This week’s reading had a focus on the human condition and how a power dynamic is created between people. Simone de Beauvoir writes about the “One” and the “Other” as a way groups of people, specifically men and women, define who they are. In Beauvoir’s opinion, men are the One and women are the Other. Men define themselves by their contrast and difference from women and then create a hierarchy between these genders. By doing this, women become the secondary to men.
In today’s world there are many spaces where women can be seen as the One and men are the Other. The space of marketing specifically targets women as the One rather than men for some products and brands. In a marketing examination of brand gender, it was determined that “strongly gendered brands positively influence the attitude towards these brands” (Van Tilburg 6). This idea of gendered brands makes sense because every human has a desire to be desired. So, a brand positioned to strongly lean towards one gender is the act of creating the One and the Other. An article on the role of females in advertising discussed how this separated marketing exists because of humans’ need for differentiation. In fact, “each gender prefers brands with same-sex images” (Whipple 5). Each gender “prefers” their own gender to be highlighted because both crave to be the One for the sake of their own identities. An example of women being the One is Dove. Grooming and cleanliness brands are often dominated by women. Dove only recently released “Dove for Men” and is still a primarily feminine brand. These products for women are of high variety because women have been using these products for a while. Men, on the other hand, are assumed to be much simpler. Esquire wrote a comprehensive summary on men’s grooming products that determined the goal of Dove’s male products are “packing multiple products in one bottle” in order to make it “convenient” for men (Cutler 9). The simplicity of the male products compared to the complexity of women’s proves the female position as the One in this case.
In contrast to Beauvoir’s remarks, in the human pursuit of becoming the One and the Other to define identity, there are places in this world where women become the One and men fall to the Other. In fact, the idea that this position can switch is an interesting outlook on how being both the Other and the One can create a wholistic individual. Defining oneself does not come from just experiencing the One or the Other, but really having the chance to experience both.
Wow, I never even thought of the example of how brands can even play into “The One” and “The other.” I have seen how recently brands have said they are all inclusive to all genders and people not just women or vice versa. In today’s day and age many people are realizing how diverse products and materials can be… they aren’t limited to gender. I thought this was a great way of explaining the ideas from last week in a way that we as a class can better understand them.
I like how you used an example of an ordinary brand to display the relationship between One and Other. As a woman, I had always envied men for the simplicity of their products, as it seems there is a new one that must be tried everyday as a woman. Grooming products have been targeted at women for the majority of the time, convincing them they must buy this product for puffy eyes, this one for clear skin, and many more. Maybe it was just my own ignorance but to me it seems like men benefit from this One and Other relationship. As they don’t have the amount of social pressure women do to pay such close attention to their grooming.
Great presentation! I’ve never considered brands in comparison to “One” or “Others” but it is very applicable. Gender normally dominates over the other and it appears to be difficult to find an equilibrium. In relation to this I thought of sports that are dominated by one gender. For example, Gymnastics is a female dominated sport, while basketball is a male dominated sport although all genders participate. The last sentence in your presentation really stood out to me because it’s important to experience both to see different perspectives. This concept reminds me of minority vs majority.
This is a very good presentation. I was really surprised that you could use a brand as an example. It has to be said that female consumers in the beauty industry is much more than male consumers. Therefore, brand owners are more willing to attract female consumers and launch more products about women. In this case, men is “One” and women is “Other”. Which brings me to another example. Football is usually played by men, with few women attending the game. As a result, many stores are more willing to sell rugby products about men, such as clothing and equipment. It’s the same as in your example.
Hi Emily, this is a very interesting perspective. It is important to mention what you did about how the concepts of the Other and the One are not confined to any specific group as an individual could belong to more than one group- one group representing the Other and one group representing the One. The example you provided about gendered brands is a great way to further this idea as certain products attract men or women.
Simone de Beauvoir was born in the early 1900s and passed away in the 1980s. Given the time period she grew up in, it makes sense why she argued that women are the Other and men are the One. Women maintained the home, cooking and cleaning, while men worked and became the “bread-winner” of the home. Today, we may not perceive men/women to fit the One/Other concepts as gender roles are not defined to the standards they once were. Do you agree?
Great post, Emily!
I liked the example you used by defining women as the “one” in terms of brands. My question is, if womens brands, (specifically hygiene) are historically more complicated and expensive than male brands/products, could this allude to the fact that women were originally seen as the center of hygiene branding to keep them as the “other?”
I also agree that being seen as the “one” or “other” is entirety subjective. Depending on the context, or region of the world you’re in, both men and women can be placed into either category.
Great presentation Emily!
I really liked how you used the brand example to distinguish women as the “one” and men as the “other.” Additionally, I like how you brought up that both men and women long for their own identity, always wanting to be the “one,” which is why Dove came out with a soap called “Dove for Men.” Another example I think of when reading that statement relates to sports. Golf is viewed as a predominately male sport so men are labeled as the “one” but since women now play, we have the LPGA for women and the PGA for men, thus creating our own separate identities.
Emily, I truly enjoyed reading your post. I especially liked how you tied in the brand Dove and their relation to the “One” and the “Other”. As a woman, I found it so frustrating that men’s products were so much more simple and cheaper than women’s products. However, I think in today’s society people are starting to be more gender inclusive with beauty products and realize the diversity that they hold. The last sentence of your presentation really resonated with me and I think it was a great point you added.
