In 2007 Hasbro introduced the Rose Petal Cottage playset as part of its Dreamtown collection. Two separate commercials for the playset were broadcast nationally; one aimed towards the children that would be using the playset and one towards the parents that would be buying it for their children. In the commercial that is aimed towards children the viewer is welcomed by a pre-school aged female swinging open the window of the playset to invite them into her home. The girl is then seen rocking in a chair with a baby doll, baking muffins, washing dishes, and doing laundry while a catchy jingle stating “Come on in to my home sweet home. Rose petal cottage a place of my own. It’s a special place, come and be my guest. Try a muffin, they’re the best, best, best. Rose petal cottage a place of my own. I love when my laundry gets so clean, taking care of my home is a dream, dream, dream. In rose petal cottage, my home, a place of my very own” plays in the background. The lyric “taking care of my home is a dream, dream, dream” implies that girls should not dare to dream that they could have any bigger dream when they can be happy cleaning the house, baking, and taking care of the babies. In this manner, the commercial is helping to engrain the norm that women belong in the home, not the workplace.
The commercial geared towards parents presents the same images of a young girl playing in the house, but there is no jingle. Rather, there is a soft spoken female voiceover stating that “now there’s a place where her dreams have room to grow. The rose petal cottage, a place of her very own where she can decorate, entertain her imagination and a special friend or two. The rose petal cottage, it’s her place where her dreams have room to grow”. The voice over is separated throughout by the little girl speaking; the most disturbing point of these separations is after the line “entertain her imagination” where the little girl is seen putting laundry into the washing machine and saying “time to do laundry”, giving the viewer the impression that being a homemaker is every little girls dream come true and the opportunity to do laundry is the icing on the cake. The statement that the rose petal cottage is “her place where her dreams have room to grow” is demeaning, as it suggests that girls should not need to dream about anything else other than housekeeping. The commercial discourages outdoor free play where girls would be able to freely use their imaginations in a manner that reaches beyond the mundane household chores and childcare responsibilities which society expects her to willingly accept.
Sut Jhally states that “advertising promotes images of what the audience conceives as “the good life”…thus [it] does not work by creating values and attitudes out of nothing but by drawing upon and rechanneling concerns that the target audience (and the culture) already shares” (201). By presenting a model of happy homemaker to the female child and the parents of that child Hasbro is reinforcing the notion that a woman’s place is in the home. They are grooming the female child for this lifestyle while at the same time reminding parents that this is the life that girls and women should aim for and want to obtain, and thus, only in the accoutrement of this lifestyle will they be happy and also accepted by society. It is commercialization such as this that allows such societal norms to remain in place and until commercials are produced that illustrate that a girl can play outside, get dirty, and have imaginations as big and adventurous as boys, this norm will remain intact. The only thing gendered advertising does is segregate and alienate individuals. Shouldn’t the take home message be to embrace others for who they are, not attempt to dictate how one should be?
Works Cited
Jhally, Sut. “Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture.” Gender, Race, and Class in Media. Ed. Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2011. 199-203. Print.
Kellner, Douglas. “Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture.” Gender, Race, and Class in Media. Ed. Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2011. 7-18. Print.
Commercial aimed at children:
Commercial aimed at parents:
I think that you make a good point in emphasizing the fact that this commercial states that household chores are what a girls dream should be. I also feel like your point about the parents commercial is correct in saying that that’s all their little girl should dream of, and that that’s what a woman should do with her life. In a way, that almost seems as if it could be a minor way to make the mother feel like she isn’t doing what she’s supposed to do as a woman in our society, and that by not doing this, she won’t be accepted.
ReplyDeleteIn the first video clip aimed at the children, not only is the home represented in pastel colors, but it is also covered in flowers that ultimately represent society’s view of femininity. The children in the video are not only playing with dolls, but are also doing household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. This is problematic because it is sending the message that women should remain in the household. In the commercial aimed at parents it also portrays young girls acting as slaves to the household. It consists of chores, decorating, and is the only place where her “dreams have room to grow.”
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about the jingle in the background being troubling. It implies that every little girl dreams of being a homemaker, baking muffins, doing laundry, and washing dishes. I also noticed that the commercial that was aimed at parents only showed a mother with the daughter, which implies that the father was at work, and her mother is the stay at home mom that doesn't work for a living.These videos are a good example of the ideas that were discussed in “Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture." Advertisers use these images of societies norms, which many people feel pressured to aspire to even if they aren't they way people see themselves. We live in a very image based culture, and it is very difficult to get away from these stereotypes, as they are so heavily ingrained in our culture.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about the jingle in the background being troubling. It implies that every little girl dreams of being a homemaker, baking muffins, doing laundry, and washing dishes. I also noticed that the commercial that was aimed at parents only showed a mother with the daughter, which implies that the father was at work, and her mother is the stay at home mom that doesn't work for a living.These videos are a good example of the ideas that were discussed in “Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture." Advertisers use these images of societies norms, which many people feel pressured to aspire to even if they aren't they way people see themselves. We live in a very image based culture, and it is very difficult to get away from these stereotypes, as they are so heavily ingrained in our culture.
ReplyDelete