On October 15, 2017 actress Alyssa Milano ignited a revolution with a 15-word tweet: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet”. What followed was a slew of high profile women and men publicly outing influential celebrities for their exploitative actions. October 18th, Lawrence Nassar, medical advisor for the Olympic Women’s Gymnastics team was outed for exploiting young gymnasts. October 29th, actor Kevin Spacey was revealed to have made advances on a 14-year-old boy. November 9th, Senate nominee Roy Moore’s history of exploiting underage girls came to light. November 10th, Louis C.K.. November 29th, Matt Lauer. November 30th, Garrison Kielior. The list continues. As women (and men) finally had the platform to speak out as silenced victims of sexual assault, untouchable figures with enough influence to live in a protected bubble finally fell from grace. As they hit the ground, their shockwaves inspired the trend of non-tolerance, as women began to speak out about their treatment. Workplaces were now facing viable lawsuits against employers with misconduct acts that are just becoming valid after years of compliance.
This movement started with a realization: #TimesUp. From there the masses grew, and an ocean of individuals cried out, releasing their voice after years of silence, bouncing off their universality with the phrase #Metoo. These mistreatments were all coming to light in an incredibly short period of time-the entire movement picked up in early 2017 and while it has died down indirect relevance, the implications are still prevalent. Ads that were incredibly popular even in the early-mid 2010’s are rewatched with horror as viewers now have the social and political exposure to recognize the faint but obvious cases of over-sexualization, racial microaggressions, and general prejudice that is buried deep within these marketing props.
A prime example of this is the 2014 Super Bowl “#Upforwhatever Bud Light commercial. The ad follows a young man unknowingly surrounded by actors and actresses as they accompany him on a booze-fueled fantasy night. Traveling in a flashy red limo that houses a DJ and scantily dressed women, the man travels to a massive party that consists solely of female twins. Riding up an elevator with a llama, he finds himself playing ping-pong with the infamous Arnold Schwarzenegger. The randomness continues as the ploy closes with a pop-up concert. While this ad may seem to harmlessly play the absurdity card in the name of comedy, a deeper analysis in the context of the #MeToo era shows a much darker message of alcohol-fueled sexual exploitation.
The opening shot of the ad begins with a traditionally attractive woman (an actress) approaching the protagonist and asking “If I give you this are you up for whatever happens next?” as she holds up a Bud Light. The body language of the woman–the way in which she leans forward, hushes her voice–obviously attempts to seduce the man whilst holding up alcohol makes an educated viewer uncomfortable. During the #Metoo movement, the allegations being shared were not only that of women; the protests also brought awareness to men who are usually left without any support following a sexual assault case. Therefore, the obvious sexual coercion within the displayed interaction seems like an immediate red flag for those who are aware of this movement and the general fact that men can be victims of sexual assault as well. If the roles were reversed, and a man were to invade the space of a woman, offering her alcohol on the condition that she is “Up for whatever” it is seen as obviously problematic to the general population, yet, that same level of awareness should be used regardless of gender.
An even broader issue present within the scene is the implications of the central slogan “#Upforwhatever.” This phrase, paired with the fact that the product being advertised is alcohol, results in a questionable argument that alcohol is needed to solve the general exigence of the commercial: that individuals need to have a more “go-with-the-flow” attitude in order to have a good time, and that alcohol is needed for this.
As the commercial progresses, we see the woman lead the protagonist into a flashy red limo where they are met with more women, along with a DJ. Each of the woman in the limo are white, thin, traditionally attractive, and hold a supportive role in which they laugh at various jokes, take pictures, and obsess over the main protagonist. There are two main issues with this: firstly, there is a complete lack of diversity within the women. It is incredibly obvious that the protagonist is assumed to be straight, as each woman he has interacted with throughout the advertisement has been instructed to act in a seductive manner or to dress as such. However, not only is this an issue within itself but the lack of diversity within the actresses whose sole purpose was to add to the sexual appeal of the advertisement points toward the limited models of beauty within advertisement. Traditionally attractive women in media must be thin, white, have glossy straight hair, and act in an overly simplified and feminine manner; the women in this particular ad conform to this perfectly. Not only is this problematic for the majority of women who do not fall into this criteria, but it also creates a supportive and inferior role for women.
When the limo scene finally comes to an end, the protagonist finds himself playing ping pong with Arnold Schwarzenegger: the figurehead of traditional masculinity. As he plays ping pong, Schwarzenegger states “not a bad shot for my little princess” which continues the division between gender roles, and uses a demeaning tone that argues that females are innately bad at the game. This once again ties into the traditional role of females not participating in sports due to their femininity, but in fact, act as support on the sidelines (a blonde woman can be seen cheering the men on during the ping-pong scene). While this isn’t a direct jab as sexual assault nor alcohol, it reveals bias within those who created the ad: proving that their subconscious believes that feminine roles are inferior to those of men. This assumed male superiority often leads to sexual assault, as men presume they may be entitled to more than they truly are.
Overall, the commercial is structured to appeal to the classic, young, straight, white man, and urges the audience to have a much more “fun-loving”, “loose” attitude through the influence of their alcoholic product and slogan “#Upforwhatever”. While this may be the intended message what that truly comes off to the viewers is a twisted portrayal of women, paired with the sentiment that alcohol may be used as a catalyst for sexual assault. RAINN reported that 57% of perpetrators within rape cases are white, 34% involved intoxication of the perpetrator, and in 96% of the cases, the victim is a female. Each of these relate to the indirect message that this advertisement shows, and whether it is unknowingly or not, the “fantasy” that the perpetrator is living in results in an idolization of him that may be unhealthy to other viewers (specifically white, young, individuals who may believe they are entitled to more than they are). To women, the message of exclusivity is similar, as it argues that as a thin, white, “attractive” women, worth is found through supporting men and embracing roles of femininity and sexuality. To all other women, who don’t happen to be white, or wear a size 0, the message is that they are simply so unworthy of the product, and therefore the “good time” that it promises, that they are not displayed whatsoever.
As a society, we have come incredibly far in the short time that this advertisement has been aired. Directly after the airing of the ad, there was little-to-no backlash, and Bud Light even tweeted “On #St Patrick’s Day, you can pinch people who don’t wear green. You can also pinch people who aren’t#UpForWhatever.” This alludes to punishing those who simply say “no”- both women in a sexual context, but even those who abstain from drinking. No one recognized the magnitude of this indirect message, and Bud Light continued marketing their problematic sentiment. Now, we can widely accept and recognize that media such as this is harmful to diversity, the mindsets of women, and exploitation due to the influence of alcohol. To maintain the progress that we have made it is crucial that we refuse to accept media such as this particular advertisement from being shown, and instead, fight for equity of representation, roles, and power within media.
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