Natalie H. Katz. Kirkham & Weller. Cosmetics, A Clinique Case Study. 268-273.

Natalie Hage
Friday October 12, 2007
Gender & Popular Culture WGS 220 05
Kirkham & Weller. Cosmetics, A Clinique Case Study. 268-273.

Description:

• Companies want the consumer to associate the quality of their advertising with the quality of the product itself (268).

• The way in which men's and women's toiletries and makeup products are presented to the public consumer – read, produced and circulated - sets a large binary that conform to the typical 'masculine' and 'feminine' identities (269).

Analysis:

• Color is a commonly used gendering technique that strongly reinforces the stereotypes handed to the sexes (269).

• The goal is to add seriousness and masculinity to otherwise effeminate cosmetics and toiletries being sold to men(269).

• Advertisements for women's products usually contain little to no information about the product itself. Advertisements for men explain the product, 'rationalizing it' and even defending a male's use of such cosmetics (271).

Vision:

• The boundaries made between 'male' and 'female' products is so heavy and needs to be broken down.
• Sellers shouldn't have to do so much just to overcome obstacles so their products will simply be accepted by the public consumer.

Strategy:

• The visual and literary components of advertisements could be more discreet in their gender roles and less differentiating between 'masculinity' and what is considered 'feminine' (273).