Outside: September 1994, p. 141
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Ebony: March 1997, p. 117
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This first advertisement is from Outside magazine, for Gatorbar (an energy bar), and it is a prime example of the racialization of the outdoor leisure identity in magazine advertisements. For this example, the ad agency seemed to go out of their way to be inclusive, using black and white models, males and females. But notice the activities the models are participating in: there is a white female rock climbing and a white male mountain biking, which are both outdoor leisure activities, while a black female is running track and a black male is playing basketball, which are both urban activities. There is a white male who is lifting weights, which also is an urban activity, but that just emphasize that whites are not limited in their leisure. Whites can participate both in urban-based activities and activities that take place in the Great Outdoors, while blacks participate only in urban-based activities and are totally absent from the Great Outdoors. | |
Outside: September 1994, p. 141 |
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| The second advertisement is from Ebony magazine, for Humalog (an insulin drug), and it is also a prime example of the racialization of the outdoor leisure identity. The ad traces the evolution of insulin drugs, making an analogy to the evolution of the bicycle. Note the contrast between the black couple riding the "1982" bikes and the white couple riding the "Today" bikes. The black couple is casually dressed in long pants and long sleeves and seems to be riding at a fairly relaxed pace through some sort of suburban park. Compare that image with that of the white couple, dressed in athletic gear and racing at break neck speed through the middle of a creek bed. | ||
Ebony: March 1997, p. 117 |
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| Now, which couple do you think best displays an outdoor leisure identity (young, athletic, adventurous, and rugged)? Well here's a hint. Compare the "Today" couple above with the mountain biking couple featured in the first of the "outdoor leisure identity" ads shown earlier. Notice the uncanny similarity? The outdoor leisure identity is so specialized that advertising companies marketing completely different products, in different magazines, one year apart, chose nearly identical pictures in an effort to convey that narrowly defined image. |
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