Husband and Wife: Not Made from Scratch

In this commercial, Sears tries to sell us first a world of idyllic normalcy, and then how wonderful their product is within that world.  The company’s intent is for us to connect with the story they have illustrated so that we will consider obtaining their product as an obvious benefit to our lives.  The backdrop and the characters are unmistakably polished to create a picture of a beautiful life, but the interactions of those characters are not intended to be humorously superficial like some ads. 

Let us review the highlights from this commercial:

• Husband seems carefree as he sits, slouching with his feet up, watching football and eating.  Read: Man enjoys laying back, snacking, and watching football.
• Wife wants a special new washer.   Read: Woman is materialistic, and household chores are her concern and expertise.
• Wife pitches the item and informs the husband of his rebate-hunting duty. Read: Woman expects to get what she wants and for her husband to do as she asks.
• Husband is concerned that the whole rebate process is too difficult. Read: Man likes things to be simple.  He does not want to take on a project that seems complicated.
• Wife gives her husband a look (as she stands to tower over him) which implies she is not letting him get out of this task.  Read: Woman is persistent.  She does not put up with her husband trying to get out of fulfilling her requests.
• Husband concedes, recognizing it futile to argue with his wife.  Read: Man has learned that he is not able to change his wife’s mind, and attempting to would be a mistake.
• Husband makes an extremely rapid visit to Sears and ends the meeting with a particularly firm handshake with another man.  Read: Man is a no-nonsense creature who gives firm, full grip handshakes.
• Wife returns from shopping to find her husband in the same place as when she had left him and expresses her severe disapproval, assuming he was too lazy to run the errand she asked him to take care of.  Read: Woman is a natural shopper and openly chastises her husband for his poor choices.  Man is known for putting off his chores.

Now, where I am reading into the portrayals of this man and woman, it may seem that I have taken too much liberty in doing so.  However, my commentary is based off of the fact that these depictions are not anomalies within commercial television and that a role reversal of the husband and the wife at any of these points would seem strange to witness on TV today.

All Bubbles, Suds, and Smiles

The majority of modern America consumes a lot of media on a regular basis. According to a UCSD research study, in 2008, Americans consumed information for about 1.3 trillion hours, an average of almost 12 hours per day. Within the domain of television specifically, we watch as orchestrated scenes play themselves out before our eyes. As I start this blog, I would like to acknowledge that I recognize that over the years our society has made improvements in its portrayals of men and women.  However, I think it is easy to overlook the more subtle gender assumptions that the media makes even today.  Take a look at this commercial, for instance.

This ad for a washer and dryer set starts off with “Amy Clark” talking about all the time and energy she used to devote to doing her laundry.  She is unnaturally bubbly/sweet and overly passionate about laundry.  If anyone can find me a commercial with a man this involved in and committed to the subject, I would love to see it!  Some of the worst offending quotes within this video are:

• “It gets everything white…even the socks that my husband and son insist on wearing outside without any shoes on.” This little precious side note, accented with a tone of voice that implies “Haha…Men…you know how they are” and a near rolling of the eyes, implicates the males in her house as unrefined, careless, and defiant by nature.
•  “Sometimes I get sidetracked or put off folding clothes, and leave a load in the dryer for a few days.” This clearly indicates that she is the only one that ever folds the laundry in her home.  I do not understand how Amy could get sidetracked from fulfilling her laundry tasks.  Doesn't she realize it is her duty as the woman?  Maybe she hasn't had time to watch the hundreds of commercials that depict the wife doing the bulk of the housework.
• “Clean clothes and big savings…What is better than that?”  Well, I know clean clothes and big savings are all I live for.