This 1930s Chrysler ad is the perfect example of reinforcing gender roles through media, and advertising. The ad uses highly gendered language for advertising the car to both “she” and “he”. Beginning with the woman-centered approach, the ad states “For the first time in my life, I feel at home behind the wheel”. The generalization that women aren’t good drivers is used to subjugate women and justify their subordination based on the fact that they are not as capable as men. The excerpt titled “She” also calls the car “gorgeous looking”. These two quotes are also based on patriarchal ideas of women’s obsession with personal appearance and beauty. Beauty is essential to the patriarchal standard of a woman. Enforcing very strict beauty standards has always been a tactic used to subjugate and demean used by the patriarchy.

Contrarily the “He” section of the ad is an ode to masculine strength and power. It reads “that swift, silent getaway… that never-say-die power… that romping. eager, mounting speed… were put there for the sterner sex.” This quote is attempting to appeal to men’s sense of masculine dominance. The ad uses physical language such as “swift” “romping” and “speed” to affirm the patriarchal idea of men’s physical superiority.

Advertising particularly aimed toward men and women preys on people’s endless strive to fulfill their prescribed gender role, in order to sell them material goods.

Since I first watched it with my family, Arrested Development has defined my sense of humor and my worldview.

The thesis of the show is this: Wealth has the potential to arrest the emotional development of a family.

The show premises a family coming from immense capital wealth, once on top of the world, now forced into the middle class by a series of criminal investigations against the patriarch, George Bluth. Much of the humor – and much of the message – comes from the family’s shocking ineptitude as they learn the world doesn’t revolve around them anymore.

Freud would love Tobias Funke. After marrying into the Bluth family shortly after college, Tobias’ needs are all met by his wife’s family wealth. Now that it is gone, Tobias is forced to become a breadwinner. Though in episode one, he declares that he wants to act, despite having an unused degree in psychology.

Tobias’ desire to be an actor is set on by an incidental boat ride, which he attends only after a ridiculous set of unlikely circumstances. He mistakes a gay protest group for a Bluth party and feels a ‘bond’ with his new companions. Following popular stereotypes of 2003, the unnamed gay characters are members of various theaters. Tobias displaces his desire to be with these men with a desire to be an actor.

His wife sees better than he can. As Tobias attempts to confess his desire, Lindsay completes the thought for him. “You’re gay.”

The emergence of the McDonald’s Adult happy meal has brought up numerous comments on the appearance of the toys. While the toys represent the original beloved characters, though unpleasant, this commentary echoes a much larger debate on the push of gender bias in McDonald’s toys. 

Undoubtedly, those of us who lived off McDonald’s as children remember the workers asking about the gender of the kids or making assumptions about the performance of the gender they saw. Little girls had malibu barbies and ponies, while boys received trucks and Star Wars memorabilia.

 In the lens of Gender studies, this is a prime example of how women’s subordinate role is sustained through American culture. More specifically, if women are associated with danger, uncontrollable bodies, and emotions, then the images we publicize must justify that a silent, submissive, and beautiful woman is what we must model ourselves after.

For example, Barbie, the hallmark toy for girls, represents no intersectionality of race and gender, has an abnormal accentuation of the ideal body, and overly feminizes the few non-traditional professions she has with glitter and pink sparkles. The perspective of Gender Studies pulls into question all the ways corporations instilled femininity and masculinity in our childhoods.