The commercial that I found features Serena Williams branding Nike. In this commercial young girls are getting ready for their "hot" tennis coach to show up by putting makeup on to look pretty for him. Once he gets there all the girls seem to be giving him "goo goo" eyes, but once they start practice in his eyes they all turn into Serena Williams. This commercial can be interpreted in many ways. One way in which it stereotypes women in sport is at the beginning of it showing how the little girls are preparing, not for practice, but to see their coach. Therefore, stereotyping the female gender as more focused on guys than their sport. Another way in which this can be interpreted is the fact that when the girls start playing they turn into Serena Williams. This could be interpreted as if having their coach there, and them trying to show off is what turns them into Serena. One of the consequences of the message that this commercial sends is that external factors are what help women be better in their sport. This stereotype should not be applied to women only, but I'm pretty sure that men get inspired with a little bit of encouragement from external factors, however male athlete commercials do not exactly represent this. Another consequence is that, in a way it teaches young generations that being pretty for your coach is what's important about the sport. Impressing others, not by your abilities, but by your beauty. Even though at the end of the commercial the words "you're faster than you think" come up, the way in which they are portraying a girls and Serena Williams is really gender stereotyped. Not only do we see it with the little girls, but when they turn into Serena, yes they do play well, but she still tries to maintain her lady like/flirtatious/feminine looking poses and face. Therefore, it is because of commercials like these and many others that in search of good branding the female gender is stereotyped and criticized against.
Neira Ortiz-Ruiz
Wow. That commercial was absurd. I don't understand how the final message, "You are faster than you think" has anything to do with getting dolled up or trying to impress an attractive male coach. I completely agree with your analysis and I believe that it does sent the wrong message to girls, and encourages them to sexualize sport. External factors can be motivation for better performance, but I believe that this commercial does send the wrong message. What might Nike ultimately be trying to convey with this commercial? The Nike product was hardly shown/mentioned throughout the entire clip. It confuses me why they thought this may be a good idea to broadcast this commercial on television.
ReplyDeleteJessica Michel