Marxism is a way to analyze the world through an economical and socio political view, to
observe the social classes within society today and according to their development decide
what is absolutely necessary for us humans to survive. The requirement for us to continue to
produce and reproduce the material requirements that we need to provide for our needs. Due
to human society constantly going through changes and developments naturally our view of
what is actually a necessity changes accordingly as well. The Marxist theory analyze social
change from a philosophical method, economic theory, sociological theory and a revolutionary
view to understand the materialistic development in society today. Based on social relations,
political views, morality, legal systems and ideology creates the “Superstructure” which is the
base for the economic system through a Marxists’ point of view. The struggle between the
classes gets bigger and bigger and some might feel that the rich is getting richer and the poor
poorer. Because of our rapidly developing technology the already existing social organization
is taking is told and progress within is hindered. This takes it form as class struggles due to the
inefficiency to keep up in time with the “speeded up” technological development. Along with the
growth of the recession and the enormous growth of technology where it gets easier to change
manual labour into machines the gaps between the classes are getting bigger than ever.
One of the opposites to Marxisms many different theories is the basic understanding of
consumerism. An encouragement to buy services and goods over our necessity level. The
very view of yourself and how you want to project yourself into society changes along with the
changes in social relationships and it is getting more important to belong to a certain group of
people, a class. Instead of moving towards the Marxists’ way of thinking we are going more
towards a capitalistic way of thinking. A world where economic systems is based on private
ownership and with the main aim to make profit. To analyze an advert from the second biggest
hamburger fast food chains is a brief understanding of price systems and competitive markets
which is also two of the cornerstones in capitalism.
Next after McDonalds, Burger King is the second largest hamburger fast food chain in the world
with over 11 million customers in 83 different countries (2013, Burger King). According to Burger
King’s website they are committed to “a programme of continuous expansion” (2013, Burger
King) and in the UK 100% of their buisinesses are franchised companies. And as “Burger
King” states on their website “Whilst we are constantly innovating, one thing always remains
constant - our passion for flame grilling since 1954 and the knowledge that our beef and flame
grilling results in great tasting burgers” is probably what we all remember best from the various
commercials and adverts around the world for Burger King.
“In the UK and Ireland, our belief is simple: we are deeply passionate about the great taste of our
flame-grilled burgers, creating the best restaurant experience and innovative food for all our customers.
Talented people and a profitable franchise system are at the heart of our growth and success, as is the
ability to anticipate and meet the needs of our customers and stakeholders.” (2013, Burger King)
First of all is the name itself, Burger King, suggests that the burgers in this particular fast food
joint are much better the the various competition around such as McDonalds. Wendy’s and
many more. This implies that it actually are burgers worth for a king served at Burger King.
They have through the years continued to use the famous “Burger King” for advertisement and
PR. So even though we yet have not laid eyes upon the advert for the “new” BK burger we
already subconsciously have an prebuild image of what the burgers look like and what they will
taste like according to manipulated photos and promises of a juicy BBQ flavour. According to a
personal research where I asked 100 people whichever of McDonalds or Burger King felt more
luxurious 63 people answered Burger King and most commonly with the explanation that the
“100% Beef meat” was barbequed.
Accordingly to the “framing” of the image, the
vignette, pulls your eyes into the center of the
image. First noticeable is the beautiful, almost
barbie like, woman with an open mouth ready to
eat the new BK super seven incher. Before you
even see Burger Kings’ logo or what the advert
is actually about what strikes you is the burgers
resemblances of a male genitalia because of the
woman highly lit up with her blood red hot lips
open, staring with a frightened look in front of
her, looks as if she is about to perform oral sex.
