Literature & Theory

A number of studies that have been conducted on alcohol consumption, commercials, and gender stereotypes, display these three components tied together. Research studies have shown that in the field of alcohol promotion, advertisement, and gender stereotypes, all three fields have been looked into extensively, some with a combination of one or the other to even dive deeper. The three main focuses for this literature review are alcohol, advertisement, and gender stereotypes. The existing literature on alcoholic consumption, advertisement, and gender stereotypes will help me to address the main aspects of my research question, by addressing the gender stereotypes and portrayal of men and women within alcohol commercials aired during the Super Bowl. 

I also would like to employ the theoretical framework of feminist theory to better understand gender roles and gender stereotypes as previously mentioned in this writing. In Sociology 296, the introduction to sociological theory, it was explained that feminist theory is an outgrowth of the general movement to empower women worldwide. Also offered, was the definition of feminism, feminism can be defined as the recognition and critique of male supremacy combined with efforts to change it (Sociology 296). A school of thought that falls beneath feminist theories framework is that of masculinity studies. Masculinity studies can be defined as the critical study of masculinity as a category of identity with a focus on how social constructions of “manhood” and definitions of masculinity create a system that is harmful to both men and women (Sociology 296). Well respected sociologist Erving Goffman also has theories specifically about gender roles and performance in his study of advertisements. This framework offered by Goffman, Gender Advertisements (Anjalin 2015) was the groundwork for additional thought within feminist theory concerning how men and women in advertisements would be represented in terms of different dimensions of visual structure (Anjalin 2015). Goffman offered six aspects in his Gender Advertisements framework of 1979; relative size, feminine touch, function ranking, family scenes, ritualization of subordination, and licensed withdrawal (Anjalin 2015). Goffman’s theoretical framework regarding gender advertisements not only allowed myself to better analyze the media, but instead he added new perspectives to feminist theory and laid the groundwork for sociological studies to follow.