Jae's Beer Commercial's Post

“Beer and alcohol advertising construct a “desirable lifestyle” in relation to contemporary social conditions, including shifts and tensions in the broader gender order” (Messner, Montez de Oca, pg.2). Beer and alcohol are gender towards males. Evidence of this is when we see a beer commercial during sports events such as the super bowl. Therefore posing that beer and alcohol is just another way to prove a males homosexuality. Further more beer has become more and more for the “working-class male”. Women are virtually non existent in these ads unless they are a “prop” or serving the drink. It is interesting how closely related beer and sports are. It is as if beer and sports cannot be separated. Both seem to promote how society views masculinity should be. In the years beer and alcohol has become more about leisure just for fun and less about work. Today many individuals drink for the fun of drinking especially around friends. Being in college I do see however many students say that after a long week of classes all they want to do is drink and most are male.

Beer ads have become sexualized. If you look at beer ads today you will see sexy women, a group of men, a beer, and some kind of sexy fantasy setting. The essay says that there are four themes: losers, buddies, hotties, and bitches. Beer and alcohol unlike women are always there for men. Alcohol also opens the for psychical intimacy with a woman for men. The beverages allow men to loosen up and be more impulsive then they normally would be sober. Further more the men never seem to stick to one woman therefore avoiding commitment to one woman. However in some cases all a group of men needs is their beer or alcohol to have a good time without any women. Especially in sports events such as the super bowl it will usually be “the boys, a six pack, and a big flat screen T.V.”.

The most interesting thing about beer commercials to me is the role of women as the girl that a guy cannot get without consumption of beer. Women are depicted as harsh and scary creatures that bring down a man's confidence. It is mainly the buddies of the gut trying to get that girl that say have a beer and go get her. Hinting that drinking beer can raise the confidence of a man enough to go get the girl. I remember being at a party with a friend of mine. My friend wanted to talk to this guy but she was to shy so she took a shot and decided she was ready to go talk to him. Beer and alcohol is seen as a confidence booster and even more than time a good time maker. My friends back home can never have a good time without drinking and almost never do.