Just Another Punching Bag?

When you’re walking down the street, taking the bus, watching TV, or catching the Metra, ads are everywhere. They’re plastered on signs, billboards, and in train cars. We are constantly exposed to these ads, good or bad, on a daily basis. Whether it is realized or not, rhetoric plays a large role in the advertisements we see every single day. As I was looking through ads, I found one that advocates against domestic violence.



In the ad above, an Everlast punching bag is shown wearing a woman’s green dress. Underneath this image is a caption that reads, “It’s Not Acceptable to Treat a Woman Like One.” In one short and simple phrase, this advertisement implies that in any type of relationship, a woman should not be treated like she is a punching bag.  Without directly stating that women should not be abused in relationships, this domestic violence advertisement uses the punching bag as a symbol for women who are abused by men.

This ad is so effective simply because it is simple. There is not a disturbing picture of a battered woman, but rather a short, simple message that gets right to the point. Although it does not boldly state, “Don’t abuse women and treat them like your punching bag,” through rhetoric and imagery, the ad implies this message.  This ad is also effective because it plays off the pathos of both women and men. Personally, when I saw this ad, I was angered that any man would think it was acceptable to physically abuse a woman or even see them as anything less than who they are: real people. I’m sure I’m not the only girl who feels like they should not be seen or treated this way. Also, the ad directly targets men by using a punching bag in place of an actual woman. Because it states that women shouldn’t be treated like a punching bag, it implies that the men are domestic abusers. It seems to be a warning to men that they don’t want to be this type of guy.

Through the use of rhetoric, this advertisement conveys the message that domestic violence against women is wrong. It is a common place that any type of abuse is wrong, but this ad shows that it is more common that most people expect and fights out against the violence.

"Real" Men

Does not drinking the right type of beer make you an effeminate man? In a fairly new Miller Lite commercial, this is exactly the case. The commercial shows a man talking to a female bartender and he asks for a lite beer. When he says he doesn’t care about the taste of the beer, the bartender mocks him for a skirt that he’s wearing and tells him she’ll get a “real” lite beer for him as soon as he loses the skirt. The commercial then states, “Man up,” and then promotes that if the viewer drinks Miller Lite, they will “taste greatness.”

This commercial plays off of generalized male and female stereotypes. It implies that if you are a man and you are not drinking Miller Lite, then you are not masculine and that women will mock you for it. This commercial is aimed at men, especially at those who are insecure, for this very reason. By showing a man who doesn’t drink Miller Light in a skirt, the ad plays off the commonplaces that not only do men not wear skirts, but that this man would be seen as a girl for wearing such attire. Because of this implication, the ad makes it seem as though only “real” men drink “real” beer like Miller Lite.

If a man likes another type of beer, this commercial may make them feel as if they are not masculine enough. Other men who are insecure may think to themselves, “If I drink Miller Lite, then other people may see me as a confident and great man.” Also, the commercial uses women to enforce the idea that this beer will make a man more masculine and desirable to women. The attractive bartender mocks the man who doesn’t care about the beer and tells him to come back when he gets rid of the skirt for a “real” beer. Also, the other attractive women in the bar give him strange looks as he passes them. This plays on the emotions of men by implying that women will respect them if they are masculine, which can be achieved by drinking Miller Lite.

This commercial is very effective because not only does it draw on the emotions of many men by questioning their masculinity, but it also does so in a humorous way.

(click here for the video!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02p-9SsmRME