Gendered Ads
Tell students that when something is very heavily dependent on our ideas about boys and girls we say that it is gendered. Whether or not something is gendered can change over time: for instance, pants were once gendered clothes because only men wore them. Today both men and women wear pants so they are less gendered (though women typically wear different kinds of pants than men—women’s pants often don’t have pockets, for example.) Dresses and skirts, on the other hand, are still highly gendered clothes.
Now ask students whether ads aimed at teens are as gendered as ads aimed at younger kids. Let students discuss this question for a few minutes.
- If students are skeptical, ask them: Who are your favourite influencers, YouTubers, streamers or TikTok creators? What products do they endorse (or what ads appear during their videos)? Are there differences between answers from girls and boys in the class?
- Point out that social media, search engines and video sites all decide which ads to show you based on what they think your gender is. This is based in part on what video you’re watching or what you’re searching for but also other data they have on you, like your past search history or what other videos you’ve watched.
After the discussion, ask students: besides words, what other elements of an ad might send a gender message? What tells you an ad or a product is aimed at boys or girls?
Here are some examples you can use to prompt discussion:
- Colour (blue vs. pink; solids vs pastels)
- Shapes (rounded shapes “read” as more feminine, while pointy shapes are senen as more masculine)
- Composition (where is the eye drawn by the composition of an ad’s images?)
- Activities (‘manly” sports vs. shopping)
- Celebrities (video game streamers vs. beauty influencers)
- Music
- Body parts (muscles vs legs)
- Even texture! (“rugged” textures like tire treads vs. smooth textures)
If you feel students need a more basic grounding on these ideas, deliver the chapter How Do We Read Shapes? before continuing.
(Make sure to remind students that there is nothing inherently masculine or feminine about any of these things—they are just what our culture has decided is masculine and feminine.)