Tide

• The main things that could be represented in Tide are: representation of women, representation of gender, representation of housework/cleaning, representation of the Tide brand
• The woman has her hair up in curls with a headscarf, wearing a pretty blouse and apron, with a perfect face of makeup - this represents an idealized, aspirational image of women
• The woman's dress code reflects 1950s fashion, with hairstyles like Betty Grable and Veronica Lake, which was practical for doing housework
• The woman is smiling and hugging the box of Tide, representing women as loving cleaning, housework and laundry
• The symbolic codes of the hearts above the woman's face, along with her facial expression and body language, signify that women enjoy doing housework and laundry
• The representation of women enjoying housework reflects the historical context of the 1950s, when women were often expected to be full-time mothers and wives
• The large slogan "Tide's got what women want" suggests that women want to be involved in housework and domestic chores
• The woman is framed in a large, dominant position, representing women as powerful and dominant
• The headscarf and arm position of the woman may be an intertextual reference to the Rosie the Riveter wartime propaganda poster, which could have reminded women of their wartime empowerment
• The advert challenges part of Goffman's theory that women are often sexualized in the media, as this advert does not sexualize women
• The fact that the advert is entirely illustrated, rather than a photograph, takes away from the realism and makes it easier to manipulate the representation
• The comic strip in the bottom right adds to the fantasy, children's story-like feel of the advert
• The unreal, idealized representations were likely used to entice women back into the home and domestic roles after the war, and to provide a positive, aspirational fantasy for audiences
• The majority of people in charge of advertising and media in the 1950s were men, so the representations may have failed to show women's true dissatisfaction with housework
• The all-white representation of women in the advert may reflect colonialist ideas and a lack of diversity, as per hooks' and Gilroy's theories
• Female audiences may have learned about female identity and behaviour from the representations in the advert, as per Gauntlett and van Zoonen's theories
• Target audience of Tide

  • Female, predominantly 18-40 years old
• In the 1950s, the target audience would have been white women who were housewives and had their own families
• The advert is likely targeted at predominantly American audiences, but would also have appeal to women in other post-war Allied countries like Britain
• How Tide appeals to the target audience

  • Use of beautiful, aspirational female characters
  • Use of direct address and language like "women"
  • Intertextual reference to Rosie the Riveter wartime poster
  • Reflecting 1950s fashion and hairstyles
  • Inclusion of domestic items like washing machine and children's clothes
  • Endorsement from Good Housekeeping magazine
• Some audiences may have reacted in a more negotiated or oppositional way to the advert


  Feminists and modern audiences may see it as sexist and old-fashioned
• Audience theory that could be applied

  • Gerbner's cultivation theory - repeated messages may cultivate particular ideas and viewpoints in the audience's mind
  • Uses and gratifications theory - audiences may have used the advert for entertainment, information, or escapism/aspiration