Cultural Identities and Media Communications

Advertisers try to make campaigns that relate as closely as possible to their target audience. This, in most cases means making ads that appeal to their cultural identities as closely as possible. One of the methods that the ad makers use to appeal to the cultural aspect of their audience is by using their models. Traditionally, the models espouse the gender stereotypes that have always been associated with the different genders. The males cast in ads traditionally did not skew from what can be considered to be the ideal man and this was also the case when it came to the women that were cast in ads. This paper looks into three ads that have cast male models in portrayals that are not conforming to gender norms.

The paper further looks into how cultural identities today affect ads and other forms of media communication. Hypothesis: There is a new male image on advertising that embodies both the male and the female. Unlike traditional male stereotypes, the new male image can be non-conforming to gender. Literature Review Literature reviewed for this paper all point to the changing nature of cultural identification and the continued impact of cultural identities on modern mass media such as advertisements. This is still applicable for women in that they use characters in ads that women would either desire or aspire to be like. Fischer and Arnold(1994) try to point to the role of gender role attitudes in the making of ads. They addressed the need for advertisers to look deeper into how men and women view both masculine and feminine traits respectively with relation to media presentation.

The view that the target audience have pertaining to masculinity and or femininity is a determinant factor in how the audience consumes ads. In recent times, there has been an increase in outcry and cases that relate to women being sexually assaulted. Modern men are moving away from these stereotypes because they do not want to be placed in a box. Modern men are undergoing a defining moment when it comes to individual identity. Blunch and Bordia (2015) adopted a social constructionist point of view when it comes to thinking about gender. He suggested that gender is fluid in nature and changes depending on social structures. This means that if social structures remain stable, men and women would maintain the gender identities that they were born and raised with.

The reason for using this method for this research was because it would allow obtaining detailed information pertaining to the participants. This method also allows the researcher the opportunity to see the necessary clarification and obtain a wide range of information pertaining to the topic in question. The methodology used in this paper was a qualitative research. The main reasons for this was because this methodology allows for an in-depth examination of the topic as well as uses subjective information. This is especially important if a focus group is the choice for the research. Results In order to analyze the results as effectively as possible, each of the question will be analyzed individually and as answered by each of the focus groups.

The first question asked what the participants thought to be the new male stereotype and the reason as to why they thought so. Both of the focus groups opined that the metropolitan man was gaining traction as being the common male stereotype. The metropolitan man can be described as a modern that seems to skew away from traditional male gender roles. The participants suggested that all the males in the selected stereotypes were example of metropolitan men. The new stereotype was that men were not afraid to be viewed in the same light as women and actually embraced the soft exterior that was characteristic of women. This is evidenced by the men in the advertisements, who were clearly promoting women's products.

Cultural identities are changing as time goes by and this is exemplified by advertisements and other media presentations. The new male stereotype is completely different from the traditional male stereotype. The traditional male stereotype as seen in everyday life and as exemplified in various media platforms is that of men being strong, stoic, confident in themselves and reserved. They can wear soft colors traditionally preserved for women, their physical forms can be non-stereotypical in nature, meaning that they fit both male and female gender roles. There are a number of reasons as to why the women in the focus group liked the men in the advertisements. One of the reasons is because of the new individuality that is being embraced around the globe today and that research is showing is gaining traction in Asian countries such as Japan and Malaysia.