Elizabeth M. sent us a link to a really interesting art project designed to draw attention to the way in which advertising serves a normalizing function. The artist, Lee Gainer, takes newspaper pages and paints over all but one feature of an advertisement (link). The effect is a bit haunting. In the examples below, the representations of “veterinarian” (but, I think, also more generally, “authority figure” or “scientific expert”), “femininity,” and “family” all jump out quite forcefully:
This is a neat project! It would also be a great exercise for sociology students to undertake, to help them unpack semiotic components within ads or other representations.
Love it! Completely illustrates what is considered to be “normal” in our society:
white male-authority figure
white female-housewife
family-heterosexual (probably white) relationship, with Dad at the head
@Maggie – and the kids: eldest one clearly a son, second child with non-gender specific name so can be any gender the viewer wishes – and small “ideal” family size. Oh, and names are anglo-saxon and Christian.
…and small “ideal” family size.
Replacement level fertility being near 2 implies a very low child mortality rate. “Ideal” indeed…
© 2010 Sociological Images
