A Culture of Consumerism
Uploaded by schoolblows on May 04, 2007
A Culture of Consumerism
"You are what you buy."
In one way or another, everyone’s identity is related to the products that they purchase. Nearly every product on the market is directed towards a certain group of people, whether it is based on their gender, age, or even their income level. Trying to target a particular group of people is one of advertisers biggest concerns. Some products, such as make-up, are always directed at females ranging from teenagers to middle age women, other products such as cars are usually directed at middle-age males. Advertisers could not care less who buys their product, but directing their ads towards a certain group of people will result in higher sales. Though there are exceptions to the statement, “you are what you buy”, the product a consumer purchases is generally based on either their gender, age, or income level, just as the marketer intended.
The majority of products on the market today are directed towards either a male or a female. Different toys, clothing, make-up, and even cars are just a few of the products normally directed towards a particular gender. Whether the advertisement has a male in it or it has a setting in the woods, it is clearly implying that the product is targeted towards males. Just as if an advertisement has a pink background or all females in it, it is directed towards a female. It would be very awkward to have a male model for a commercial on cover girl products, because that product just was not made for a man.
Nearly every toy is made for either a male or female. Looking at the toys I had when I was little such as GI Joes and Transformers, one would guess I was a little boy. Other toys I owned such as remote control cars or squirt guns would still generally be for a boy, but probably a boy who is a little bit older than I was when I was playing with action figures. There are some toys I have owned my entire life like sports equipment that would still imply that the consumer was a male, but not of any particular age. Toys possibly suggesting the consumer was a little girl would include Barbie dolls, stuffed animals, or playhouses. Once the girl was more...