Tide

Question 1

What is the focus of representation in Tide?

Answer 1

femininity

Question 2

What is Tide?

Answer 2

A laundry detergent/supplement designed for heavy duty machine cleaning.

Question 3

What is the ideology of Tide?

Answer 3

Ensure their primary target audience of women were buying their product by presenting a very stereotypical representation of femininity in that women take pride in their domesticated duties.

Question 4

Who produced Tide?

Answer 4

Procter & Gamble

Question 5

Who are Procter & Gamble?

Answer 5

A company primarily specialised in cleaning agents, personal care and hygiene products.

Question 6

Why was Tide so popular?

Answer 6

Newfound innovative technology of the washing machine in the late 1940s became a must-have consumer good in most households, therefore the market was active.

Question 7

What is the American Dream?

Answer 7

Anyone, regardless of their position in society, is able to attain success and upward mobility through hardworking and sacrifice.

Question 8

How is the ideology of the American Dream subverted in Tide?

Answer 8

The advertisement shows stereotypical representations of women in that most women refrained from working because they were encouraged to stay within the domestic sphere.

Question 9

What was the main role of women during the 1950s?

Answer 9

• Domesticated housewives.
• Rarely permitted to strive for careers or further education.
• Stereotypically “female” jobs: checkout assistant, nurse, midwife.

Question 10

What is hegemonic control?

Answer 10

Leadership or dominance of one group over another.

Question 11

What is patriarchal dominance?

Answer 11

A society dominated by men, where women are oppressed as a result.

Question 12

What is the domestic sphere?

Answer 12

Where women should stay at home and should not partake in any work “outside” of the home.

Question 13

Who is the Tide advert aimed at?

Answer 13

• 1950s men were targeted for the post-war boom in America’s car industry, whereas women were targeted for technologies to be used in the home.
• The stereotypical representation of domestic perfection and servitude to the “man of the house” became linked to speed, convenience and better standard of living then women pre-consumer boom.

Question 14

How does the text appeal to the target demographic?

Answer 14

• The dress code of the female characters includes a stereotypical 1950s hairstyle incorporating waves, curls and rolls.
• The patriarchal hairstyle was made popular buh contemporary film stars such as Veronica Lake, Betty Bramble and Rita Hayworth.

Question 15

How are women presented as focussed in the advertisement?

Answer 15

• The fashion of shorter hair was considered as practical as well as less hazardous for women when working with machinery and cleaning agents.
• The headband/scalf worn by the woman also links to the practicalities of dress code for women’s having her hair tied back connotes she is focussed on her work.

Question 16

How are women presented as wanting to be admired?

Answer 16

• The full set of makeup acts as a binary opposition to the representation of the women being focussed and dedicated.
• Connotes the desire to be loved and admired by their partners, therefore completing domesticated duties means they will receive the affection they crave.
• Making Tide the perfect product for what women desire: love.

Question 17

How do other images in the advertisement further reinforce representations of femininity?

Answer 17

The iconography of the washing lines, linen baskets and washing machines all convey the domesticated role that was expected of women during the 1950s: to stay within the domestic sphere and complete domesticated duties.

Question 18

What is Stuart Hall’s theory of representation?

Answer 18

The process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture through the use of language, signs and images which stand for or represent things.

Question 19

How is Stuart Hall’s theory of representation applicable to Tide?

Answer 19

The images of domesticity form part of the “shared conceptual road map” that give meaning to the “world” of the advert. Despite its comic strip visual construction, the scenario represented is familiar to the audience as a representation of their own lives.

Question 20

What is David Gauntlett’s theory of identity?

Answer 20

The exploration of how audiences can identify with themselves and establish their role in society all through the power of media.

Question 21

How do the women in the advert establish themselves with a sense of identity (David Gauntlett)?

Answer 21

Women represented in the print text act as role models of domestic perfection that the audience may want to construct their own sense of identity against.

Question 22

What is Van Zoonen’s feminist theory?

Answer 22

The exploration of how femininity is a construct that has evolved and transformed massively throughout the media over several decades and now offers more positive constructions within the media.

Question 23

How does the construction of the advert contradict Van Zoonen’s feminist theory?

Answer 23

The advert fails to meet the criteria of Van Zoonen’s feminist theory because the advert constructs women in traditional roles and the text uses sexist language such as, “no wonder you women buy more Tide…”.

Question 24

What is Bell Hooks’ feminist theory?

Answer 24

Bell Hooks states that female races must learn to conform with one another and “confront their interest of white supremacist beliefs” rather than directing anger at other women. It is important to “learn about their culture, to share knowledge and skills, and to gain strength from diversity”.

Question 25

Why might the Tide advert cause controversy in a contemporary society (relating to Bell Hooks’ feminist theory)?

Answer 25

• The text seems to suggest that lighter skinned women are considered more desirable and fit better into the western ideology of beauty.
• The advert only displays “modern” white women.
• The text fails to meet equality in terms of ethnicity, which is unacceptable in contemporary society.