Having it His Way – Masculinity in Fast-food Advertisement

In Having it His Way, Freeman and Merskin reveal their studies associating fast-food advertisements with masculinity and the surpression of femininity. They state that they “unpack the connotative meanings within these commercials in order to tell us what they mean about masculine identity and values in America.” They also inform us that their roles as feminists and vegetarians may influence their view and what they say, as bias is almost always observable in academic writing because it is human nature. Their assertions that fast-food ads associate meat with dominance and masculinity and associate healthy, plant-based options with femininity are truthful in the scope they are viewed from. In the previous generation, this was definitely the case and that aspect can be seen in other various industries besides just fast-food. Throughout history, women have been sexualized by men and they have been represented as objects for a man’s dominance in most societies. Although, in the past few decades, society as a whole has made strides away from that and now sees both genders as equal regardless of physical difference. While some people’s views are still patriarchal, I believe society will eventually reach a truly equal state so that dominant misrepresentation, like these advertisements, will no longer take place. Healthy food options are just as good as, and in fact, sometimes better than, meat choices at fast-food restaurants. This is also true in longer-prepared meals, not only fast-food. As our society moves away from this patriarchal view regarding social status and relationship roles, we begin to see better representation of women and more equal value in healthy foods in comparison to the previously masculine meats. As shown below, a McDonald’s commercial from 2013 for their Fish McBites is not gendered and solely represents the food being introduced to their menu, rather than older commercials relating their food to masculinity.