Write an essay that responds to: In “Men’s Men and Women’s Women” Steve Craig makes the provocative claim that “advertisers seem quite willing to manipulate … fantasies and exploit our anxieties, especially those concerning our gender identities.” One advertising executive, Stan Hope, disagrees. He claims that “Craig is way out of line when he accuses advertisers of manipulating consumers. The ads he describes are just light-hearted stories designed to entertain, rather than exploit. In any case, consumers are way too smart to be so easily manipulated.” Do you agree, disagree, or partly agree with Hope’s criticism of Steve Craig? When you write, remember to briefly introduce your imaginary reader to the article, author, and critic (Stan Hope) in the opening paragraph. Establish your thesis at the end of the paragraph: Do you agree with Hope’s Criticism of Craig? Then, develop body paragraphs that discuss more fully Craig’s idea of gendered commercials. Use the commercial you wrote about in your journal and the open forum to support your thesis overall. Below is a sample outline you can use for the essay on Steve Craig’s “Men’s Men, Women’s Women.” I Introductory Paragraph (about 7 sentences) Introduce readers to the author, title and big idea of the text. Big idea: gendered commercials rely on stereotypical representations of men and women (Here you can support the big idea with the quote from Craig used in the essay prompt) Introduce the critic Stan Hope. What does he say? (Here too you can use part of the quote from Hope cited in the prompt) Thesis statement: respond to Hope’s criticism of Craig. What do you think? II Body (1-2 Paragraphs) Summarize the idea of demographic targeting (pages 273-274) Summarize Craig’s Four Types of Gendered Commercial (page 274-275) Support with quotes Remind readers of your thesis when you can III Body (1-2 Paragraphs) Choose one of the four examples Craig provides (I suggest you choose the example that best aligns with the commercial you chose to analyze in your journal entry) I choose the Nike ad campaign commercial Summarize the example and Craig’s analysis of it Support with quotes Remind readers of your thesis when you can IV Body (2 Paragraphs) Give your own example of a gendered commercial. What product are they marketing? Who is the intended audience? Which of Craig’s four types of gendered commercial does your ad reflect? Draw conclusions about the commercial. Does it rely on gender stereotypes? Remind readers of your thesis when you can V. Conclusion (1 Paragraph) Make a concluding point about your thesis (consider connecting to the concept of patriarchy here and in the body) Here are some points to consider: • When you write, remember to briefly introduce your imaginary reader to the article, author, and critic (Stan Hope) in the opening paragraph. • Establish your thesis at the end of the paragraph: Do you agree with Hope’s Criticism of Craig? • Then, develop body paragraphs that discuss more fully Craig’s idea of gendered commercials.
