ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
TIDE
A-Level Media Studies: Revision Guide - Tide Advert (Representation)
Key Areas of Representation to Consider:
● Representation of Women / Gender
● Representation of Housework / Cleaning / Laundry
● Representation of the Tide Brand
● Representation of Ethnicity
● Representation of Reality vs. Fantasy
1. Representation of the Woman / Gender:
● Appearance: The woman is shown in an idealised fashion.
○ Hair is curled and styled up with a headscarf, typical of 1950s fashion. This
style reflects what was fashionable at the time, seen on stars like Betty
Grable and Veronica Lake.
○ She wears a 'pretty looking blouse' with an apron.
○ She has a 'perfect face of makeup' (mascara, blusher, lipstick).
○ This idealisation creates an aspirational image for the audience, suggesting
that using Tide could make them 'as perfect as the people within the advert'.
○ The headscarf also represents practicality, keeping hair tidy for 'physical
work', suggesting women are 'practical and resourceful' for the 'difficult work...
in the home'.
● Body Language and Expression:
○ She is smiling and hugging the box of Tide.
○ This, along with the 'symbolic codes of the hearts above her face', signifies
that she (and 'women in general') love Tide and therefore love cleaning,
housework, and laundry.
○ These elements are intended to signify that women 'really enjoy doing
housework and laundry'.
● Positioning and Power:
○ The woman is framed in a large, dominant position in the foreground of
the poster. Your eye is 'clearly drawn to her'.
○ This represents women as being 'quite powerful and dominant'.
○ This was likely done because women were the target audience – they were
the ones doing the shopping. Showing women as powerful was intended to
be 'engaging to their target audience'.
, ● Intertextual Reference (Possible):
○ Some suggest the headscarf and the position of her arm could be an
intertextual reference to Rosie the Riveter.
○ This was a well-known wartime propaganda poster in Britain and America.
○ Seeing similarities might remind women of the wartime poster.
○ This could insinuate that buying Tide would empower them, be patriotic,
and desirable.
2. Representation of Housework / Cleaning:
● Housework is represented as something enjoyable and desirable.
● The slogan "Tides got what women want" reinforces the idea that being involved in
housework and domestic chores is what women desire.
● The advert presents a 'perfected, idealized fantasy version' of housework and the
lives of women. It avoids showing the 'general dingy reality' of laundry/cleaning.
3. Representation and Historical Context (1950s):
● The representations reflect the historical context of the 1950s.
● Women were commonly expected to be full-time mothers and wives at home, with
few working outside the home.
● The advert's portrayal of women enjoying housework aligns with this societal
expectation.
● The advert appeared after World War II. During the war, women had worked outside
the home, gaining 'a life outside of the home and freedom'.
● Upon returning home, many women became 'dissatisfied with their lives' and
resented chores.
● Advertisers like Procter & Gamble were eager to encourage women back into the
home and enjoy housework to 'resettle those established gender roles' from
before the war.
4. Representation and Media Theory:
● Liesbet van Zoonen's Feminist Theory:
○ The advert supports part of Van Zoonen's theory by representing women in a
'domestic fashion', reflecting traditional gender roles and 1950s perceptions.
○ However, it challenges another part of her theory: Van Zoonen suggests
women are often sexualised in the media, but this advert does not sexualise
women.
○ This lack of sexualisation reflects Van Zoonen's idea that representations
are 'contextually relevant'. Sexualising women was uncommon in the
1950s, becoming more prevalent in the 1960s. 1950s media favoured
representing women with 'more modest or with more family values'.
● bell hooks' Feminist Theory:
○ All the women shown are white.
TIDE
A-Level Media Studies: Revision Guide - Tide Advert (Representation)
Key Areas of Representation to Consider:
● Representation of Women / Gender
● Representation of Housework / Cleaning / Laundry
● Representation of the Tide Brand
● Representation of Ethnicity
● Representation of Reality vs. Fantasy
1. Representation of the Woman / Gender:
● Appearance: The woman is shown in an idealised fashion.
○ Hair is curled and styled up with a headscarf, typical of 1950s fashion. This
style reflects what was fashionable at the time, seen on stars like Betty
Grable and Veronica Lake.
○ She wears a 'pretty looking blouse' with an apron.
○ She has a 'perfect face of makeup' (mascara, blusher, lipstick).
○ This idealisation creates an aspirational image for the audience, suggesting
that using Tide could make them 'as perfect as the people within the advert'.
○ The headscarf also represents practicality, keeping hair tidy for 'physical
work', suggesting women are 'practical and resourceful' for the 'difficult work...
in the home'.
● Body Language and Expression:
○ She is smiling and hugging the box of Tide.
○ This, along with the 'symbolic codes of the hearts above her face', signifies
that she (and 'women in general') love Tide and therefore love cleaning,
housework, and laundry.
○ These elements are intended to signify that women 'really enjoy doing
housework and laundry'.
● Positioning and Power:
○ The woman is framed in a large, dominant position in the foreground of
the poster. Your eye is 'clearly drawn to her'.
○ This represents women as being 'quite powerful and dominant'.
○ This was likely done because women were the target audience – they were
the ones doing the shopping. Showing women as powerful was intended to
be 'engaging to their target audience'.
, ● Intertextual Reference (Possible):
○ Some suggest the headscarf and the position of her arm could be an
intertextual reference to Rosie the Riveter.
○ This was a well-known wartime propaganda poster in Britain and America.
○ Seeing similarities might remind women of the wartime poster.
○ This could insinuate that buying Tide would empower them, be patriotic,
and desirable.
2. Representation of Housework / Cleaning:
● Housework is represented as something enjoyable and desirable.
● The slogan "Tides got what women want" reinforces the idea that being involved in
housework and domestic chores is what women desire.
● The advert presents a 'perfected, idealized fantasy version' of housework and the
lives of women. It avoids showing the 'general dingy reality' of laundry/cleaning.
3. Representation and Historical Context (1950s):
● The representations reflect the historical context of the 1950s.
● Women were commonly expected to be full-time mothers and wives at home, with
few working outside the home.
● The advert's portrayal of women enjoying housework aligns with this societal
expectation.
● The advert appeared after World War II. During the war, women had worked outside
the home, gaining 'a life outside of the home and freedom'.
● Upon returning home, many women became 'dissatisfied with their lives' and
resented chores.
● Advertisers like Procter & Gamble were eager to encourage women back into the
home and enjoy housework to 'resettle those established gender roles' from
before the war.
4. Representation and Media Theory:
● Liesbet van Zoonen's Feminist Theory:
○ The advert supports part of Van Zoonen's theory by representing women in a
'domestic fashion', reflecting traditional gender roles and 1950s perceptions.
○ However, it challenges another part of her theory: Van Zoonen suggests
women are often sexualised in the media, but this advert does not sexualise
women.
○ This lack of sexualisation reflects Van Zoonen's idea that representations
are 'contextually relevant'. Sexualising women was uncommon in the
1950s, becoming more prevalent in the 1960s. 1950s media favoured
representing women with 'more modest or with more family values'.
● bell hooks' Feminist Theory:
○ All the women shown are white.
