Diet Coke and the 'Gaze'

The Male Gaze seems to be the default position of advertising - watch television for more than ten minutes and you can guarantee that a scantily clad woman will be used to sell you a car, beer or even trainers. The Reebok EasyTone advert (click here to see on youtube) is a perfect example of the way women are objectified and sexualised in the media. Although the male gaze is clearly in effect here, the advert is actually aimed at women and therefore plays on the fact that if you buy these trainers, you will become instantly attractive. It could be argued that Reebok are trying to create insecurities within women in order to sell their products. By making the viewer believe they do not fit the 'correct' body type, this perpetuates the myth that a woman is only attractive if she is a particular size. The advert says you can “discover up to 28% more of a workout for your butt…so 88% of men will be speechless, 76% of women jealous." The suggestion here is that women should work out purely to look good for men and be better than other women.

Despite this, most advertisers consider the demographics of their audience, and when the product is pointedly aimed at women, the female gaze does occasionally get a look-in. Diet Coke is one of the brands that picked up on this with their famous 'Diet Coke break' campaign which featured a series of attractive men being watched by a group of career women. In 1994 the first 'hunk' advert was broadcast and a man was viewed purely as an object. In 2007, the campaign changed but now it's back! Re-branding themselves for their 30th anniversary, Diet Coke have introduced a new 'hunk' with a trailer which features the strapline: “He’s back. 11:30 am. 28.01.13.” The teaser for the advert was posted on both the Facebook and Youtube pages for the brand and was circulated quickly, showing the power of social media.

There's no doubt that this campaign will be very successful, but what is your opinion of the 'female gaze?' Does it really exist throughout advertising and media? Or does the popularity of this single campaign suggest that the female gaze is still not widely acknowledged? As mentioned earlier, the male gaze still seems to be the 'default'. Why is this?

"It is not about the Diet Coke man being an object, it is not a voyeur thing, it is about cultural change, women being equal to men and you can see that," said Olivier Geyer, Diet Coke director for north-west Europe and the nordic region.

"We wanted to celebrate not just the brand, but also the women who have been with us for 30 years. We have tried to make sure it is not the past but a very contemporary execution. [It] showcases female empowerment and camaraderie."

What are your thoughts?*

*If you're unsure of exactly what the Male Gaze is, or who Laura Mulvey is, then have a read of this blog and it should refresh your memory!