IB Docs (2) Team
WT SL (Gendered Advertising)
Law schools often force students to take an opposing position to the one they hold. They require students to understand the claims and arguments – the logic – of the opposing counsel so that they can comprehend the law itself and how it functions.
In our Language and Literature classes, we often ask students to do the same. Students debate and take sides to further discussion about a topic covered in class, especially in Parts 1 and 2 of the course. But what should we do when it comes time for the formal IB assessments? Is it okay for a student to write a Written Task in the perspective of a racist, misogynist, homophobe, or anti-Semite even if they do not hold these beliefs?
In allowing students to take this perspective in their writing, it invites them to bring out old tropes, clichés, and/or derogatory words and ideas that hinder a greater understanding of the diverse world we live in every day. By not allowing it, there is perhaps a missed opportunity for discussion about language and how it can be used to oppress.
It is a slippery slope. Some teachers will have very clear rules about what you can and cannot do in a Written Task. Others will be more lenient. You know your students and your context. As an individual teacher, meeting the needs of a diverse group of students, you will need to make the judgement call on what crosses the line and what is a teachable moment.
In the following Written Task, a student chose to write an email proposal from an advertising executive to a fashion house justifying the stylistic choices he made in creating the advertisement for a suit they are selling. But he is demeaning to women. There will be mixed feelings about this.
Just as law students must argue mock cases they abhor, this student took a position he disliked to try to understand the other side to a greater degree. What is essential is the rationale; the candidate clearly explains how taking this perspective highlighted for him how misogyny functions. It also allowed him to investigate advertising in detail. Finally, it gave him an opportunity to demonstrate how one email can lead to “a negative cultural shift” in his words. Without these statements in the rationale, it would have been a sexist rant that would not belong in a classroom. Instead, it is a Written Task that shows this candidate thinking deeply and critically about gendered advertising.
Sample Written Task
Email Proposal Written Task 1N.B. The formatting of this is not as precise as the pdf version above
Rationale
The Language and Mass Communication portion of the IB English course aims to demonstrate how language and imagery in advertisements persuade audiences. My written task—an email sent from a marketing firm executive to the owner of clothing company Duncan Quinn— focuses on how objectification of woman can benefit firms. The email presents a sexist suit advert for Duncan Quinn’s upcoming marketing campaign, convincing the reader why it is a good marketing asset. It is this unfiltered communication between executives in industry that propels misogyny in advertising.
To fulfill the text type, I decided to include features of an email such as the mailing header, a vertical rule, and a footer including a signature and confidentiality disclaimer. On top of this, I used bolded/italic words, a disjointed body, and numbered lists to stray from the conventions of a typical essay. Then, to fulfill the purpose ergo to convince the reader why using such a racy and controversial advertisement is appropriate, I brought in an opposing expert’s (Jean Kilbourne) opinion and proceeded to refute it, employing blatant vocabulary such as “absurd” to render this logic invalid whilst reassuring the reader of my sincerity with phrases such as “committed to protect [Duncan Quinn’s brand]”. It is very unlikely that any executive would approve a marketing asset whilst acknowledging its negative harm on society and his/her firm’s reputation, so using this language to offer such a rationalization is important for Duncan Quinn to be comfortable publishing this ad. To be absolutely clear, these views are not at all ones that I personally conform to (rather, the polar opposite).
Examining the rationale of these campaign producers is an exploration of how misogynistic adverts come to be. It really is interesting how one email can be the catalyst of a negative culture shift.
On Sat, Sep 3, 2016 at 11:43 AM +0800, “First Last" <last@somemarketingcompany.com> wrote:
Dear Mr. Duncan Quinn,
Thank you for working with us in producing an advertising campaign for Duncan Quinn. The first proposal of the suit advert we discussed is attached in this email via an image; it displays a man wearing a Duncan Quinn outfit pulling a semi-naked woman, strewn across the hood of a car, by the neck. What follows is a detailed rationale from our team on why and how we feel this proposal effectively fulfils the audience and purpose you were looking for in our services, in essence revolving around the Duncan Quinn suit being positioned as an instrument for men to attract more women, selling a desirable lifestyle to men around the world.
Please have your team take a look at the contents of this proposal and let us know your thoughts on moving forward.
One vital aspect of the advertisement we decided on is obscuring the face of the woman model used. The connotation of this renders the identity of the woman unknown and irrelevant, similar to that of an automaton, propelling the dominance of the man against the woman. Nulling and stripping her of an identity serves many independent purposes:
1. The focus on her sexually attractive figure/body will serve as the center of attention or focal point of the ad for the observer. Sexual imagery generally captures a lot of attention from individuals and especially the media, enabling us to increase brand awareness as much as possible and communicate our other purposes effectively.
2. It allows us to objectify the woman such that the observers sympathize with her less, especially since her facial—or really any form of conscious expression—cannot be seen or interpreted.fda
3. The ad could come off as distasteful if this is not the case; the audience will not react well to or want to see a distraught facial expression.