Hey Emily!
I really enjoyed reading your presentation and it gave me a new perspective on this issue because usually when I think of the “other” in relation to gender, I usually think women as that “other”. There is definitely more equality in this subject than there was 50 years ago, but I still think there is growth to be done. I also really liked the last sentence of your presentation because I think it really does help to be able to experience both sides of “one” and the “other” to see how it really feels.
Hi Emily, this is a really thoughtful presentation. This gives me a new perspective on how products are marketed, because there really is no reason why men couldn’t use womens products or women couldn’t use mens products. We subconsciously make ourselves the “one” by choosing products that we identify with, and by doing that the products we don’t identify with become the “other”.
Hi Emily,
I totally agree with your ideas that brands use “the other” and “the one” idea for marketing. You also give us an example of “Dove”. It reminds me the makeup products. Makeups are designed for women mostly. We could be even surprised when a man put on makeup a couple years ago. But now, as more male makeup artists and male makeup bloggers appearing, such as Wayne Goss, Jaffree Star and Marc Zapanta, more products designed for male are new in the market. The makeup brands realize the importance of products for men.
Hey Emily,
I really enjoyed reading through your presentation! I found it really interesting to compare the “One” and the “Other” in the grooming/beauty industry. I had never really thought about the possibility of the two roles being reversed. Another example I thought of is the US Women’s Soccer team the past year or two. They have been advocating for higher pay due to their outstanding performance and more acknowledgment. However, sports in the past have predominantly been male, or the “One”. As the world becomes more progressive, the beauty industry and sports both seem to be moving in the same direction of inclusivity and equality.
Hi Emily,
I liked how you took the concept of the “One” and “Other” and applied them to a small scale, in this case brands. When considering the One and the Other previously I had thought about it on a much larger scale, such as how the beliefs about men and women apply in the United States for example. But it is very true that it does apply on smaller levels as well, and can even be reversed from what society tends to lean towards, such as certain advertising as you mentioned.
Hi Emily,
I thoroughly enjoyed your analysis of both “gendering” and otherness. I found your perspective about men and women switching positions when it comes to otherness to be interesting as well. While I agree that some aspects of the beauty industry and marketing are definitely more centered around women, we also have to recognize that even those industries create the “other” between women with beauty standards and hegemonic femininity. Beauty products are marketed to women who are trying to reach a European standard of beauty, therefore making them the “other”.
Hi Emily,
I could not agree more about the point you are trying to make in your presentation. The desire of human need should not be divide in to categories by gender and sex. Furthurmore, I think it is very interesting that you brings up the topic of how brands in the marketing separate “one” and “other”. Especially you mentioned how Dove’s male products are “packing multiple products in one bottle”, and there are so many examples like this from other companies as well. We must willing to challenge this long-standing assumptions about woman and man and become independent thinkers.
Hey Emily! I think this is a great post and I really enjoyed reading about how brands and marketing in general end up making a distinction between the “One” and “Other”. I completely agree with you on how every individual person has a desire to be the “One” and it really is evident in marketing. I also found the last line of your post a powerful ending because with anything you will never truly understand how someone else feels unless you experience it as well and by having the opportunity to be both the “One” and the “Other” allows more opportunity for growth. I also think that your connection to Simone de Beauvoir’s work was really effective.
Emily, I think you bring a great perspective into marketing through men and women. I think this is important to focus on because of the progression in today’s society. There are people who choose to not to identify as male or female, and yet, marketing is still highly geared toward that subject. Overall, I think this is a great post and you did a great job! I look forward to hearing more of your posts!
Emily, I absolutely love your closing statement. I really think you did Simone De Beauvoir justice. I loved your use of females as the One, i think it’s an enlightening contrast to how females are often otherwise depicted. I want to provide an antithesis that maybe the abundance of female beauty products is actually a reflection of the Otherness, but you said it best in your closing paragraph. No matter what to be whole is to be both, one way or another. A great read over all, well done.
Hi Emily,
I think this was a great perspective! I think the concept of the One and Other may be easy to grasp as a whole, but it really makes more sense when you give examples and context, which is exactly what you did! Breaking down marketing even further, into the example of Dove was an excellent way to show the dynamic of the One and Other, and even delved into WHY the dynamic is this way. I think the critical thinking you did is essential to understanding what we are studying, and you did a great job presenting it to us. I also liked your thoughts on every individual being the One and Other in different aspects of their life. That is a great point! Overall, great points, Emily!
Hi Emily, I find very interesting how you managed to switch Simone de Beauvoir perspective on the topic by using a modern day example. Even though that in today’s society there is still a great difference in power between men and women supporting de Beauvoir point, you managed to find a different perspective in which the roles are reversed and women could be seen on top. Your presentation opened a new perspective in my eyes how the balance of power is easily shifted depending on the context that is being addressed.
Hi Emily, your blog entry was very helpful in understanding the concept of one and the other that Simone de Beauvoir tried to portray. Your example of gender roles well presents the concept of one and the other. Especially your perspective about how both females and males can take the role of either the one or the other, and through experiencing both roles an individual becomes whole. This concept gave me new insight into the fact that depending on the context the dominant one may change.