The final prominent theme found among the four years of Super Bowl advertisements is the presentation of white people as awkward. Out of the 32 advertisements, there were 6 that featured awkward portrayals of white people, and none that depicted awkward portrayals of Black people. I believe that this may stem from a “Black being cool” stereotype, and by comparison, white is not.
The first example of white awkwardness is extremely prominent. In an advertisement filled with independent, mostly independent business owners of color, various white people steal the spotlight by singing DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” in their own awkward fashions.
A white man recites DJ Khaled (a musician of color)’s “All I Do Is Win” at a karaoke bar in a painfully awkward fashion while putting little effort into dance moves. He is wearing a massive yet short tie (not dissimilar to that of a clown) with outdated glasses.
Attribution: Screenshot from Intuit Quickbooks and Mailchimp. Duality Duets ft. DJ Khaled (Long-Form). (February 2022).
This advertisement presents the most striking comparison between the portrayals of white and Black people. The independent POC business owners cannot help but cringe or be disappointed when they are interrupted by a white person terribly singing. This advertisement may be a subtle commentary on how ‘entertainers should be Black,’ since clearly, white people are not good at it.
The next example features two famous white actresses, Demi Moore and Mila Kunis being rejected for the award for the most admired alum at their high school reunion. Instead, the award goes to an awkward white woman. The advertisement makes it clear that Moore and Kunis should have won the award, yet are sidelined by the awkward white woman.
An awkward white woman proudly announces, “I watch so many movies,” as photos of her are on big screens in the background. One photo shows an awkward depiction of the character in a virtual reality headset, which is difficult to look cool while wearing.
Attribution: Screenshot from AT&T. A Lot In Common. (February 2022).
The advertisement makes it clear that the awkward white woman should not have won the award. This is another example of how white people, due to their awkwardness, should not be up on a stage. It is almost as if saying such entertainment would be better left to Black people.
Another example of white awkwardness is of two white men performing an incredibly awkward dance at a white wedding. The two men proudly hop around on one foot waving one hand in the air.
Two white men perform a very awkward dance at a wedding together while many people around them clap and smile, clearly finding such an odd performance amusing.
Attribution: Screenshot from yellow tail. Tastes Like Happy. (February 2021).
As seen seconds earlier in the advertisement, the band for the wedding is comprised of Black musicians. This, and the awkward white dance emphasizes the stereotype that Black people should be performers, not white people. The white men dancing is an awkward display of events that both are clearly excited to perform.
Lastly, actress Scarlett Johanson is featured performing a one-woman performance for her husband in which she plays all of the characters. Despite her status as an award-winning actress, the advertisement portrays her as a terrible one, and awkward at it too.
Scarlett Johanson poorly acts out a scene in which she plays all characters. Her performance is so awkward and terrible that her husband wants to fake his own death so that he does not have to see it again.
Attribution: Screenshot from Amazon. Mind Reader. (February 2022).
Despite her acting credentials, this Amazon Alexa advertisement still manages to make Scarlett Johanson conform to the stereotype that white people are awkward and that being a performer is best left for Black people.
Conclusion of the Themes
All three themes analyzed, selling Black trauma, portraying Black people as performers, and white people as awkward are interesting, yet perhaps unsurprising to find. The impacts of our racist society are made clear in the three advertisements focused on social justice issues, yet this is done so at the expense of Black people as their trauma is broadcasted across the nation. Not only are Black people portrayed as traumatized, but also as performers. The stereotype of the Black performer is thriving, seemingly unnoticed by many, within the context of Super Bowl advertisements. They are often portrayed as “cool” in these entertainer positions, making white people, on the other hand, not cool. White people are consistently portrayed as awkward or incapable in advertisements, especially in the role of entertainers. It may suggest that a common societal narrative is that the entertainment sector of society is “best left to Black people.” Once again, the trend of stereotypes present in the Super Bowl advertisements may not be surprising, but it is critical to look into with future research.