Gender Roles

We discussed gender roles a couple of weeks ago after reading Chapter 5 in our textbook. In class we talked about how it is acceptable for women to act masculine to a certain extent, but it is less acceptable for men to act feminine. Companies must pay special attention if they intend to appeal to one gender. Men in particular tend to be more sensitive to seemingly feminine products. For example, women generally don't have any problems using men's razors or smoking Marlboro Reds. On the flip side, you rarely see a man using Secret deodorant or smoking Virginia Slims.

We can see gender identification in commercials like Dr. Pepper Ten that advertises "It's not for women."

And check out this commercial for a woman's product

The latter commercial is unique because it's selling to a woman, but addressing the man's need for masculinity, creating a gap between genders. Interesting tactic!