Reading the play A Streetcar Named Desire, I instantly noticed the gender stereotyping that Tennessee Williams brings to light in each of the characters, and became interested in how this relates to gender stereotypes in advertisements today. We discussed advertisements at length during The Great Gatsby lectures, but did not touch upon them related to Streetcar. The stereotypes that the play demonstrates may seem outdated and outrageous to us, since there is a much wider range of acceptance in society, but they are actually reinforced by the many ads that we see every day.
The cliché stereotype that seems to be inherently drilled into our minds by society is that men are tough, powerful and violent, while women are sensitive, obedient and vulnerable. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley Kowalski fits this male stereotype perfectly. He deliberately hurts his pregnant wife (Williams 57), has a threatening disposition throughout the entire novel, and even goes so far as to shout “I am the king around here, so don’t forget it!” (Williams 116). The women of the novel also fit into the expected gender roles, particularly Stella. Stella is extremely obedient, going back to Stanley every time he controls her or hurts her, both physically and emotionally. Stella is also sensitive and becomes vulnerable when she cares for someone; one way she shows this is by worrying over her sister when she is taken away: “What have I done to my sister? Oh God, what have I done to my sister?” (Williams 152).
It’s safe to assume that when reading the story, nobody wants to be exactly like Stanley or exactly like Stella. So why do present day advertisements support the stereotypes these characters embody? For example, I’m sure you’ve seen the ads that show a macho shirtless man praising his truck, reinforcing the idea that men must be rugged and tough; or the deodorant commercials that accuse any man who doesn’t wear that brand of being feminine, and therefore weak and unfortunate. There are also countless commercials that feature “tough” men drinking beer and trying to pick up desirable women. It’s not just male stereotypes being perpetuated though, for there are far more ads that try to define how women should function within society.
I’ve seen innumerable ads for cleaning products such as dish soap or laundry detergent, and every single one shows a women doing the dishes, laundry, or cooking. In many families, both the male and female share in the housework, but these sorts of commercials allow the image of the woman to be associated with all things domestic. As for younger girls, ads for dolls such as Barbie show a pink, sweet world in which women are simply sweet, pretty, and obsessed with all things material. Makeup and weight loss commercials feature perfect women that preserve an obsession with beauty, just like Blanche in Streetcar.
Modern advertisements create and strengthen certain stereotypes that are particularly sexist and archaic; the characters in A Streetcar named Desire seem to do the exact same thing. This play relates to the advertisements we see today because it forces that domestic and weak image upon women and it forces a strong and controlling image upon men. Maybe we should all take a hint from the unfortunate ending scenes of the play and realize that gender stereotyping leads to unhappiness for everyone.
-Emily R.
Some examples of advertisements with gender stereotyping:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=235nsrbx558
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXKiXjbyqUs
Sources
“Gender Stereotyping in Ads.” The Kojo Nnamdi Show. N.p., 02 2 2012. Web.
Williams, Tennessee. “A Streetcar Named Desire.” J. Hampton. Web.
American Lit 309 Fall 13 
Well articulated argument, Emily. I agree that advertising often strengthens sexual stereotypes; however–just to play devil’s advocate–I’m not quite sure that they create them, but merely distribute the existing stereotypes. For instance, a couple of weeks ago I watched this news report that explained how different companies associated with food have begun to package their products with a more masculine bent due to the fact that more men were doing cooking nowadays than they had been doing in the past. The whole reason that advertisers do this is to appeal to the consumer, and, thereby, sell more products. So, if presenting their products with an added air of masculinity allows them to sell more products, doesn’t it make economic sense on the part of the advertisers to do so? I find the fact that appealing to sexual stereotypes increases sales more alarming than the advertisers engaging in it, because it means that the sexual stereotyping found in advertising is a symptom of a much larger social condition. Advertisers wouldn’t appeal to sexual stereotypes if they didn’t believe that they produce a positive sales effect in relation to the item they are advertising. I hope this comment doesn’t come across as though I’m advocating this type of advertising–I’m not–just pointing out a different perspective.
Hey Emily,
Well formulated blog post. I especially liked your comparison’s of gender stereotyping in A Streetcar Named Desire to modern advertisements. By doing so, you show just how relevant this play is today, regardless of the fact that it was written over 50 years ago. It also shows how gender stereotyping is just as big of a problem today as it was in the 30’s and 40’s, and also shows the negative implications that come along with gender stereotyping. However, I do agree with Aiden though. I believe that modern advertisements are merely showing pre-existing gender stereotypes, not creating them though. Either way, this is still a very well-written post.
Hi Emily,
I really respect that you chose to write on this topic. I am currently in a gender and women’s studies class and we talk about this topic quite often. It appears as if a product that would be commonly appreciated by a male shows them being strong and powerful, and the same goes for women. Just like the Old Spice ad you included at the end, while it says “your man could smell like this” a man that watches it would want a woman to want him that way. It is a complete gender catch 22! I do agree though with the comments by Aiden and Cody that these ads are just playing into stereotypes that have already been created, and not creating them on their own. But all around a very interesting topic!
Hi Emily,
I really liked your choice on the topic you have written on. As a woman, I can easily relate to the gender stereo type of women and the societal expectations. I see also in commercials that it is the men and children that make the mess and the woman is the one expected to clean up. But, I also think that Aiden posts a very good question on gender roles and how they are changing. And also I wonder why these commercials work and are able to sell these products if they seem to be stereotyping the gender roles within. So I do agree with Samantha, Cody and Aiden that maybe these ads are using stereotypes that are already created and accepted.