TELEVISION ADS
Roles, Reversals, and the Cultural Mirror We Watch
Ads don’t just sell products—they sell perceptions. For individuals in Maryland and DC, this reflection explores how television advertising has evolved from domestic idealism to gendered satire, and how the pendulum of representation continues to swing.
I have been paying attention rather than zoning out during the ads. As I watch, I notice the roles played by men. I have concluded that the “Ad Men” have decided that “turnabout” is fair play.
I remember early television ads because the introduction of the television into the American home was a huge deal. The first television commercial aired in 1941, so television advertising has a long history. My family could not afford a television until the early 1950s, when I would have been in elementary school. The big, big box in the living room was fascinating. On Sunday evenings, everyone would gather on the couch or the floor to watch the Lawrence Welk Show. The champagne music was the closest we could get to alcohol. The bubble machine and the Lennon Sisters were our favorites. We were all excited and mesmerized by this box.
The television ads in the ’50s and ’60s focused on products that women would use in the home or on cars for men. I remember the Jolly Green Giant, wishing I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener, and Rice-A-Roni, but I could never figure out what it had to do with San Francisco. Yes, women were at home and not in the workforce. However, I remember they were not demeaned for being at home. They were valued as being in charge, making critical decisions about the care of their families, and being delighted to do so. Fiction? Perhaps, but that was still the landscape at the time. Now, women dominate college campuses and are C-suite participants or coaches to C-suite males. The landscape has changed dramatically.
The television ads have changed as well. You will not find any women in aprons. However, as I pay attention to the presentation of men, I become concerned. Men are either giant athletes or cast as buffoons. What are we doing? The vast majority of our boys will never be professional athletes, let alone giants. And we certainly do not want them aspiring to be buffoons. What is the impact when a young boy sees the man’s idea laughed at while the same idea from a woman is celebrated? Why would the advertising industry take this approach to selling products? Because it works!
We must be realistic. We are in an era where men are being put down. Now, if you are in the camp where “turnabout is fair play,” you will accept this as just. However, if all we can muster is to move the pendulum from one extreme to another, then one must question what progress is all about. Traditional roles where a dichotomy exists are no longer necessary. Any adult can do any job at any time if they are trained and prepared. Any adult can raise any child if they are educated and motivated. The only thing that has not changed is that so far only women can have babies.
Yet, the ad agencies must be reflecting something important. They must understand something about the way that we function. After all, their advertisements have been successful in selling products. Perhaps we are petty. Maybe the pendulum must swing from one side to the other. Will it ever come to a resting place where we accept each person as human and do not get hyper-focused on sexual categories?
Want to explore how advertising shapes gender roles and cultural norms? Visit ExploreAnthro’s critical look at gender stereotypes in ads, PubAdmin Institute’s guide to challenging gender roles in advertising, and Common Good Ventures’ analysis of gender bias in TV commercials.
If you’re reflecting on media influence, identity, or cultural shifts, therapy can help. Learn more about individual therapy in Maryland and DC or explore therapeutic approaches that support emotional insight and societal awareness.
By Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst
