Before you do anything else, watch this advert for Kellogg's Special K, a low fat cereal that has been marketed for many years as a dietary aid.
One of the most useful theoretical approaches we can apply to texts dealing with the representation of women is Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory. The male gaze is the assumption that every media text is created to be looked at and for the pleasure of an assumed male heterosexual audience. This is obviously a big assumption, as many texts expressly target a heterosexual female audience.
Every time you refer to an example, you have to refer to how it is technically constructed, so you will be making reference to your toolkit for textual analysis. So with reference to visual and technical codes, in what ways is the gaze in this video assumed to be that of a heterosexual man? And how are women represented?
What technical devices are used?
- The use of non-diegetic soundtrack presents a quirky, carefree atmosphere.
- The settings include fields of corn and majestic waterfalls, emphasising the purity and ideology of the models
- Aspects of mise-en-scene including bright red wellingtons splashing in puddles, connoting a childish sense of wonder
What message is created about women?
That women are childish, free-spirited, care-free and thin. The advert heavily suggests that as a result of the weight lost through eating Special K, the audience will not only become more stereotypically attractive, but will also become happier as a result.
This links to hegemony, and the societal expectations of women. No woman in this advert is using her new found energy to do something such as going to work, creating art, or changing the world in some way. Instead they splash in puddles, ride a bike without a helmet and dance in a field. The message here is that as long as women live up to the hegemonic ideals of beauty dictated by media, then they will be happy, and nothing else really matters!
What is the impact of this message on the target audience?
The advert suggests that in order to be considered attractive, a woman has to have a very specific appearance, in this case tall, thin and white. The cinematography emphasises women's bodies, with many voyeuristic shots of legs in mid shots and close up. It's not exactly a Rhianna video, but it's still very definitely a sexualised representation of women. Even though the advert is targeting women, the camera reflects the gaze of a heterosexual man. This suggests women are defined by how they look to men.
Even more worryingly, it suggests that women have to behave in a very specific way. The nursery rhyme soundtrack and slow motion shots of the women taking part in 'silly' activities suggests women are not to be taken seriously, and it is perfectly acceptable to behave like somebody much younger.
This has considerable potential impact on the target audience (women aged 25 - 40), as it reinforces hegemonic ideologies of what a woman should look like and how they should act.
Thinking further
While this example is ideal for representation of women, it could also be used for
- Representation of issues (specifically body image)
- Representation of ethnicity (white people)
- Representation of age (young people)
Further reading
You can find an analysis of a TV spot ad for Mr Muscle brand sink unblocker here. This example could be used for representation of men or women.