This is standard practice in advertising. Of course, many quote-on-quote “activists” have attempted to brandish this as a statement against women. Expert Jean Kilbourne comments on this stance when, in her book “Can’t Buy My Love”, she writes “Turning a human being into a thing…is almost always the first step toward justifying violence against that person” since “it is very easy to abuse a thing” (278).
Now, this oppression and lack of autonomy on the woman’s part acts as symbolism for the dominance brought by not just the male model pictured but also, and more importantly, the Duncan Quinn suit that is being sold. In this way, we are selling to the demographic of the ad (other men) a lifestyle of self-confidence and popularity from the other gender. It should not be taken literally.
We are committed to protect Duncan Quinn’s brand and find it absurd to suggest, like Kilbourne does, that an image in an advertisement will indeed be taken literally by men and propel violence against women. We men, just like women and almost all other members of the human race, have rational capacity and will not have our core values from upbringing be corrupted by one advertisement. In fact, the very notion of men being so sheeple and unquestioning as to have their mindset warped easily is sexist in itself. Though we concede the advertisement is racy and perhaps slightly controversial through the use of sexual dominance, we are confident that it will not cause any negative effects on both society and the company’s reputation.
Continuing with the rationale, we further convey this sentiment of sexual dominance through the tie and its role in representing the suit as an all encompassing tool for attracting women. In particular, the Duncan Quinn model is seen pulling the female model by the neck with the suit’s tie. Though this clearly expresses physical authority, our intent is for it to more importantly symbolize the increased attention towards men wearing Duncan Quinn suits. The tie acts as a metaphor for the strength of attraction between the man and women (the female model being the representation/metaphor of that group); as the man pulls on it, the woman, ergo all women, are drawn closer to him.
The tie, however, does not stand alone but is instead a representative article/a metaphor of the suit and the power of it; instead of the man or the tie drawing women in, the suit as a whole draws them in. Once again we use the motif that women, in an if-statement and mechanical manner, surrender their autonomy to the presence of the suit; the model’s lack of clothes (bar a bra and underwear) conveys the sexual connotation of this attachment and further suggests the lack of control or resisting of urges that women under the influence of the suit has.
Ultimately, our advertisement positions the Duncan Quinn suit as an exclusive tool for succumbing women in a cause and effect fashion (ie. if one has the suit, one can acquire more power), which is expected to resonate with many male viewers and drive sales or at the very least brand awareness. We firmly expect only this advertisement to bring Duncan Quinn more success and an increase in sales.
Please revert to us your thoughts on both the proposal and justification presented as soon as possible. We will continue to iterate on the design as per your feedback in preparation for the December marketing push.
Regards,
First Name
—
First Name Last Name / Director of Marketing last@somemarketingcompany.com / +65 9127 3690
Some Marketing Company
138 Cecil Street, #01-01 Cecil Court, Singapore 069538 www.somemarketingcompany.com
This email contains confidential information and is only for the intended recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient(s), please do not disseminate, distribute or copy this email and delete this email from your system. All intellectual property rights in this email and attachments therein shall remain vested in Some Marketing Company Group, unless otherwise provided by law.
Works Cited
Duncan Quinn Suit Ad. Digital image. Http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/duncan-quinn-
suit-ad-depicting-strangled-woman. N.p., Dec. 2008. Web. 1 Oct. 2016.
Kilbourne, Jean. "Chapter 12." Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the
Way We Think and Feel. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. Prin
Examiner's Comments
Criterion A - Rationale - 2 marks
The rationale explains how the task is connected to the coursework.
2 out of 2: The rationale states his objectives and purpose connecting it clearly to the content studied in the course. There is an explanation of his stylistic choices and what he aims to achieve by using them. And he justifies taking this position even if he does not personally agree with what he has written.
Criterion B - Task and Content - 8 marks
The content of a task should lend itself well to the type of text one chooses. The task should demonstrate an understanding of the coursework and topics studied. Finally, there should be evidence that the student has understood the conventions of writing a particular text type.
7 out of 8: The candidate creates a credible situation and text type. An advertising executive could send an email to their client explaining and justifiying why that advert was created. It looks like an email in terms of format and tone. It also connects to language (and images) used in mass media and their power to influence and persuade. He analyzes the techniques used in the advert and also uses a quotation from a reputable source in an interesting manner. That portion could have been developed in greater detail and thus a 7 and not an 8 was awarded.
Criterion C - Organization - 5 marks
The task is organized effectively and appropriately with a regard for the text type. There must be a sense of coherence.
5 out of 5: It is very organized; the writing connects to form a coherent and professional email.
Criterion D - Language - 5 marks
The language of the task must be appropriate to the nature of the task. This means that students use an appropriate and effective register and style. Whatever the nature of the task, ideas must be communicated effectively.
5 out of 5: While there are a few odd turns of phrase, the language is professional and serious in tone. The register and style are very appropriate and ideas are clearly communicated to the intended audience.
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn