Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 09/14/2009
gendered vitamins?
So, most commercial piss me off. For the most part, they are stupid and uncreative and for every 30 second spot I watch I feel like I’ve lost a thousand brain cells, if not more. Also, it doesn’t help that my mother was in the advertising industry for many years and likes to shout out every single thing that’s wrong with every commercial. Every. single. commercial.
But one commercial recently caught my attention in the sexist arena.
I couldn’t find the actual video, but One-A-Day has a vitamin called “Teen Advantage.” Okay, vitamins for teens. We’re growing and shit, blah blah blah. But oh no, this vitamin is specific to gender. The ad reads:
“Healthy muscle function with Magnesium (for Him) and Healthy skin with Vitamins A and C, Copper, and Iron (for Her)”
Because girls should have unhealthy muscles and guys should have unhealthy skin? No, the values are pretty clear here, I think. Girls – worry about your skin and being pretty! Guys – worry about being strong and fitting masculinity stereotypes!
Because the commercials for acne products, makeup and any other beauty product aren’t enough…yknow the ones where I’m supposed to take advice about acne problems from girls who have perfect skin? And I think that’s the problem.
As feministing pointed out, these aren’t beauty products, these are vitamins. They’re supposed to be scientific and about health, not about enforcing gender stereotypes! What is going on here, people?
Have you guys seen any commercials lately that have really pissed you off? If so, please list below! I’ve always wanted to get a comprehensive list going, so I could hate more thoroughly. Obviously.
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Read other posts about: gender stereotypes, gendered vitamins, One A Day Teen Advantage Multivitamins
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kay @ at 12:15 pm, September 14th, 2009
Almost all Axe commercials make me really pissed off. You know, the ones where guys spray on Axe, and hundreds of women throw themselves at said guy, because they ‘can’t escape the axe affect’ or whatever. Dumb. I hate those.
Maria D @ at 12:41 pm, September 14th, 2009
Agree with you completely. Yeah, my brother couldn’t have used something to help him with his acne problem. And I don’t need healthy muscles to play field hockey or run track. Dicks.
Almost all commercials bug me, but the one that came to mind immediately was that ‘take your top off’ commercial. It’s for some seafood place, and it never fails to bug me. They tell the lone girl to take her top off, but they’re really referring to the top of her platter. It’s stupid.
ACW @ at 1:28 pm, September 14th, 2009
Bold font for boys and script font for girls. Fail.
Assuming boys don’t care about healthy skin and girls don’t care about muscles. Fail.
Assuming that teens and their *moms* are the only ones whose health concerns need addressing. Fail.
At least they’re assuming we all need a healthy immune system.
Alex Catgirl @ at 1:43 pm, September 14th, 2009
It is scientific in a fashion, the FDA would never allow them to be market to minors if the claims were not.
Boy’s muscular system develops earlier than girl’s, which is why you see these huge male college athletes running around campus while the girl athletes still have the gangly “not finished growing” look. So in that regard the claim is true, boys really do need more Mg, but it’s not that they couldn’t put the same amount in girls vitamins , we would just pee out what we didn’t use. The same kinda logic applies to and vitamins A and C for boys.
Iron, Calcium and Folic acid are a big deal for girls/women, the guys can get by with less, we get sick if we don’t get enough.
K8 AH @ at 2:11 pm, September 14th, 2009
I have never met anyone who is as offended by commercials as my husband. He mutes all commercials the instant they come on. Like you, he doesn’t want them filling his brain with useless crappy information or possibly influencing the way he thinks in any way.
ellecarter @ at 2:33 pm, September 14th, 2009
My mom bought them for me, i have a horrible diet, and the vitamins are actually pink. I can only assume the boy’s version are blue. Because you know girls like pink and boys like blue.
p.s. I stopped taking them after a week. they are DISGUSTING!!
Zoe @ at 3:07 pm, September 14th, 2009
There are some legitimate differences in vitamin needs in regards to gender. The most well known one is iron for women, due to menstruation, we lose more iron than guys do. I would wager there are many more differences, too. So don’t dismiss that idea.
As for the gender marketing, blue pills vs. pink pills, or muscle mass vs. healthy skin, yeah, that’s sexist.