Even though sex is generally something that is
used to frame a male audience it is one of our
most basic needs man as woman. Wherever you
want it or not your subconscious has already
made all the assumptions necessary and in the
best case scenario you will remember an
especially good sexual encounter and your brain
releases endorphins which stimulates your
“happy centra”. Since this is as said one of the
most basic needs it applies to any person no
matter social status and even if this failed to
apply to you per say just that the ad itself is an edgy somewhat offensive poster it will with most
certainly have caught your eyes which from a consumerist view is exactly what you want.
After getting tempted by the woman we can read that “It’ll blow your mind away” (2009, Burger
King) so if you somehow failed to get the association the first time they spell it out a little bit
clearer yet. And obviously with the image combined with that text it is hard to not think about
a “blow job”. But sex sells, I know it, you know it and independent publishers who made
this Burger King poster in 2009 certainly knew it. It is part of our natural drive as animals, to
reproduce and spread our seed. Through the poorest corners of the world up to the very top of
society, sex is something that is hard to eradicate. The burgers name “BK super seven incher”,
suggests that is about the size of a penis but also implies that it is actually bigger than seven
inches or at least that the seven inches that you do get are somewhat “super” compared to
nothing in particular except the meaning of the word itself which is grandiose and unique in it’s
own way.The matter of the fact that you also get yourself a deal and not only the “BK super seven incher”
itself but you also get a sparkling cold soda and hot fried chips gives us the false assumption
that we are actually saving money on buying this burger for 6.25 $. The Burger King corporation
has been kind enough to give us a special meal deal.
So in conclusion this poster from an Marxist point of view simply implies that by buying this
special meal deal from Burger King your life will get much better, a bargain of the century,
and when you get this burger you will be a happier man or a woman. It also suggests that
by buying this particular burger you will also possibly have the opportunity for some kind of
sexual encounter with a partner. And as i have said many times in this essay already, since
reproduction is rooted in our core and something that most people think about daily, according
to some (unreliable) sources, men think about sex every 3 seconds. it is something that triggers
people. But as a matter of a fact the Burger Kings poster from 2009 has successfully hidden the
fact that it is a highly mechanical production, a fast food giant, a huge multinational corporation.
Even though the food at Burger King supposedly is well sourced you can not deny the fact that
they are involved in the whole horse meat scandal (2013, The Guardian) and failures in the
supply lines are blamed. So instead of the possible delicious “BK super seven incher”, that will
fulfill your desires, with what you believe consists of 100% beef is actually not that well sourced
as Burger King make out. Cheap labour and companies in poorer countries for the sole purpose
of gaining profit which is the foundations of a consumer society where we are triggered and
manipulated in everyday life to constantly buy new unnecessary things to achieve the ultimate
“happiness”. Burger King play a successful part in this 21th century consumer world we live in
constantly duping its 11 million customers in over 80 countries (2013, Burger King). So even
though Burger King, in UK and Ireland, is 100% franchised where the majority is owned by
families I believe that Burger King is the opposite of what marxism is all about. Even though it
is food it is through a mechanical production where only more and more are supposed to be
pumped out. Never mind the quality it is all about the taste
Claes E.
u1118248
Burger King (2013)
http://www.burgerking.co.uk/home
Burger King (2009) Bk Super Seven incher [advert] Available at: http://www.kerrydean.com/pictures/burger-king-
bk-super-seven-incher-advertisement-picture.jpg
The Guardian (2013, Friday 1)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/feb/01/horsemeat-scandal-burger-king
Oxford Dictionary
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Marxism?q=+marxism
What is Marxism?
Ken Smith, (May 2003)
http://www.marxism.org.uk/pack/intro.html
Marxist.net
http://www.marxist.net/marx/m2frame.htm?today.htm8
Feminism is a social and political movement concerned with the rights of females. It aims to question
ideas of gender inequality in all aspects of life and focuses on the real experiences of females rather
than the assumed ideas created by society. Feminists campaign for women’s rights and aim for
equality between the two sexes (male and female). The Oxford English dictionary (2006, p.522)
describes feminism as being “Advocacy of equality of the sexes and the establishment of the political,
social, and economic rights of the female sex; the movement associated with this.” And feminist as
“Of, relating to, or advocating the rights and equality of women.”(Oxford English dictionary 2006,
p.522) The main themes feminism is concerned with are discrimination, power struggles, inequality,
objectification, patriarchy and stereotyping.
