Empowerment or Conformity? A Visual Critique of Gender Roles in Bic’s Ad
Date
2-19-2025
Faculty Mentor
Teresa Reed, English
Files
Submission Type
Conference Proceeding
Location
3:30-3:40 pm | Houston Cole Library, 11th Floor
Description
This critique examines a BIC pen advertisement aimed at celebrating Women’s Day, exploring how it reflects and reinforces traditional gender roles within professional contexts. The ad's slogan, “Look like a girl, Act like a lady, Think like a man, Work like a boss,” suggests that women must embody both feminine and masculine traits to achieve professional success. While intended to empower, the advertisement mistakenly perpetuates stereotypes by implying that feminine qualities alone are inadequate for leadership. Through the portrayal of a confident, professional woman, the ad targets career-oriented women but reinforces the idea that success requires conforming to gendered expectations in both appearance and behavior. By invoking traits typically associated with masculinity, the ad subtly suggests that women must adopt masculine characteristics to be seen as effective leaders, thereby upholding traditional corporate standards. This critique highlights the complexities in media representations of gender, illustrating how attempts at empowerment can unintentionally sustain the very stereotypes they seek to challenge. The analysis underscores the need for advertising that genuinely redefines gender expectations, promoting inclusivity and authentic empowerment.
Keywords
student research, English, marketing
Rights
This content is the property of Jacksonville State University and is intended for non-commercial use. Video and images may be copied for personal use, research, teaching or any "fair use" as defined by copyright law. Users are asked to acknowledge Jacksonville State University. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@jsu.edu.
Disciplines
English Language and Literature
Recommended Citation
Jones, Kailah, "Empowerment or Conformity? A Visual Critique of Gender Roles in Bic’s Ad" (2025). JSU Student Symposium 2025. 42.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/ce_jsustudentsymp_2025/42
