GRSJ 300 Culture Jam Assignment
Amir Khan (SN: 12642161)
The Original Burger King Advertisement
In 2009, Burger King released an ad to promote their newest burger and sway customers over from its competitors. “Sex sells” so often we hear that as a justification for objectifying women in advertisements. The fast-food industry is highly competitive and saturated with numerous options all of whom are fighting for consumers money.
In the original version of the ad, Burger King is obviously attempting to display an attention-grabbing ad in what resembles a woman opening her mouth wide but with a twist. The twist is she is taking in the “BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER” the name they’ve selected is controversial. The sandwich is portrayed as so big that “it’ll blow your mind” the word “blow” is clearly a reference to a common slang for oral sex. Relying on wordplay to depict oral sex to grab the reader’s attention for long enough that they notice the price point. In hopes of convincing the observer they are getting value for their money.
They are clearly trying to substitute a man’s penis and utilize society’s obsession with penis size with the belief that “the bigger the better”. This is evident from the name they have selected for their burger and the woman’s mouth is opened in a circular shape whereas the burger has a triangular shape. The ad further objectifies the woman in question with the following paragraph stating “fill your desire for something long” and “juicy” followed with you will “yearn for more”. I highly doubt they are still referring to their burger. By attempting to get creative they ended up creating a controversial ad that is objectifying, demeaning and degrading women. It becomes evident they are relying on sex to sell their latest offering possibly because the demographic they are targeting is specifically men between the ages of 13-30.
My Jammed Version of The Burger King Advertisement
My thinking behind the jammed version was to isolate the most controversial aspects of the advertisement. I got rid of the burger’s image to point out just how absurd and sexist the core of the advertisement actually is. My idea was to bring out the actual meaning of the ad and highlight the core of the image that is loaded with sexual metaphors that are offensive to women. Without the burger, the image shows a surprised woman who looks eager. Just shows how absurd the meaning becomes with a slight modification.
Moreover, I came across articles where the woman in question had no idea this was the intended use for her image arguing this constituted rape as it was non-consensual. Leading to an important question about what consent really is? And when is it necessary to ask for it again? As a society we have honestly become desensitized to misogyny and degradation of women it is prevalent in advertisement, music and wherever we look.
In regards to the title, I did away with “mind” to highlight how much the meaning changes when the burger and a single word is removed. Honestly, it becomes hard to tell if the burger is being advertised or the woman. Bringing to light why this was considered a controversial ad. This is not the first ad to objectify women and unfortunately will not be the last. The original ad was in no way subtle and in comparison the jammed version essentially without the context the woman has been relegated to merely an object. As an ad, you would think the purpose would be to draw attention to the latest offering but unfortunately, the emphasis missed the mark. In a time when sexual stereotypes and rape culture is prevalent in our society placing heavy emphasis on sex is problematic and my intention was to highlight that.
References
Nudd. (2014, August 07). Unwitting Star of Burger King’s ‘Blow Job Ad’ Finally Lashes Out at the Company. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from https://www.adweek.com/creativity/unwitting-star-burger-kings-blow-job-ad-finally-lashes-out-company-159347/