Is Hollywood Messaging Dangerous? How Marketing Demographics are Parodying the Perpetual Stereotypes
We've heard it plenty of times, for everything from movies to TV shows and anything in between. For years, it persisted and still does today. In fact, we've all probably had to hide something we truly enjoy for the reason of avoiding judgment. What am I talking about?
Marketing for things segregated to a specific target audience (and intentionally leaving out others)
As a kid, I didn't pay much attention to these underhanded gimmicks that tried to convince me that my interests were for "boys only". I watched bloody, gory horror movies and action flicks.
I played video games of adult themes, even finishing Silent Hill when I was 5 years old. I read comic books. I caught bugs. I did everything that society tried to say was for boys. I just didn't care.
It wasn't until I got a little older that I started to take note of how these things were being marketed.
Male friends repeatedly questioned me about my interests and stated that these things were theirs to enjoy, not mine. I was bullied constantly and ridiculed endlessly for my interest in scary monsters over Barbie dolls. I was infringing on “boy’s territory”.
Hold up.
Why? Why can't I shoot zombies or watch a guy hack his foot off or root for John McClane or enjoy a Batman comic book? Because of my chromosomes? Because of my vagina?
Nope. I don’t accept that.
Photo by Roy Reyna
Putting it simply, it was a result of decades of mass marketing. These films and games were being marketed as being for men and boys.
Hell, it was so prominent that I was the only female within a 50-mile radius to own a PlayStation or see a SAW film. Not because other girls I knew didn't want to, but because even their parents were victims of this ridiculous gimmick that these things were for boys.
These things aren't just for boys, but yet this idea still persists to this day.
Women in film and television are regularly downgraded, their abilities to tell stories outside of the “female scope” shut down before they can even begin, And women in gaming communities are ridiculed online, facing sexism and bullying regularly, and are considered less talented than their male counterparts. This is simply absurd, considering how many trophies I have on my PSN profile...
*Ahem* Back on track.
Marketing to a specific demographic is a common business practice. Niche marketing is all the rage. For many in the tech and entertainment industries, they market something toward men and basically pigeonhole themselves out of any female money they could be making, and vice versa.
Times have definitely changed the way that businesses identify a target market, and it's not as bad as it once was, but it's still happening, and the residuals of this are still being felt across the world.
Certain film genres are considered for men and others for women, but the funniest thing of all is, why? Based on some societal norm from generations past? Based on it being improper for a woman to enjoy certain things? And, from the other side of the perspective, because it's emasculating for a man to like something?
How many men had to pass off their love of Titanic by saying it was because it showed Kate Winslet naked? Men can like romantic films. Even rom-coms. It's not "unmanly" for them to like these things. Just like it doesn't make you any less of a man to cry over The Notebook, and it doesn’t make me any less of a woman when I say it put me to sleep.
Let's not forget the harmful stereotypes that are associated with these things. Harmful stereotypes that I regularly encounter. "If you like things meant for the opposite gender, then you must be gay." No. No, no, no.
Being feminine does not determine that a person prefers male partners, and being masculine does not determine that a person prefers female partners.
All of these things can be sourced back to a marketing meeting where someone decided that a certain thing was supposed to be for men, and a certain thing was supposed to be for women based on societal gender stereotypes of the time- and we just never got rid of it.
Studies have proven that by marketing something toward only one gender or identity, the company and product suffer from lessened sales as a result. Lori Wolin of Lynn University conducted a comprehensive study into this, which you can view for yourself here.
A lot of studies and research have tried to prove that this kind of marketing is effective in that it addresses the difference between male and female brains, but when it boils down to facts, this just doesn't stand up.
Each and every one of us functions differently, and there's no sure-fire way of determining who will or won't like a product simply because of their gender. Even things once seen as “gender-specific”, like high heels or cologne, are marketable to a variety of different genders and orientations, and this is especially true with subjective works of art or media, like television, movies and video games.
And don't even get me started on the old "sex sells" slogan because research has disproven that theory, too. Researchers at the University of Illinois, Ball State University, and the University of California-Davis, conducted a study that found that there was zero change in a person's interest in purchasing a product simply by featuring nudity or sex appeal in the ad. That's right, Hardee's didn't sell any more burgers just because a scantily clad woman crawled around on the hood of a car and had an orgasm. Because let's be honest, their burgers aren't even good enough to warrant that kind of behavior anyway.
In fact, another study even concluded that there was notably less interest in a product or service offered by a company that used sexualization as a means of getting attention on their ads. This was based on a study conducted most recently in 2017, before the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements brought attention to the objectification of women, so it's safe to say these figures could even be more drastically reduced now.
Still don't believe me? Analysis of six years worth of Super Bowl ads, researchers found that ads featuring overly sexual themes were 9% less popular than their non-racy counterparts.
You can read all about the study, and the results, here.
So I think it's safe for me to say that the only reason anyone ever thought sex sold anything was that the ad executives wanted to see more skin themselves and that this was never rooted in any form of truth. Maybe back in the days when women weren't allowed to show their navels on TV, this was possible, but now it's time to ditch the sexism and objectification, especially when used as a means of marketing directly to straight men.
Considering there are more than enough ways to appeal to all potential viewers, this old-fashioned way of marketing to outdated gender demographics (especially in entertainment & products that are widely used by everyone) needs to end. Now. Because the fact of the matter is, we should be able to enjoy whatever we want to enjoy, regardless of gender identity or sexuality.
This kind of segregation only results in further division amongst us as a society. When we could be bonding over common interests, we're instead arguing that it should only be for a certain gender. Old habits die hard, but they need to die regardless. Women can play video games and like The Lord of the Rings. Men can watch Pretty Woman and cry when they're hurt. I can sleep through The Notebook. Stop deciding that one person can or can't do something because of a role they're “supposed to play” in society.
This kind of marketing resulted in long-term damage we have to now repair, and it's going to take a lot more effort than just acknowledging these issues during times when they're at the forefront. It's a conscious effort that needs to be made by all major markets.
Don't market action films to men by focusing entirely on macho man characters and busty, sexy women. Stop marketing romantic comedy films to women by creating fantastical worlds where all the men have six-packs. It’s not inherently masculine to have rough sex against a bathroom counter, nor is it inherently feminine to sensually kiss in a rainstorm.
And let’s all keep in mind that it is possible that someone on the other side of the gender scale may have an interest in seeing a man lose his mind over someone killing his puppy, or a love story that spans decades. Life is about being happy and enjoying what we want to enjoy, and it shouldn't be up to an ad executive to decide if it's okay for you to watch it by opening the door to you being ridiculed for having a preference that doesn’t fit their rigid standards.
As for me, I'm going to slam back a beer, kill some zombies for a bit on my PlayStation, and then watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Because that's what I like.