What Gender Is Your Soda?
Last week, one of my posts analyzed the cultural and gendered implications of President Obama’s hamburger run featured in the NBC White House special. Whether or not they agreed with my my viewpoint of what I perceived as subtle messages sent out by the Obama camp by selecting Five Guys hamburger chain as their to-go lunch spot, many readers have mentioned they have become more aware of the social constructions and symbolisms attributed to food.
In any case, Small Bites reader Quinn Andrus was reminded of my “food and gender” post (and generous enough to e-mail me!) when she came across the billboard you see in the accompanying picture while traveling in Los Angeles.
Apparently, even soda is gendered (or at least that’s what Pepsi wants male consumers to believe).
To prove this point, the ad features a crushed soda can (Arrrrggghhh! Me man. Me mad soda is done. Me crush can!!!).
What apparently makes this zero-calorie, sugar-free soda “manly” is its increased caffeine content. Interestingly enough, Pepsi Max wasn’t advertised this way under its previous name — Diet Pepsi Max.
So, basically, we come back to the idea of heathy eating and caloric restriction as “womanly.” A “real man” would never be seen drinking something with the word Diet on it. Apparently, playing into those stereotypes makes some advertising executives very rich, folks.
And while we’re on the topic of gender, how amazing is the advertisement directly below the Pepsi ad? Why do I have a feeling it’s not a coincidence, either?
