The Daily Illini :: Study shows men react like women to advertisements

As women sometimes react negatively to advertisements that objectify females, a new study has found that men might also have negative feelings toward ads with the ?ideal? male as the star. Cele Otnes, professor of advertising and business administration, conducted research on the reactions men have to advertisements geared toward them.

The study found that men who compare themselves to the characters in advertisements often have feelings of inadequacy or vulnerability.

Many advertisements use stereotypes, which can easily turn people off if they do not identify with the certain typecast. Jameson Hayes, visiting assistant professor of advertising, said that advertisements are made for large groups of people, so not everyone will identify with the actor in the ad, but the majority should.

?Stereotypes in themselves are benign. We stereotype all the time; it is how we simplify our world,? Hayes said. ?It is how they are used that can be particularly bad.?

In recent years, more realistic models have been used in women?s advertisements to break down some of the negative stereotypes of the stick thin girl, such as in Dove?s commercials, which are geared for the ?everyday? woman. Some ads are calling for more realistic male models as well to help receive a more positive reaction.

?There was a big push for plus-sized models being featured for women. There needs to be the same thing for men ? more average, realistic looking guys that you would see everyday,? said Amanda Alongi, junior in Media. ?Not everyone is a body builder or handsome ? This could help so that men didn?t have the pressure to look just like (the advertisements) because he is an everyday guy.?

Some think using the average Joe in advertisements would fail. Hayes said that using a regular guy leaves nothing to aspire to. Seeing someone who looks exactly like everyone else won?t make you want to buy the product.

Nikki Falk, senior in LAS who is majoring in gender and women?s studies, said that some of the negativity toward male advertisements could be stemming from the lack of them breaking outside of a certain shell.

?What I think is problematic is that advertisements are all very heterosexist,? Falk said. ?All of them are targeted toward heterosexual couples ? I can?t think of seeing one homosexual couple of any kind in the media, so making that more visible in the media would be a good thing.?

Stepping away from Photoshop could also help. When an advertisement has a doctored photo of a man who is nearly flawless, it shows the public that no one can reach the peak of perfection.
?When advertisements are Photoshopped, it holds guys up to a standard that no one can even meet. It can make them feel very pressured,? Alongi said.

Making an advertisement for one person is easy, but ad companies have to make it for a large, blanket group. This is where the problem lies. Not everyone is going to agree with an advertisement or identify with it, especially if it isn?t made for his or her demographic. To help solve this problem, Falk said that perhaps there should be many different diverse ads so that everyone can relate to one.

Haley can be reached at features@dailyillini.com.

Source: http://www.dailyillini.com/article/2012/10/study-shows-men-react-like-women-to-advertisements

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