Tag Archives: Gender Norms

Ford’s Speed Dating Breaks Gender Norms

Posted on by
3

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nyr1Ao7iZA[/youtube]

This Valentine’s Day, instead of breaking hearts, Ford is breaking gender norms with their ad titled “Speed Dating”. In their ad, Ford recruits a professional female stunt driver to go on a series of blind dates with unsuspecting men.

While on the date, the stunt driver offers to give her dates a lift in her new 2015 Mustang. Upon first entering the car, her dates clearly pull from the stereotype that “women can’t drive”. Her dates make comments such as, “Should I drive?”, “I could show you a thing or two”, and a few even instruct her on when to switch gears. Little do they know they are in for a big surprise.

During the drive, the stunt driver tries to “turn around” in an empty parking lot. However, instead of turning around she puts the pedal to the metal and reaches speeds of 120mph while doing a series of doughnuts. The guys are clearly surprised at their date’s capabilities and feel that they had wrongly stereotyped her.

Ford is showing the world this Valentine’s Day that women can break out of their gender boxes.

Breaking the Box

Posted on by
10

I am sure we have all experienced something along the lines much like the people in the PSA with not being in your “correct” gender norms.  For example I knew many girls in high school that played softball but many others thought that was not a sport women should play.  Another example is being in a situation when you tell a young boy not to be a “wimp”.  We have all done it, but we are all more aware of the implications it can have later on.

In class we have been going over the idea of gender boxes in which the society around us puts us in.  However, I do not think that people outside of taking a gender class realize this.  I did a basic google search about breaking the gender norms and stumbled upon this wonderful PSA.  Both men and women have these ideas of what society wants us to be, but it is up to us in order to break them.  This video is a great example of the “Act Like a Man” Box others are always challenging each other or putting one another down and testing our own boxes.

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2GIu5ZpnTM[/youtube]