Well, it could be that women are inherently smarter than men. Or maybe it's a global media conspiracy (perpetrated by the Illuminati) designed solely to make you look like a buffoon.
No, the truth comes down to simple economics: Women are responsible for the bulk of household purchases (OTC medications, groceries, cleaning supplies, etc.), so therefore advertisers cater to them. This is a proven fact. The goal of advertising is two-fold: to reassure you ("Everything is fine! Buy stuff!") or to make you feel like you're missing something in your life. ("I didn't realize it until the ad came on, but I need Double Stuff Oreos right now!") If an ad shows a woman winning an argument over which brand of aspirin to buy, what it's really saying is, "See, person who makes up 85% of the hygiene and medication-related purchases for your household, you are always right." Then the next time that person is in the medicine aisle, they'll (hypothetically) remember that ad and buy the product.
The media will always play on the old stereotype of "men are big dumb babies who need women to take care of them" because, well, it works. Look at every terrible sitcom or dumb romantic comedy and you'll notice that they all have the same protagonists: a dimwitted man-child and the patient, levelheaded woman who loves them/puts up with their B.S. It's the classic male/female dynamic, present in everything from The Bible to Shakespeare to Two and a Half Men. Hack and obvious, but--as evidenced by the amount of big, dumb babies that our beloved GuySpeak readers are forced to put up with on a daily basis--more than a little accurate. Does it reflect everyone's reality? Of course not. But advertisers are inherently lazy (except the ones who advertise on GuySpeak! Buy whatever they're selling!) and tend to stick to the tried and true.
People think the media has some sort of agenda, but 99.9% of the time, that agenda is nothing more than to get you to buy their product, watch their TV show, or sit your butt down in a screening of their 3D blockbuster movie. So chillax, dude. (I assume you're a dude.) No one is trying to make you look dumb. We men can do that perfectly well on our own.
No, the truth comes down to simple economics: Women are responsible for the bulk of household purchases (OTC medications, groceries, cleaning supplies, etc.), so therefore advertisers cater to them. This is a proven fact. The goal of advertising is two-fold: to reassure you ("Everything is fine! Buy stuff!") or to make you feel like you're missing something in your life. ("I didn't realize it until the ad came on, but I need Double Stuff Oreos right now!") If an ad shows a woman winning an argument over which brand of aspirin to buy, what it's really saying is, "See, person who makes up 85% of the hygiene and medication-related purchases for your household, you are always right." Then the next time that person is in the medicine aisle, they'll (hypothetically) remember that ad and buy the product.
The media will always play on the old stereotype of "men are big dumb babies who need women to take care of them" because, well, it works. Look at every terrible sitcom or dumb romantic comedy and you'll notice that they all have the same protagonists: a dimwitted man-child and the patient, levelheaded woman who loves them/puts up with their B.S. It's the classic male/female dynamic, present in everything from The Bible to Shakespeare to Two and a Half Men. Hack and obvious, but--as evidenced by the amount of big, dumb babies that our beloved GuySpeak readers are forced to put up with on a daily basis--more than a little accurate. Does it reflect everyone's reality? Of course not. But advertisers are inherently lazy (except the ones who advertise on GuySpeak! Buy whatever they're selling!) and tend to stick to the tried and true.
People think the media has some sort of agenda, but 99.9% of the time, that agenda is nothing more than to get you to buy their product, watch their TV show, or sit your butt down in a screening of their 3D blockbuster movie. So chillax, dude. (I assume you're a dude.) No one is trying to make you look dumb. We men can do that perfectly well on our own.
That sounds about right, although for the record, I saw a Crest commercial today where the husband won (Literally won in this case, I believe they were betting on how long her breath would stay fresh). Kind of threw me off, but it was refreshing.
Are you sure this isn't a chicken/egg situation? Or a self-fulfilling assumption?
I've always hated those sitcoms because they place a much higher standard on women. We grow up believing that, maybe, if we're kind and giving supermodel neurosurgeons with razor-sharp wit, then maybe we'll be lucky enough to marry a fat, immature liar we'll spend the rest of our lives forgiving and cleaning up after. And apparently, this is perfectly acceptable. Women feel almost a moral obligation to settle for guys who are beneath them and "give them a chance", because after all, he has a good heart (despite the fact that he's an inconsiderate liar at best, and a borderline rapist (Peter Griffin- seriously, watch for it) at worst). Men are apparently allowed to be wrong all the time and still rule the world, while women are expected to be perfect, and still get stuck doing the housework.
Good points. I think the more well-rounded portrayals of women we see in the media, the more the dumb guy/perfect woman dynamic will change.
It bums me out how every romantic comedy geared towards women is about weddings or babies, as if those are the only goals a woman can ever have. Of course, women (and men) like watching movies about weddings and wacky sperm donor hijinks, so it's a double-edged sword. It would just be nice if there were fewer shows about teen moms and bored housewives and more about female neurosurgeons and CEOs.