Goffman’s Categories in Asics Shoe Advertisments
Ad One:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/54/b7/41/54b741e0bc5b2545a5573e7cc0cb5b3e.jpg
Notice that this ad doesn’t feature many of Goffman’s categories, just licensed withdrawal. This type of licensed withdrawal isn’t exactly what Goffman’s licensed withdrawal refers to. Yes, the woman in this photo isn’t looking at the camera, which invites the viewer of the photo to openly look at her, but this is because the point of the advertisement is to show the model doing something athletic given it’s an athletic shoe company.
Ad Two:
https://www.erikgfesser.com/.a/6a01156e33a2dd970c01347f9f2ace970c-pi
This ad is similar to the first in the way that it only shows license withdrawal. The only thing that sticks out to me about this ad is that the model could be wearing more clothing, and it seems strange that she’s running through a wall of water that doesn’t seem to serve a purpose outside of getting her wet.
Ad Three:
https://upl.stack.com/wp-content/uploads/600×400-ASICS-final.jpg
This asics ad features a man and a woman, though they’re in separate photos. Once again, the only Goffman’s category is licensed withdrawal. What’s interesting about these two photos is that they’re very similar, though the photo of the man is closer up, cutting his body out of frame, while the photo of the woman is zoomed out so you can see all of her. With women’s sports, it is very common for their uniforms to have less fabric than the mens, so the they’re more likely to be looked at.
Ad Four:
https://storage.googleapis.com/adforum-media/34461651/00005277_34461651_1294424361.orig.jpg
This ad is very similar to the ads of the women. The only difference that sticks out to me is that his body is turned farther away from the camera than the women’s were, so you see very little of his face.
Ad Five:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8b/3e/33/8b3e33def6e9b03c229a058374cd757a.jpg
This ad is similar to all the others. What sticks out about it to me is that the man in the photo is wearing shorter shorts than I’ve noticed in other ads featuring only men.
Asics is one one the leading athletic shoe companies in the world, and overall, I think their ads do a pretty good job of representing men and women in an equal fashion.
Shared by: Marie Smith
Image Credit: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/54/b7/41/54b741e0bc5b2545a5573e7cc0cb5b3e.jpg