Gender-specific Food Advertising

In our culture, even television advertising is an agent of socialization. Companies market their products to specific demographics, and aim to create a sense of "need" that goes even beyond the primary function of the product -- in this case, food the the eating of it.

Consider this commercial for Kellogg's Special K cereal, in which it is suggested that a woman's worth lies in her weight (which should be low) and her shape (which should be trim):

Here is a Special K commercial that aired in Australia in the 1990s. The central message is essentially the same:

Messages in cereal advertising for men have noticeable differences. Consider this 1989 Wheaties commercial featuring Michael Jordan. This commercial places a greater focus on the importance of building a strong body through good nutrition:

Looking at the nutritional labels of each product, it is interesting to note that Special K, with its implied promise to help women become thinner, actually has more calories per 1 cup serving than Wheaties, and more protein. Wheaties, with its images of athletic, strong male sports figures, has only 3.0 g of protein per 1 cup serving. A 1 cup serving of Special K has twice that much protein!

Today's recipe is for homemade granola and carries no gender bias. Alton Brown has a good recipe on this link.