Goffman’s Categories in Bianco shoe Campaign
Bianco shoe company had a campaign called “Equal pay is not enough” in which they promoted paying women more.
The Commercial:
Feminine Touch
While this ad offers many examples of women not touching things gently (for example, the woman jumping on the car) there are also examples of them doing the opposite. An example of this is the woman setting her hands on the sides of the copier right in the beginning (this seemed to be an unnecessary action) and the camera focusing in on the woman’s hand as she’s removing her shoe to throw at the window
Ritualization of Subordination
The opposite of this is actually shown a lot in this ad. Many times, the women are featured above the men (like in the scenes where the woman is jumping on the car, or when the woman climbs onto her bosses desk)
Function Ranking
This is shown many times in the commercial since it is kind of the whole point. The women are shown working for the men. The first woman is getting her boss coffee in an ‘I love my boss’ mug, while the last woman is shown being left out of a meeting filled with men drinking.
Licensed withdrawal
There is one woman (the blonde) who makes brief eye contact with the camera. The rest do not, but the commercial is about the women’s actions so it invites the viewers to watch what they are doing.
Photo Advertisments:
Ritualization of Subordination
In the photo above, the woman is leaning back while the man is sitting up, putting her slightly beneath the man.
Licensed Withdrawal
Neither of the models are looking at the camera, but the man’s face is shaded and hard to see while their is a light shining directly on the woman’s face, drawing the viewers attention to her.
Gaze Theory and Male Gaze (Not Goffman’s)
This advertisement features the male gaze (the man is looking at the woman while the woman is not looking back)
NOTE: Many women were angry with this advertisement because it was viewed as using women’s inequality to advertise.
Shared by: Marie Smith
Image Credit: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2017/01/26/bianco-footwear-ad-claiming-women-deserve-equal-pay-splurge-shoes-attracts-vast