex life is. Brad Pitt shows ten using his hands with a satisfied face. Was it necessary to end the movie with this scene?

(The ending therapy scene where Pitt shows a happy ten for sex life)

Jolie has shown her value as an action character through two of above movies. For me, it was shocking to see how much harm the movies had. Angelina Jolie was used as a tool to attract the male audience! Writing this blog was a great chance to know how I, as a male audience, can be a victim of judging the movie using male gaze.

Work Cited Page

"ActorBase Angelina Jolie - Angelina Jolie Is the Star of Many Succesful Movies. Some of Angelina Jolie's Work Include Tomb Raider, Gone in 60 Seconds, Girl Interrupted and Many Other Great Movies!" Jurassic Punk - Movie Trailers, Teaser Trailers, Video Clips. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. .

"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." Lara Croft Wiki. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. .

"‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ (2008) « Gemma Merritt's Blog." Gemma Merritt's Blog. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. .

"Mr and Mrs Smith Movie Poster - Mr and Mrs Smith Poster Starring Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt." Movie Reviews, Film Trailers, Photos, News, Celebrity Interviews - About Hollywood Movies. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. .

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith Pictures & Photos - "Mr. and Mrs. Smith, BH Impact"" Entertainment News | Entertainment Photos | Entertainment Video | Starpulse.com. Web. 14 Oct. 2011. .

"SciFi Chicks in Form Fitting Attire Ready to Rumble." Wargames Factory Forums. Web. 13 Oct. 2011. .

Disney Princesses

It’s crack for 5 year olds. It’s an addiction for little girls. They can’t get enough. They want it to be their life. What am I talking about? Disney Princesses of course.

The fact that little girls could watch the Disney Princess movies over and over again is not a good thing. Disney, you are blatantly sexist. You think that your movies are about love and perseverance, but in truth they are demeaning to women. The girls watching your movies are in a stage of their life that is crucial to soaking up all the information they can. But, because of you, they are soaking up sexist messages that will corrupt the youth of this generation leading into a hopeless spiral of sexism.

Take The Little Mermaid, Ariel trades her means of communication for a sex symbol. She gives away her means of expressing herself, in order to be more physically appealing to a man. When she makes the deal, Ursula tells her, “On land it is much preferred for ladies to not say a word; it’s the one that holds her tongue that gets her man.” What kind of message is that? In this line alone, you are telling them that they shouldn’t speak their mind because then they won’t be appealing to men. How does that make sense? Ursula goes on to say, “You’ll have your looks, your pretty face, and don’t underestimate the importance of body language.” Not only is she telling Ariel that she shouldn’t speak her mind, she is also telling her that all men value is good looks and they love when women are sexually forward. The thing is, Ursula is not just telling this to Ariel. She is telling this to all young girls watching this movie. What they are getting from the story is that they need to have a perfect body in order to get their man, because changing physically is the best way to win him over. Apparently Disney, you don’t understand that the audience you are selling these movies to is easily impressionable. Their minds can be molded to whatever you want. And from this movie, they learn three things. One, they need to be pretty to win over any man. Two, there is no need be intelligent because all men care about is looks. And finally, in order to be considered pretty, they need to look like slightly anorexic Barbie Dolls. Congratulations Disney, you have just caused hundreds of eating disorders.

The thing is, it’s not just one movie. In Snow White, the only qualities that she possesses are her beauty and her ability to cook and clean. To top it off, when she steps into the dwarves’ cottage, she immediately wants to clean, showing the innate need to clean that all women have. In Beauty and the Beast, children learn that they should stay in abusive relationships because if they work hard enough, they can change them. That should never be a message sent to young girls. Then finally, in Mulan, you have to soldiers always singing about the perfect girl they are fighting for. They want someone who is beautiful, can cook and who worships their husband. And when Mulan proposes someone who “has a brain, and always speaks her mind,” it is seen as absurd. But also, at the end of the movie, Mulan’s true happiness and the honor she brings to her family are portrayed as coming from her implied marriage. Excuse me? She just saved China! Shouldn’t that bring her honor and happiness? I guess not because Grandma clearly sees marriage as the real victory when she says, “sign me up for the next war!”

Disney, you need to understand that these young kids idolize you and the characters in your movies. You have to power to do great things by showing young kids that they can live their lives anyway they want, or that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, or anything else that will be beneficial to them later in life. But instead you decide to teach them that they live in a male dominated environment where their life will be complete if they fall in love. You show them that they must rely on men and the only way to get the man of their dreams is to be thin and pretty. Little girls believe you. They love your movies and want to be your characters. Use the power you have to help change the world and the minds of little girls. They will follow wherever you lead them. So lead them in the right direction.

Citations

"Ariel ." Photograph. Princess Ariel. First Last. MySpace.com, 2011. Web. 13 Oct 2011. .

Beauty and the Beast. Dir. Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise. Disney, 1991. Film.

"Beauty and the Beast." Photograph. Beauty and the Very Good Looking Man. First Last. Word-Press, 2011. Web. 13 Oct 2011. .

"Disney Princesses." Photograph. The World According to Disney Princesses. First Last. The Next Great Generation, 2011. Web. 13 Oct 2011. .

Mulan. Dir. Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook. Disney, 1998. Film.

"Snow White." Photograph. Snow White. First Last. Free-Extras, 2011. Web. 13 Oct 2011. .

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Dir. William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Ben Sharpsteen . Disney, 1937. Film.

The Little Mermaid. Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker. Disney, 1989. Film.