Maybelline & Score

MAYBELLINE:

‘That Boss Life’ is an advert created by the brand Maybelline promoting a new mascara. The advert is looking at a much more contemporary representation and construction of identity. Meaning there is a much more progressive and provocative representation of age, race, gender, sexuality, class in comparison to ‘Score’.

Maybelline introduced their first homosexual male representative, Manny Gutierrez, as well as selectively representing a female person of colour, Shayla Mitchell, who are both social media influencers who post about makeup online. The representation was a spark for change in the beauty industry. ( – opinion leaders leading to minimised risk of failure due to fan culture.)

The representation of Manny’s sexuality is largely exaggerated and plays to the social stereotype. This links to Gauntlett’s theory of identity and how social groups are often categorised based on hegemony and stereotype. David Yi (from Allure) wrote to Glamour and said that the backlash “promotes the dangerous sentiment that men are supposed to adhere to hypermasculine culture.” This also links to Judith Butler who talks about gender as a ‘performance’ where Manny displays typically feminine characteristics breaking the facade of feminine = female. “an identity instituted through a stylized repetition of acts”. Manny is breaking the stereotype that makeup is just for women but for all genders showing Maybelline’s attempt for inclusivity.

https://www.glamour.com/story/manny-gutierrez-maybelline-campaign

LANGUAGE:

Non-diegetic sound mimicking a magic wand connotating that the suitcase filled with mascara is magical making it compelling for the audience.

The setting is in New York. This city is an aspirational way of living setting up desire to the audience. (- American dream, utopian ideals) It gives ideas of wealth and a high flying lifestyle. NY=modern.

The bell boy’s narrative can also be seen as “on trend with gender politics” as he represents someone from the outside world (not involved with beauty or cosmetics) and yet he is still interested in the product, subverting classic male stereotypes.

A hashtag “#BIGSHOTMASCARA” has been used to crerate a buzz on social media. Linking to Habermas who talks about transformation of public sphere. Maybelline are aware that to reach their target audience, social platforms will give more exposure to the product.

The scene where the suitcase is tossed onto the bed is the common idea of abundance most often shown with money or gold. The number of product encased in gold along with a gold suitcase adds to the over the top (hyperbolised) idea of luxury and success.

The whole advert portrays the mascara as a wand which gives intertextual references to the fairy God mother due to the transition towards the end.

When the mascara is applied the extreme close up is very important as it shows a “vlog-like transition” which highlights the hybridity of this advert.

The transition from dull white to a golden ideal self gives value transference to the audience. This is because we associate the mascara as the significant object which has caused the transformation making the audience desire it. (- Uses and Gratifications)

At the end the posture of hand on hips shows she is confident and now in control, subverting gender and racial stereotypes. They then use eye contact to create direct address creating a connection for the viewer. The constant winking and facial expressions reflect the sultry and suggestive nature of makeup, making them more attractive to others.

WHAT TO THINK ABOUT FOR AN EXAM:

• The way the media through re-presentation constructs versions of reality
• How and why stereotypes can be used positively and negatively
• The processes which lead media producers to make choices about how to represent social groups
• How audience responses to interpretations of media representations reflect social, cultural and historical attitudes
• The effect of social and cultural contexts on representations
• Theories of representation including Hall
• Theories of identity including Gauntlett

SCORE:

LANGUAGE:

In the scene, the dominant signifier of the male character is being put in a position of power over the female characters.

• Advert slogan – “Get what you’ve always wanted” -Use of imperatives is forceful connotating to the command and power. More persuasive to promote the product.
• Image of products
• Information on product
• ‘1 Male Character and 5 Female Characters – Linking to the male gaze as the women have been objectified to something that can be ‘won’ over with the right product. Sexist attitudes were accepted and normalised.
• The advertisement contains iconic signs of a ‘safari’ scene with use of animal print, plants, leaves,.
• A shotgun is used, linking to the male character’s pride and masculine identity. The gun connotes to violence, conflict and dominance – the toxic masculinity being portrayed. Links to insecurtity and the need to feel desired – self esteem. – Uses and Gratifications
• The male character is being held on a platform, carried by the women. He is not only physically above them, but, the advert also suggests that he is superior to them socially representing the patriarchy. This is a reactionary representation of the relationship between men and women.
• Revealing clothing worn by the women – oversexualisation helps to promote sales – suggests heterosexual males were target audience linking to voyeurism. Negative connotations as women learn to oversexualise themselves to feel worthy and that submissive=attractive. Jean Kilbourne talks about the effects of advertising.
• The women are also seen as trying to ‘stroke’ the man and touch him in some sort of way. This makes him seem desired and irresistible to women which they have justified with the hair product “score”.
• Constructs negative stereotypes between both men and women.

Potential narrative: The man was a nobody/loser who struggled to attract women until he started using this product and looking after his hygiene and all of a sudden lots of women desire him. – Went from being the sidekick to the hero/main character.

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS:

Score was an advert produced in 1967 and can be examined considering historical, social and cultural contexts particularly as it relates to gender roles, sexuality and historical advertising techniques. 1967 can be seen as period of slow transformation in western culture around the changing attitudes towards the role of a woman.

In 1960-70s, feminism became more prominent which fought for acceptance of birth control, divorce, abortions and homosexuality.

However, the score advert was produced the same year as the decriminalisation of homosexuality and the representation of heterosexuality could be a sign of the anxieties surrounding the change. The reference to colonialist values can also be linked to social and cultural contexts of the ending of Empire.