This is an advertisement for a women’s razor company named billie.
Sex Role Perspective
This ad shows a diverse group of women in public places, specifically the beach. Also, the ad received a large amount of attention for how it portrayed the women shown. According to Glamour, the company’s campaign was the first razor advertisement to actually show pubic hair. This fact alone resists feminine stereotypes. One of the women also had unshaven armpits.
The inclusivity of women with various sizes and ethnicities was different than many feminine ads.
The advertisement resisted feminine stereotypes by having the women act in a more masculine way. In every shot, the women just stand/ sit there with a blank stare, which is normally a masculine trait linked to power. Women are usually moving in ways that include dancing, swaying hips, rubbing their hands on their bodies, but that is never seen. There are also many shots of women “man spreading” their legs, instead of sitting like a “lady” with their backs straight and legs closed and crossed.
Gaze Theory
The advertisement does not really target the male gaze in many ways.
The ad is titled:”red, white, and you do you” for their summer campaign. This shows women that not shaving is ok and should be normalized.
The ad also sexualizes male lifeguards in background, instead of the women. There are shots of just the women’s bikini area, but it did not seem like it was in a sexual way. Showing pubic hair was a way of women taking back the power over their bodies and what they do with it. It was basically saying “screw social norms, body hair is normal and ok, even if it makes you uncomfortable”. This empowers women to choose what they want to shave and how much, rather than showing women that razors are meant to make you look appealing to others.
Shared by: Megan Jasen
Image Credit: https://www.glamour.com/story/billies-razor-ad-pubic-hair