Stereotypes in Ads

When one watches as much TV as I do, it's impossibly to avoid the constant advertisements being thrown my way. Usually I don't pay much attention to them, I'll flip the channel, check my facebook, or hit the restroom. I have however noticed that no matter how far we've come in gender equality, there are still ads that can't seem to get around it. I find that most ads for things such as dishwashing soap, cleaning supplies, and kitchen appliance almost always feature women. They are portrayed in the typical woman of the house, apron and all. Men are seen in most beer commercials, and lawn care commercials. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but by showing these images we are only instilling these ideas in younger generations. I think it's important for the media to show genders in varies roles because that's how the real world operates. I would even go so far as to have a homosexual couple star in commercials as well. Many people don't realize how powerful advertising is, and that by using these images future generations will learn that these things are perfectly normal. I found this McDonalds commercial from Europe and I can only hope that someday more ads like these will be aired. Gender stereotypes should be a thing of the past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBuKuA9nHsw