Hollywood Popular Artists

Feb 5th 2013, 21:47

Purple pens. Pink cars. Pastel weights. Ellen DeGeneres is known for calling out products that sell gender stereotypes, as she's done during a few episodes of "The Ellen Show." During a November episode, she told the crowd: "I have two little nieces, and I don't want them to grow up in a world where girls have to like pink and boys have to like blue. I want them to grow up in a world where we're treated the same."

Have you ever noticed how differently companies market things like food, beer, and cars to men and women? The answer is probably yes if you watched some Super Bowl ads this weekend. As one Tweeter summarized it:

What have I learned from #SuperBowl ads? Women = robots, objects, strippers & showgirls. Violent men are brave. Hmm what else?? #NotBuyingIt

— Bitch Flicks (@BitchFlicks) February 4, 2013

Let's take a look at a few odd commercial stereotypes, using a some of the big game's big commercials as examples.

+ Women are "too pretty to do math"

When Forever 21 added an "I'm too pretty to do math" magnet to their online store, they quickly received so many complaints that they had to stop selling it. The whole "women are hot, men are smart" thing also made waves during the Super Bowl, when many people found GoDaddy's use of stereotypical gender roles to be sexist.

+ Yogurt is better than sex.

According to this yogurt commercial, yogurt is better in the bedroom than your boyfriend. But be careful: Yogurt is best eaten in private, because every spoonful unleashes a moan-inducing whirlwind of silk, cream, and berries. Instead of relying on sex and appearance, commercials that sell food to men often rely on humor and camaraderie, like this Doritos Super Bowl ad:

+ Women eat cherries like strippers.

This commercial for "2 Broke Girls" was my guy friends' Super Bowl fave…and I totally understand why. To be fair, the girls do make fun of the way commercials exploit female sexuality…but not before eating a cherry as stripper-like as possible. When was the last time a guy made out with a chip or a hot dog in a national commercial?

+ What if Ellen had her way...

Like Ellen said, things should be a lil' more equal -- don't you think? Like, what if ads for women over-sexualized men? Ever wonder about that? Stop wondering, and starting enjoying. (You're welcome, ladies.)

Did any of the big game's ads rub you the wrong way? Let us know in the comments, or Tweet us.

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