Judith Butler describes gender as “an identity instituted through a stylized repetition of acts”. In other words, it is something learnt through repeated performance.

How useful is this idea in understanding gender is represented in both the Score and Maybelline advertising campaigns?

In this essay I am going to be discussing gender representation in both the maybelinnne advert and the score advert. I will be discussing both adverts in detail. I will argue that the adverts have both positive and negative aspects about them.

Firstly, the Maybelline advert can be shown to represent a positive idea of gender representation. One way in which this is shown is how one of the main characters shown in the advert is a gay male who is representing the mascara in the advert which is putting this idea into peoples head that anyone can wear makeup which is also breaking gender norms and challenging this stereotype that males don’t wear makeup. The advert is radical as normal advert for makeup would have a white female using the makeup, this advert challenges that as it has a gay male using the makeup and representing the product. This representation of sexuality is seen as positive as it helps to enable this idea of anyone being able to use makeup and that makeup doesn’t have a fixed audience or a specific audience and that anyone can use it. It can be seen as a more positive thing as it has representation of a gale male and it shows a more wider range of people that they can actually also use this product and that it is not linked to a specific group of people.

In the Maybelline advert it also has some more positive aspects. For example it shows this idea of the product being luxurious and that anyone who uses it will feel this luxury. The advert presents both characters using the mascara and showing the audience hoe the mascara is applied. It is presented as a rich expensive product as the emphasis on the amount of gold used in the advert to show the expensiveness and high standard of the product as gold connotates to money and power. In the advert it shows both characters going from not having expensive clothes on and being in a average NYC apartment to the transformation of them wearing gold outfits and looking all glammed up after using the product. Presenting this idea to the audience that if you use the product then you will then also feel this luxury. This is positive as it doesn’t target specific people in the advert it shows the product in a positive light as it shows that anybody who uses this product will feel this luxury and that it doesn’t matter what gender you are or sexuality you will feel this luxury.

however, in the Score advert it shows a more negative aspect on gender representation.  In the advert there is a male on a lectica surrounded by females wearing minimal clothing. They are all attractive white people. They are dressed in jungle like clothing surrounded by jungle trees. The clothing they are wearing is short. The people in a are also represented as more of a upper class type people. The male is on a lectica which is linked to richness and power above others. The male is also being carried by a bunch of females representing the fact that he is above them, above all females and everyone else.  the male in the advert is shown to have only had this power after using the product, he is shown to be higher up and more important than everyone else as he is sat on a lectica being carried by females. The advert is also highly sexualised as its shows lots of women surrounding a male who is higher up. All the women are wearing short clothing and the male is presented as highly masculine. The male is presumably a straight male who is enjoying the female attention this has a reactionary representation and  and stays in line with the social stereotype. This is negative as it adds to this idea of men being above women and it has this idea of sexualising the women who are holding the male above them also representing how there male is above them which also adds to the myth that males are above. This also has this idea of the women worshiping this male who has used the product. Furthermore, adding to the sexualising and hierarchy of males being above women as it physically shows the male on a lectica above the women but also connotates to the women holding up the male which has this idea of women not being as equal as males and adds to the myth that males are above women.

however the Maybelline also has some negative aspects about it. One of the characters in it, Manny MUA, is a gay male he is presented in this advert as slightly feminine as he has a high pitched voice and certain ways in which he is presented. This could be perceived as both positive and negative to the representation of sexuality as it represents men in the makeup industry that has been preciously dominated by women. This could be seen as negative as although it des have a male who is using the product the male in it is presented in a more feminine way this can be seen as negative as it presents this idea that you have to be more feminine to use this product and also adds to this myth that heterosexual males cant use makeup. It is more widely accepted that gay males can use makeup and they are more presented as feminine than a straight male for example. if a straight male was to use makeup they may feel more feminine but this advert by having a gay male as the model for this product also adds to the idea of only gay males being able to use makeup.

Furthermore, the score advert can also be seen in a more