Stuart Hall
defines ideology as the “images, concepts, and premises” that provide the
framework through which we “represent, interpret, understand, and ‘make sense’”
of some aspect of social life. Hall says
that ideologies consist of specific, deliberate concepts, which are then
articulated into a distinctive set or pattern, and ideologies are transformed
when articulated differently. Ideologies
also predate us as individuals, so we form social constructions within existing
ideologies, but they are often unconscious formations. Lastly, ideologies use discourses that feel
natural to subjects, and in effect construct positions of identification and
knowledge (81-82). Mass media forms are important in the production,
reproduction, and transformation of dominant ideologies. Media can be a platform through which ideologies
can progress and change; or media can be a source of reinforcement of dominant
ideologies. The following media objects
represent dominant ideologies articulated through both print and commercial
advertisements.
This
advertisement launched by Nivea in 2011 was criticized for its overt racism and
quickly removed. The advertisement shows
a clean-cut black man getting ready to throw the head of an African American man
with an afro across a football field. It
reads “Re-Civilize Yourself” and “Look like you give a damn”. In this ad, dominant ideologies of black men
are represented. It represents this idea
that there is a need for black men “re-civilize” themselves, implying that they
are uncivilized in the first place. It
represents nice clothes and a clean shave as the “civilized” black male, who is
then throwing the head of the “unvcivilized” black male, as to symbolize that
he is rising above that version of himself, and that he is superior. The “uncivilized” black male is represented
with an afro and a beard. The
advertisement is overtly racist, as Hall defines as an occasion when a racist
argument or view is directly addressed. It
is confronting how black males need to revise themselves to be considered more
“civilized”, and provides an example of what each side looks like. This Nivea advertisement also uses
inferential racist ideology through “unquestioned assumptions” about black
males (83). The ad is assuming that
black men need to be civilized in the first place, and that this clean-cut, well-dressed
version of a black man is more desirable.
This message is unconsciously racist because they are based on these
unstated and unrecognizable assumptions.
In the end, this Nivea advertisement reinforces dominant ideologies of
black men.
The infamous
Burger King commercial featuring Mary J. Blige and fried chicken stirred
enormous controversy last year as being racist.
Mary J. Blige enlightens customers about the new crispy chicken wrap
with an R&B ballad. There are
representations of African Americans and stereotypes about their culture. The popular stereotype that black people like
fried chicken and fast food is illustrated here. Mary J. Blige’s R&B styled song about
fried chicken and just Blige herself support this dominant ideology of African
Americans. As Hall states, ideologies
work by using discourses that feel natural to their subjects, so this
commercial uses stereotypes of who eats fried chicken in accordance with this
popular, dominant ideology of African Americans. (82). I think that Burger King
very well may have purposely used these stereotypes in parody as a way to
challenge them, but they really only made these ideologies stronger. Whether overt or inferential, dominant
ideologies about African Americans and the food they consume is reinforced
through this advertisement.
Burger King
also recently launched their campaign advertising breakfast with the “Manthem”,
as we looked at in class. I remember
when this commercial first came out, and thinking how blatantly sexist it was. It represents masculinity with food
consumption, specifically meat. It says
that men specifically have this need to eat more meat, and blatantly attaches
meat with “being a man”. It shows a ton
of men marching down a city street doing a number of “manly” things, such as
not settling for “chick food”, punching another guy, flipping a fan over a
bridge, and of course eating a Texas Double Whopper. Wesley Buerkle draws on this idea of eating
meat as being gay or “un-ladylike”. He
discusses how in our culture there is a link between meat consumption and
masculine identity (78). The “Manthem”
represents this dominant ideology that masculinity is defined through food
consumption, and that eating meat is a “man” thing. It genders something so common as eating,
supporting that women eat “lighter” foods, and less. Buerkle notes that men eating goes unnoticed,
while women feel more pressure to abide by social norms for proper consumption
(80). In our society, dominant
ideologies focus attention on women’s physical appearance and body image, and
thus, women’s consumption of food isn’t a popular idea.
Similar to
this ideology emphasizing the physical appearance of women is the Dove
“Campaign for Real Beauty”. The idea
behind this campaign was to celebrate “natural physical variation” among women
and to inspire confidence in women to be comfortable with their bodies. Instead of your typical skinny models, these
ads used heavier women, older women, women of all races, and women without
makeup. Dove’s campaign really sought to
challenge the dominant ideologies of beauty.
It deliberately represents different standards of beauty for women, and
asserts this idea that these women represent “real” beauty. In her article on race representations in Ugly Betty, Jennifer Esposito briefly
discusses how beauty and femininity is defined as “white, thin, upper-class”
(96). This very narrow conception of
beauty can be seen in just about every other typical advertisement. Dove combats dominant representations of
beauty by teaching women to be comfortable in their own skin, what Stuart Hall
would call “breaking of the chain” (81).
On the other hand, one could argue that by differentiating these women,
the dominant ideology is reinscripted.
The campaign has also been criticized because Dove’s parent company,
Unilever, also produces AXE products and “Fair and Lovely”, which is a
skin-lightening product for women with darker skin. Regardless, I still think that Dove’s
Campaign for Real Beauty had positive intentions and was productive in
challenging dominant ideologies of beauty.
In these
advertisements, different ideologies are conveyed through media outlets. While some reinforce ideologies (Nivea,
Burger King), others challenge dominant ideologies by portraying groups of
people in unconventional, atypical ways (Dove).
Advertisements, as well as other media, play a huge role in the
distribution of these ideologies and influence how we think about certain
groups of people. By recognizing these
sometimes very discreet ideologies, we can alter our representations of things
like race, gender, and beauty to develop an ideology that better serves
individuals.
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