Goffman’s Categories Within Women’s Shoe Ads
The two Goffman’s Categories often featured in shoe ads are Feminine Touch and Licensed Withdrawal.
Feminine Touch
This category is quite often utilized in women’s shoe advertisements. They often gently touch their ankles or the pair of shoe they are wearing. They also sometimes hold the pair of shoes up to their face (pressed into their cheek)
Licensed WithdrawalÂ
This is less popular than Feminine Touch, but in a handful of ads Women’s faces are shown but they are not looking at the camera, inviting the viewer to look at her body rather than her face.
Other things I noticed
- In a lot of ads, Women are only showed from the bottom half of their bodies and their legs are often exposed.
- Some slogans suggest that certain pairs of shoes (usually heels) are good for “husband hunting”
- In many ads women don’t wear any clothes (Lots of these don’t have the woman’s face in the photo, presenting them as an object rather than person)
Shared by: Marie Smith
Image Credit: Jimmy Choo