Rachel West

@01269867
SOC 2013.006
Media Analysis
Men often eschew diet sodas because they aren't manly enough.
Therefore, Dr. Pepper decided to launch a ten-calorie soft drink called Dr. Pepper
Ten that aims to be more masculine. The can is gunmetal gray, and a huge
campaign for the beverage declares bodly, "It's not for women. The commercial
features muscular men in a faux-action film. They battle bad guys in a jungle,
jump off of cliffs, appear to shoot lasers at each other, and pour soda while riding
on a swiftly moving ATV. The commercial implies that women should drink their
girly diet sodas and watch romantic comedies instead.
Check out the transcript:
[A dudely-type action-movie dude-guy runs through the forest, dodging lasers,
jumping in a tricked-out jungle jeep, and looking heroically mussed and dirtsmudged.]
Manly Dude: Hey ladies, this movie is not for you. And either is Dr. Pepper Ten,
twenty-three flavors from ten manly calories. Its what guys want, like this
[captures bad guys in a trap]. Catchphrase! Dr. Pepper Ten, its not for women!
The feminist theory or gender conflict approach is used in the Dr. Pepper
Ten campaign. This theory is one of the major contemporary sociological
theories, and seeks to analyze the status of women and men in society and
explain social problems in terms of mens dominance over women. This theory
affirms that gender is a dimension of social stratification that benefits men at the
expense of women. It reflects the notion that gender is a problem for women
because they are disadvantaged by a system that gives wealth and power to
men. The commercial highlights the social conflict of gender stereotypes and
inequalities.
The Dr. Pepper Ten campaign embodies concepts of gender stratification,
inequality, and stereotypes. For instance, the notion that only men can consume
the beverage is a perfect example of gender stratification and inequality (unequal
distribution of privilege). The initial claim in the commercial is that the faux action
movie is not for ladies. This is an excellent illustration of gender stereotyping.
Also, the idea that women not only dislike action movies, but additionally prefer
girly romantic comedies is a gender stereotype and often a misconception.
Furthermore, the verbiage in the commercial seeks to entrench gender roles and
promote patriarchy. For instance, manly calories associates the caloric intake
as masculine and distances the product from women even more.
The values of the commercial include concepts of the masculine, the
gender dichotomy, and the stereotypes associated with each sex. The

commercial seeks to establish the idea that men are more powerful,
adventurous, and risky than women, and that they are inherently more deserving
of a beverage with ten manly calories. Cultural norms such as the concept of
the masculine man, and the more unfit, incapable and undeserving women are
being reified in the campaign. This impacts society in a number of ways, and
ingrains the idea that men are stronger, bolder, and live more audacious lives
than women. It also reaffirms various gender stereotypes and asserts that
women are simply not suited for such a manly beverage.
The issue is the idea of gender and its role in mass media. There is no
question that the mass media shapes how we think and act. Messages like the
ones found in the Dr. Pepper Ten commercial are found throughout many
television advertisements and are inherently discriminative. Shannon N. Davis of
the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Northern Carolina State
University conducted a content analysis of sex stereotypes in commercials
targeted specifically to children, who she describes as being the most vulnerable
to many types of images and stereotypes presented to them. She concluded that
images of women and men fall sharply along the stereotypical line and that
women used products, were in the home, and were people-oriented, while men
were authorities on products, worked for pay outside of the home, and were
independent (Davis 410). Gender inequality, stratification and stereotyping is
rampant throughout the mass media and blatantly exhibited in the Dr. Pepper Ten
commercials.

Works Cited
Davis, S. N. (2003). Sex Stereotypes In Commercials Targeted Toward Children:
A Content Analysis. Sociological Spectrum, 407-424