Feminism can be applied to all areas of media and looks at the representation of females to society.
Some images are created to be viewed by females and some by males, this is especially true when
looking at advertising as certain products are designed for use by females and some males. It is
 |
| (Burger King 2009) |
however in the way that these images are designed to target each sex and the depictions of gender
contained within them that can cause gender inequality and therefore lead to them being of concern
from a feminist perspective. Media has a massive influence on society and the images we are presented
with in our everyday life shape our understanding of the world. Through these images and the various
other influences on our lives we learn what is good and bad, what is attractive and what is desirable.
How we should live our lives and how we should treat other people.
One such advert that is viewed as being morally wrong by feminists is this, created by an independent
adverting company for street advertising in Singapore in 2009.
This is advertisement is for the release of a new type of burger produced by the fast food chain Burger
King. The advert contains two images of the product, an image of a woman and several catch phrases.
In big letters right in the middle of the Image are the words “It’ll blow you away” (Burger King 2009).
A second tag line “It just tastes better” (Burger King 2009) is present at the top right, bottom left is
the Name of the product “BK Super seven incher” and a value meal and description of the product are
present in the bottom right.
This advert however is not as innocent as that description makes it seem. The woman is young and
beautiful. Facing the product, her bright red lipstick covered mouth is open wide. Her sultry makeup
smeared eyes contain a look of shock which almost verges on fear, definitely not the kind of look you
would give to a burger. The burger itself is phallic in shape and its name, when taken in context with
the rest of the advert, “BK super Seven incher” is clearly intended to make the viewer think of penis
size. The tag line, again when considered in context, quite clearly refers to oral sex. The whole image
is an innuendo for the act of a woman performing oral sex on a man and infers that the pleasure that the
customer would receive from this product is similar to the pleasure received from oral sex.
In order to work out who the intended audiences is for this piece we must take several of its attributes
into consideration, firstly there is the use of an image of a woman. As I said before she is young and
clearly meant to be attractive to the adverts demographic. The advertisers use of makeup, specifically
red lipstick, and her open mouthed pose are also meant to install in the viewer a feeling of desire. This
image of a woman is intended to be attractive to the viewer, she is not simply beautiful or a role model
to aspire to but a purveyor of pleasure. From these characteristics it is safe to say that this advert is
intended to attract the male gaze. Her age hair cut and makeup are not suggestive of a professional
working woman, a student then maybe, definitely not a powerful upper-class woman. There is also the
overall feel given by the design of the advert, it is not a classy advert designed to sell quality goods
but has a more rather in your face feel, it is direct, edgy and easily understood. The product itself is
widely available and cheap to purchase. From a combination of all of these factors I would say that
the intended audience are heterosexual males, in an age group who feel that they may have a chance of
sexual relations with this woman, possibly 16 to 35 and from a lower or middle class background.
This advert works through the objectification of woman. Objectification is the removal of a person’s
humanity and through it people are reduced to the level of tools. Emotions are taken away and the
person becomes a means to gain satisfaction. The image used presents to its viewers not a woman
but an object, a commodity designed completely for male gratification. We do not see her as an
autonomous being with her own wants and needs, a person who has her own life, her own hopes and
fears; she has been reduced to an appearance, a body and the actions that body can perform. It is almost
as if she is not a human at all but rather an object instrumentality designed to satisfy the males’ sexual
urges.
