Discussion #6: Gendered Messages in Personal Care Products

Discussion #6: Gendered Messages in Personal Care Products

 Analyzing Gender through Personal Care Products

When many people shop, the products and the types of products that are available to consumers can feel overwhelming. Just in the last few years, the beauty and personal care industries have created many new products to market and sell to American consumers. For this assignment, you will analyze how these products are gendered, in that they create or reinforce societal ideas regarding what is appropriate for men and women. Please make sure that you have read Chapter 8 before starting this assignment and watched Katie Couric's "Gender Revolution".

Please got to a website that sells personal care products for both men and women (i.e. shampoo, deodorant, shaving stuff, soap, toothbrushes, etc). This can include Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, or another store that you think is appropriate.

• Look at the different beauty and personal care products. What do you notice? Are there products marketed to women only and men only or products that seem gender neutral. Are the same types of products available to men and women? Are these products the same or different?
• Pay attention to the packaging and to the packages themselves. What messages do these packages give about what it means to be a woman or a man in today’s society?
• Are there products that challenge gender stereotypes?
• Are there products that are gendered, but really don’t need to be?

Take notes on what you observe from the statements above.

For this Discussion, please submit the following:

- Write an analysis of your findings based on the notes you took while searching the website and from the questions above. Please make sure to include details of the products, images, or messages that you observed.

Requirements for this Discussion:

- Provide a written analysis with at least 200 words.

- You will need to reply to two students, each reply post should be at least 150 words.  

Please submit your discussion post by May 4th and two replies by May 17th.

To submit a post: Click reply to this assignment then compose and submit your post. Once you click "post reply" all students in the class will be able to read your post

To submit a reply to a student: Go to the post that a student has submitted and click reply. Compose your reply and submit. All students in the class will be able to read your reply.