Pop Culture Artifact: Bacardi's Ugly Friend Ad Campaign
Alcohol ads are noted for their misogyny, from simple objectification to actively implying violence toward women. However, these ads are generally targeted at male audiences, designed to engage the male gaze. The Bacardi Breezers "Ugly Friend" ad campaign targeted women, specifically women's insecurities about their physical appearance, using stereotypes of behavior to sell product. Published on the web in 2009, the ad campaign featured an interactive website that allowed women to choose their "ugly friend" for various situations, read stats about the friend, and even comment on Facebook pages created for them. It was located through searching for alcohol advertisements, due to the highly sexist and frequently controversial nature of alcohol ads. Given the prevalence of alcohol use in American culture, the way in which it is sold is highly telling as to the ways in which advertisements target their markets. This ad campaign is a very clear example of the ways in which sexism and gender role are reinforced in everyday life.
Encouraging women to get an "ugly friend" operates on the idea that women are inherently insecure about their looks. It emphasizes the fact that women continually need and want to improve n themselves, to look better, thinner, and more stylish. The "friends" each play on a specific insecurity, some major, some incredibly minor from Lucy, who is overweight, to Daisy, who has bad eyebrows. No flaw is too small to be commented on,...
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