This is an advertisement of “ Bed Bath & Beyond.” In this advertisement, we can see that a woman is cooking various cuisines simultaneously with different tools. These tools are the products of Bed Bath & Beyond, and the advertisement claims that those products can help when housewives need a hand with home entertainment. This advertisement, similar to its counterparts, aims at promoting its products and attract more potential customers- housewives who love cooking. However, it conveys an interesting message. When it comes to advertisements about domestic products, people tend to use women as their products’ icon. Why are women always expected to stay at home and take care all houseworks?

We can say that there is still a gender stereotype in our modern society. In the past, various traditional cultures expected that women should stay at home and take care of family affairs, while men should be responsible for earning income. Even in Europe and America, where people viewed as more open-minded, women in the past still could not voice their opinions in public. As time goes by, even though our civilization keep improving, gender stereotype still exist. For example, even though nowadays females are more educated than males, a large proportion of managers and chief executives is still men. Many women usually encounter sexual discrimination in their workplaces. Many sociologist view this as “ glass ceiling,” which means that the traditional view that women should stay at home hinder their career life.

One more important point is that people always consider houseworks as feminism. Some people, especially in Asian society, believe that if a man performs domestic works, which they view as girlish and simple , it means that they are powerless. This traditional value, in fact, makes many women look inferior in society and their families. Therefore, even though our society advocates the importance of gender equality, many women are expected to be responsible for all housework, similar to what the woman does in the advertisement. This unfair expectation, in fact, is like a prison, which limits women’s freedom to pursue their own goals and dreams.

In the first advertisement, I realize that it conveys a message that promote gender inequality. As a female, I strongly believe that such stereotype should not exist. Otherwise, it will definitely underestimate females and hinder the society’s development. Therefore, I decide to make some changes on the original version so as to promote the idea of gender equality.

In the new version, a man is cooperating with a woman to make a desert. We can see that they are both in a  positive emotion, which means that they work well with each other. This example demonstrates that men actually can do what women do. We should not confine women and men in a particular field and limit their freedom to do what they want to do. Otherwise, it is not fair to them and even harm their relationships. If men can become more considerate and give a helping hand to their wives when it comes to housework, it will indeed ease their workload, and they may have more time to take care of their children as well.

         In my opinion, those advertisements of domestic products should not only use women as icons because these promotions act like a propaganda of masculinism. People can try to use some images that men and women work together to perform houseworks. As we know, media does have a lot of influence on the social norm. If advertisers help promote the importance of gender equality, I believe that a more civilized society will come.