Toongrrl @ at 6:08 pm, September 14th, 2009
Okay, they’re pink/blue, they taste gross, and on top of all that boys get to have healthy muscles and girls clear skin. Very sexist. Whats wrong with weight lifting and retin-a?
Roisin @ at 7:26 pm, September 14th, 2009
Ah the age old blue for a boy pink for a girl nonsense. Who doesn’t get tired of that? Plus girls DO need magnesium and boys need vitamin a and c. It’s all just a marketing ploy that’s terribly wrong.
Brooke @ at 11:37 pm, September 15th, 2009
Commercials that deal with cleaning and diapers. They are always targeted at women. Like their are not stay at home dads or ones who clean? Do we live in the stone age?
brianna @ at 11:48 pm, September 15th, 2009
Are you kidding me? Seriously. It’s for healthy skin for girls because of their period so it helps with that. And guys do need muscle growth help. Some of the same muscle help ingrdients are in the female vitamins too. Calm down people. Stop taking everything like it’s sexist. And as for the blue pink thing. Get over it. That’s just the social norm. It means nothing. They are colors. If anything its good. Pink is fun and uplifting (and in ancient time only worn by royalty) and blue is sad and depressing. If anything guys should be mad. This isnt sexist. It’s real.
George @ at 5:54 am, September 16th, 2009
Get over it. Why aren’t moisturising creams always marketed towards girls? It goes both ways, stating you are a feminist for reasons like this is absurd. Sexism affects both genders
Alex Catgirl @ at 11:42 pm, September 16th, 2009
I guess there is more to the vitamin A&C thing for girl’s skin than I thought, this just came down the wire.
http://www.sciencecodex.com/acne_really_is_a_nightmare_for_some_teens
PS Eat your(more) fruits and vegetables
attack_laurel @ at 7:28 am, September 21st, 2009
The very first time I saw that ad, I started yelling at the TV. Girls need pretty skin, and boys need muscles. Riiiiiiiight.
*eye roll*
And LOL at the guys telling us to get over it. “Just the social norm” does not excuse it, it’s pointing out the social norms as hoplessly sexist that helps us build new and better social norms. But hey, don’t let me tip you from your male privilege pedestal.
Issy @ at 4:54 pm, September 22nd, 2009
One of my pet peeves is when feminists nitpick gender stereotyping and regard it with outrage when a simple ‘that’s silly and needs to change’ and some mild eye rolling will suffice. With all the genuinely infuriating things out there to focus on, gender specific vitamins isn’t the top of my list. Yes the packaging reinforces gender stereotypes but boys and girls have different nutritional needs. Is it (mildy) sexist? I guess. Is it worthy of the MALE PRIVILEGE PEDESTAL posturing going on? I mean yes, every little incident is important in it’s own way but there is such a thing a prioritizing. Picking on little things like vitamins undermines the larger issues and makes the feminism movement seems petty and small. I’m not saying let the little injustices slip through the crack but maybe spare some of the hand wringing lest you come off over dramatic and needlessly reactionary
Issy @ at 4:56 pm, September 22nd, 2009
And to forestall any UR A MALE PIG/MALE PIG SYMPATHIZER yes, I am a crazy liberal feminist myself
Ralph Quinlan Forde @ at 2:41 pm, September 24th, 2009
If you want natural vitamins and not sythetic chemical check out StarGate Nutrition.
Emily @ at 6:49 pm, October 16th, 2009
My favorite part of the advertisment has to be the “top health concerns of moms and teens,” line.
Because OF COURSE dads just don’t care about their kids health/ health concerns…
Kate @ at 5:42 pm, October 20th, 2009
Oh wow, yes! A few months ago I saw something similar advertised on the tube! I don’t remember exactly how it was phrased but it was basically for sport, hectic lifestyles etc. for men and for women it was for a feeling of ‘well being’ and something-else-that-is-probably-relevant-but-ive-completely forgotten it.
Silly comment I’m making but… this is one of those ‘ME TOO’ situations, so I had to post (: haha
skin lightening @ at 2:19 pm, June 11th, 2010
Thanks a lot for writing this information, I do not know about anybody else, but I could totally make use of it.
Mandy Cleverley @ at 5:35 am, June 12th, 2010
Great collection, some awesome designs here are truly inspirational.
firefly @ at 12:09 am, August 10th, 2010
Hey, I want strong muscles too!