The objectification present in this image becomes damaging when the idea it represents, that of females
as a tool for gratification, becomes the accepted view of an individual or society. Whether used by the
advertisers simply as a joke, a marketing ploy or because, as we all know, sex sells, this objectification
is harmful to the image of the female and goes to further to encourage societies acceptance of it. Kant
(1981 p.162) writes of objectification “As soon as a person becomes an Object of appetite for another,
all motives of moral relationship cease to function, because as an Object of appetite for another a
person becomes a thing and can be treated and used as such by every one.” He is saying that once
objectification (specifically sexual objectification) is accepted, by either the objectified or objectifier,
the idea of that person, or of themselves, as a lesser being or tool for satisfaction, removes the need for
a moral (loving/caring/even) relationship and becomes the accepted form of treatment for that person
by all others. This advert goes a long way to mark women out as belonging to a second or lower class,
which can be used by the more powerful male higher class. It puts all males in charge of all females
and promotes the idea of the ownership of women as well as the use of them as sex toys.
Through images like this one this objectification becomes the objective view held by society. Meaning
that these false ideas of females as objects and the male domination of them becomes what is viewed
as fact and the actions of such a society become altered by this. Images that show the objectification of
women have lead to the idea that females are naturally submissive to their male counter parts. In our
patriarchal society, where males become the objectifiers of females, it is seen as almost a natural thing,
a phenomenon caused by the perceived actions and nature of the female sex. It is however caused by
gender inequality.
A persons sex is defined by biology, that being male or female, a persons gender however is defined
by society, the man and the woman. Gender is then a social construct, which specifies the socially
and culturally prescribed rolls impressed upon a person and dictates their actions within a society.
Gerhard Lerner (1987, p.238) says of gender that it is a "costume, a mask, a straitjacket in which men
and women dance their unequal dance." These supposed but in reality wholly unnatural roles, to which
each sex is supposed to conform, have always been present in society, though they vary from culture to
culture and through out history. Lerner argued that the subordination of females by males came before
all other discriminations and that in order to rid our world of the other forms of prejudice we must first
eradicate sexism.
This image is phallocentric we must think back to the look of shock, verging on fear that is present on
the models face. This supposed emotion is being caused by the burger, the burger, which in this image
has been used to represent the phallus. So what we have is an image of a female being dominated by a
phallus. This along side the objectification of females enforces the idea of the superiority of the male
sex.
This advert, designed purely to sell fast food is only caters for the male gaze it not only demeans and
objectifies females but also out right depicts the domination of females by males. The female voice
has been silenced not only is the model about to be gagged by a burger, this advert is not designed to
be attractive to or even acceptable to the female gaze, the advertisers have dismissed the companies
female customers completely. The presence of the issues raised in the advert not only encourages
the acceptance of such things but should also alert us to the fact of their presence within our society.
The advertisers use of such techniques to sell a product proves that this type of image works for
some members of their demographic. Advertising is designed purely to be attractive in order to sell
and therefore this image must be accepted as attractive to work. The acceptance of inequality and
objectification must first be present in society before it can be used as a marketing tool to sell a
product.
Soanes, C. Stevenson, A. (2006) Oxford English Dictionary. 11th edn. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Soanes, C. Stevenson, A. (2006) Oxford English Dictionary. 11th edn. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Burger King (2009) Bk Super Seven incher [advert] Available at: http://www.kerrydean.com/pictures/
burger-king-bk-super-seven-incher-advertisement-picture.jpg (accessed 04/05/2013)
Burger King (2009) Bk Super Seven incher [advert] Available at: http://www.kerrydean.com/pictures/
burger-king-bk-super-seven-incher-advertisement-picture.jpg (accessed 04/05/2013)
Burger King (2009) Bk Super Seven incher [advert] Available at: http://www.kerrydean.com/pictures/
burger-king-bk-super-seven-incher-advertisement-picture.jpg (accessed 04/05/2013)
Kant,I. (1981) Lectures on ethics Hackett Publishing Company, Incorporated
Lerner,G. (1987) The creation of Patriarchy Oxford: Oxford university press.
vignette, pulls your eyes into the center of the
