Illustrations by Anthony Zinonos

Any casual Mad Men viewer is familiar with the deeply misogynistic roots of the advertising industry. Today, the image of the helpless housewife may have been supplanted by the perfect mum, but gender stereotypes remain. Unfortunately this kind of sexist advertising all too often slips under the radar as cultural background noise.

But this wasn’t the case at the Super Bowl in 2012. During the event, which sees many viewers tune in more for the advertising than for the game itself, a group called Miss Representation decided to show corporate America that feminists are everywhere,and that they vote with their dollars. The group encouraged viewers to post the hashtag #NotBuyingIt on social media platforms any time they wanted to talk back to a sexist ad. This created an embarrassment for brands such as Fiat, which aired an ad equating cars with sexy women, and GoDaddy, the domain registrar that had become known for the particularly flagrant use of busty, bikini-clad ‘babes’.

Thanks to social media, people have a voice to express their expectations that they want to see faces and bodies like theirs in visual culture

Encouraged by its success, in 2014 Miss Representation broadened its mission to become The Representation Project, and launched a #NotBuyingIt app. As the Super Bowl approached, digital feminists stood ready to take brands to task for the usual objectification and hypocrisy. But while a few sexist ads did air, commentators noted that they seemed less overt than in the past. GoDaddy turned the tables on its earlier campaigns, showing a pack of male bodybuilders converging on a salon owned by a professional woman armed with a spray-tan gun. Were brands finally getting the message?

Gender Positive

Super Bowl 2014 was far from a definitive break from sexism, and despite its coy attempt at objectifying men, the GoDaddy ad still came in for its share of feminist criticism. But brands did seem to be recognising that football doesn’t necessarily mean frat boys. Indeed, Nielsen demographic data shows that 46% of Super Bowl viewers are female. More women watch this macho sporting event than the Grammys, Oscars and Emmys combined. At $4m for a 30-second spot, how can brands continue to justify alienating half their potential customers?