An Empire All Our Own

[GirlAfire]

How many commercials are there in which a jovial stay-at-home mom cuddles the children, alludes to her busy domestic "life" in some sort of dumb, insulting woman-to-woman manner, and expresses sheer satisfaction with her newfound cleaning product? Of course, it is those tools - cloths, cleaning products, and PlugIns - which help along our domestic kingdoms that cause us the greatest happiness in life. Of course, the man who helped to create the little ones is nowhere in sight because, duh, SOMEONE'S got to provide. Of course, when we congregate, ALL we have to talk about are children, men, and shopping - never politics, never religion, never history, never anything involving, y'know, the use of brainpower. Come on, now; we're women!

A Yahoo! answerer argued that since advertisers understand that women make up a majority of the television-watching audience, it is only smart to appeal to women. And, so, to appeal to us, advertisers employ and push this image of perfect little housewives with a broom in one hand and the baby's toys in the other? To appeal to what they often do, they would have to assume that what they display and suggest is something women are concerned with, receptive to, or desirous of in the first place. Gee, I wonder where they 'd get the idea that we'd even be concerned with being domestic aficionadas? Gender roles that just won't die?

I'm not all "DEATH TO ADVERTISERS!" but I just despise these kinds of commercials. Women, and women alone, are the heroines of housework and service - as long as it's not heavy lifting because, hey, a half-empty bag is obviously too heavy for a woman to carry. (Have you seen that commercial?)

We seem to be the sole administrators of and responsibility party for peace in the home. I am concerned that women will be made to believe that if they are not an exact replica of the woman with the Swiffer Mitt, they are not good women. And this casting of women as simple, superficial doesn't stop at cleaning products.

I think this video sums it up nicely:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdjk0sviTHo">Ladyfriends

There are also a lot of other Sarah Haskins videos available on YouTube (in case that wasn't known already).

EDIT: Two more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BEM7x9iVcc&feature=related">Laundry and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqDzKad2Q3M&feature=related">Cleaning

[lukasahero]

1. Thanks for the video links

I can see I'm not going to get much done today. ;)

[GirlAfire]

2. LOL, sorry!

And you're welcome for the video links. :D

I forget what I googled in order to find them, but I'm sure glad I did.

[comtec]

3. Even worse, they are mostly upper-class white women

there's generally little ethnic diversity.

I would imagine that they think that their core 'target audience' are stay-at-home (or unemployed) moms whose IQ is not the highest.

Consider that most if not all the women on this board are NOT the target audience. They are all intelligent, educated, informed, and thinking women.

While I don't disagree one iota that it shows exactly what they think of women in general, they are also in no hurry to try to portray a strong woman, let alone a single mother whose working her ass off to support her family.

Remember, great as the women here (and most of the men here's wives I imagine who are not members yet) they are NOT the people these ads are geared to get.

I would love to see a commercial aimed at gay men, one at home taking care of the kids, with his partner (husband, god willing) coming home =] (to continue the meme of a stay at home parent)

[ismnotwasm]

4. Very interesting point

I believe strongly that feminism's biggest and most egregious mistakes were made along the lines of 'standpoint theory' ie. Middle class white women thinking they speak for all women of all backgrounds, without consultation or even consideration.

I have an interesting essay, for example from a Native American philosopher who does not identify herself as feminist, because in her view colonialism not only destroyed most of her culture, but imposed a hitherto unknown patriarchy that subjugated males in her culture as well as the females.

Also, In these ads the women are culturally-current physically attractive in attractive homes, (homes that look to me if you owned one, y'all could afford hired help)

Women targeted in cookin' and cleanin' ads is not new of course, but one would think, really, that advertisers would at least make SOME effort at diversity. That they're in no hurry to do so, is troublesome at best and fucking heinously irresponsible at worst

And the products themselves. Mostly bullshit in the first place.


I'd love to see ads for washable menstrual products on prime time. Talk about environmentally friendly and cost effective. Think of the uproar that would cause, in a world where ads pour blue fluid on 'sanitary napkins' to demonstrate superior absorption.

Your post gave me an ear worm. I have the tune to Lennon's "Imagine" in my head. Imagine a would that doesn't try to sell useless products in the first place, one that concentrates on a greater good and when advertisers advertise, no one thinks twice if it's a stay-at-home Dad who cleans or a Lesbian couple with three adorable rascals they're trying to keep up with.

edit; I hate that horrible spiky pointy shoes and not only back in style, but defended in weird ways "In all cultures taller means powerful" I heard on from one gentle-lady soul on one early morning show. I thought; Fuuuck you. Tool.

[bliss_eternal]

5. good point, so true...

...i've noticed they've got better about including african american women in these types of ads. but there's very little diversity of any other kind--few to no asians, latinas, american indians, middle eastern, etc.

what the hell?
only well to do white women (and a sprinkling of black women) are allowed to get all orgasmic over finding the all time best oven cleaner, ever?

:shrug: