Ethnic and Gender Stereotyping in Latin American Advertising

Running Head: ETHNIC AND GENDER STEREOTYPING 1

Ethnic and Gender Stereotyping in Latin American Advertising

Samuel Cortina Arteaga

Universidad de las Americas, Puebla

ETHNIC AND GENDER STEREOTYPING 2

Abstract

Ethnic and gender have been the topic of study for many years and for multiple

disciplines including communication and advertising. It is in these fields that a lot of information

is presented to the public. This information shapes public views on the different ethnicities and

help model gender paradigms. It is also in these disciplines that many cultural and political

pitfalls have been produced in the form of ill-conceived advertisements. This paper presents an

analysis of five printed ads in a popular magazine. It demonstrates the presence of ethnic and

gender stereotyping in advertisement pieces targeted at a Latin American audience. Through

discourse analysis several clear archetypes are revealed present in the complete visual and

textual narrative. These archetypes, if openly exposed, would convert a seemingly innocuous

message into an offensive generalization on the Latin American culture. As a result, this paper

shows that although much has been said about politically correctness, harmful stereotypes still

reach the unaware public.


Ethnic and Gender Stereotyping in Latin American Advertising.

Browsing through a mainstream magazine like TIME, one encounters advertisement on

all kinds of subjects. Some ads promote music; some the latest Hollywood movies, yet a good

bunch of them focus on technological solutions for the average reader: new websites, computer

hardware and software deals and even full electronic commerce solutions. Such is the case of a

set of IBM ads presented in TIME magazine’s December Latin American Edition, Volume 156

Number 23.

IBM is one of the biggest computer companies in the world. It advertises, through an ad

campaign, an electronic commerce solution claiming several benefits for the potential customer.

This campaign, which is comprised of several printed ads, is targeted at the Latin American

consumer; significantly most of the ads are presented in English.

However, there is a particular subject and set of three images that stands out of the rest,

not just because it is presented in Spanish, but also because it conveys a particular meaning to the

Latino reader. Through analysis, its use of gender and racial stereotypes becomes apparent to the

point of resulting in a negative and counterproductive effort to reach Latino customers who, in

some cases, could feel offended by the implied meaning of the ad.

The pieces

Three ads represent the basis for this study. All of them appeared in the same TIME

Magazine issue, and all present the same layout format. The ads are titled “e-efficient”, “e-

intelligence”, and “e-directoras”. The first two are oriented to either American or Latin American


audiences, given that they are presented in English and that their narrative is intended for a

broader audience. The last one however is clearly targeted at a female Latino audience.

Composition and form

By analyzing their compositional structure, it´s clear that the ads do not have any graphic

treatment to highlight. A very simple and consistent layout was selected for all of them. They are

all printed on a full-page 7 by 10 inch color photograph with rounded corners. In each of them

the photographs show a partial close-up of a person or persons. The letter “e” is highlighted in

red and transformed into a logo by adding the distinctive feature found in the Latin letter “@”.

On the middle-center part runs a heading, which in all cases reads the ad’s title. This heading is

set in lowercase 48-point serif white font except on the “e-directoras” ad where the font is a little

smaller.

Following the heading comes, in white sans-serif type, a storyline where we can follow

the narrative of the ad. On the lower right corner there is a 5 by 3 inch soft-blue rectangle with

rounded corners that has black sans-serif type detailing IBM’s business solution, contact phone

numbers and websites to get more information. Finally, an IBM white logo rests in the upper

right corner of all the ads.

Worth mentioning is the inclusion of a small photograph of a brochure available by

inquiring on an IBM solution. This small picture appears only in the “e-directoras” ad and it is

written in Spanish.

Semantic analysis

Each of the three ads has a peculiarity of it’s own. Even though all of them are part of the

same campaign, they clearly connote a different message. Following is an analysis of the most


important semantic issues of each of the three ads, our purpose is to decode the message that

each of them contains.

“E-Efficient”

This ad is composed of a photograph of a young man sitting in an office’s desk. The man is

possibly in his thirties; he is good looking and reflects a good personality. One can assume that

he is educated and maybe holds a middle management position. He is clearly happy and pleased,

as well as proud looking. The position of the headline’s ad, which reads “e-efficient”, is located

strategically in front of him practically “tagging” him as the one who is efficient. We can sense

by this first connotation that the ad has presented us with a successful professional whose

efficiency has him happy, proud and possibly ready for a promotion. This is the kind of person

that every organization would like to have. By analyzing the warm colors of the photograph it is

clear that there is an atmosphere of success in the scene. A diffused orange background lets us

infer that the man is in a well-lit and cozy place, possibly his own office. The man is wearing a

dark blue shirt, which contrasts nicely with the background.

When we read the narrative prose of the ad, we can begin to understand what is it that

this man is proud of. The storyline is conformed of four sentences, each relating to a different

moment of the day. The first sentence tells us how things were at 9:00 am as the day started.

Apparently, everything is going fine. We learn that the companies’ inventories and vendors are

optimal and no problems have arisen. By 11:00 am delivery trucks are en-route and orders are

being fulfilled on time. At 4:00 pm, the man has performed an inventory, production, sales and

distribution check and, as before, everything is running smoothly. Finally, at 8:00 pm, everything

still looks good, especially, the man’s decision to install IBM software.


Though we might believe that IBM’s software is actually the one responsible for this

“efficiency” the ad implies that it is actually the man the one that is responsible for this success

and that it is “he” who is efficient. We then can infer the connection established between IBM

software and this man as both being efficient. The reader, who relates to the human, not the

software, recognizes that IBM will make “him” or “her” more efficient when buying the

software and using it.

“E-Intelligence”

E-Intelligence is an ad that presents a woman in what appears to be a hotel check-in. We

see a woman in front of a counter desk. She is pleased and smiling. Judging by her looks, she is

in her late twenties, she’s well dressed and looks successful in her occupation. Apparently, she is

reading her reservation’s confirmation. We also see, in a very blurred focus, another person’s

back. This individual has welcomed the women into the hotel. Though we cannot clearly identify

this person as a man or a woman, we understand that he or she is the one responsible for the

women’s reservation.

By going into the storyline, which informs us of the situation by the minute, we begin to

understand the woman’s reason for being happy. The first line let’s us know how the woman was

welcomed at the hotel. It reads “Welcome Dr. Maldonado”. Immediately following and between

parenthesis is a line posing a question regarding the previous affirmation: “How did they know

her profession?” Next comes another sentence confirming Dr. Maldonado’s room with a garden

view, apparently her preference. Then, we learn that Dr. Maldonado’s room also has a fax

machine and a printer, and the air conditioner is already turned on. In parenthesis, we are told:

“they even know the slightest details”.


The two following lines complete the ads argument by stating that she may know not to

change hotels but what she wouldn’t know is that this hotel uses IBM software. In the end, the ad

gives a response to all the questions posed before. The hotel personnel are able to know and treat

all it’s guests accordingly because they use IBM software to help them.

In this ad, though we may at first think that the women is the one that is intelligent, it

turns out that the ones who are intelligent are the hotel’s people. The position of the headline is

not pointing directly over the woman, instead it covers a whole bunch of space along the ad,

giving the impression that this is more a situation where things happened “intelligently”. There is

nothing in the ad that could lead us to believe that this intelligence resides in the women. She is

more the recipient of a set of intelligent decisions made with the help of a piece of software. This

approach contrasts completely with the previous ad where the man was empowered and made

more efficient by means of the software. In the case of this second ad, the software did not made

the lady smarter, more intelligent or efficient.

“E-directoras”

The ad studied here is actually the most controversial. It shows a group of four women

gathered around a worktable. Though this women do not look necessarily Latin, they could very

well be. They seem pleased with what one of them is reading out. The four of them appear to be

good friends, they are well dressed and we can argue that by their looks, all of them are thirty

something married housewives. After a first impression, and a rapid scan of the photograph, we

are compelled to read the headline of the ad and relate the “Directoras” title to the four of them.

Still, we do not know why are they regarded as such. When we begin to read the storyline below,

we get an impression on what the ad may actually be suggesting. The story tells us of the success

story of these women’s venture into exporting ceramics. In the first line, we learn that around


1988 these women attended a “ceramic’s workshop” just for the fun of it. According to the

second line, nine years later they had a successful shop, however, their business was limited.

Two years later they decided to “really grow” so they got into the Internet using IBM’s software.

One year later, they were exporting to 17 countries.

Several issues begin to surface once we start analyzing this ad. Why did it take the

women nine years to develop a successful shop? Why did it take IBM only one year to

transform their shop into a big exporting company? Why did the women need IBM’s help to

succeed? Why did the ad use four Latin housewives to exemplify a “going nowhere” situation?

Why is the ad written in Spanish? I will address these questions later.

After a second look into the ad, the story begins to look different than previously read.

Now, it appears that these women were actually just wasting their time, trying to go somewhere

while, in reality, they were going nowhere. They did manage to get a successful shop but only

after 9 years. Once they did, they were stuck until they decided that they really wanted to grow.

That’s when they got help from IBM, their “trusty technology partner”. This phrase in Spanish is

constructed with masculine articles. This small but meaningful detail brings to the ad the only

masculine element: IBM’s Software. So now, with the help from IBM, the women’s shop was

able to grow in just one year what it didn’t grow in nine.

Once again, in this case, the software did not make the women more intelligent or

efficient, it was the intelligence and efficiency of the software that let the women’s business

grow. Contrasting this ad to the other two, it seems clear that in only one case, the first ad, the

software made the user more efficient. This ad was the one presenting a male character. No male

characters are depicted in the Directoras ad, though it is possible to find the male persona in the

form of IBM.


Furthermore, in none of the ads featuring women on it was the software able to empower

the individuals with efficiency, intelligence or wit.

Finally, the distinction of language in this third ad works mostly in favor of the

assumption that Latin women are even less capable of succeeding without the help from an

external masculine figure. This is not necessarily the case in the second English written ad,

where, though we may see a women, she in not really in need of a male helper.

Context and reach

TIME Magazine’s Latin American Edition is a sister version of the standard TIME

magazine sold in North America. The most important articles are included in both versions,

though some special Latin American articles are preferred over less relevant information from

the regular version. A similar principle is true for advertisement. A company can purchase

advertising space in the regular TIME Magazine and the Latin American Edition or only in the

version that suits it’s needs. In this way, TIME is able to offer a selected and more targeted

audience to its clients.

The Latin American version is distributed mainly in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela,

Bolivia, Panamá, Colombia, Honduras and Costa Rica. Other Latin countries also receive the

publication. However, it is practically impossible to acquire this version of TIME in any other

region of the world. This information helps us to understand that most ads presented in the Latin

American version of TIME magazine are indeed targeted to a Latin American audience, even

when they are written in English. Of course it is also evident that sometimes companies do not

change their ad campaigns to reflect the change of magazine version, and so, in this way, a lot of

ads designed for the North American market find their way into the Latin version.


For the purposes of this analysis, it is important to look at other material presented in

conjunction with the ads mentioned before to get a sense of the general context. While browsing

through the same issue of TIME magazine, one can come across two very interesting ads that

portray Latinos and women in a very different light.

Not many pages after the IBM ads, a very different approach is taken by Rolex Inc. in a

very distinctive and emotional ad. Though Rolex is in a very different industry than IBM, it is

important to note the way this companies promote their products by different means of appealing

to the Latin market. Rolex’s ad depicts the role of Latino women as winners, action takers and

leaders of their communities.

The Rolex ad introduces us to Maria Eliza Manteca Oñate, an Ecuadorian woman and

recipient of the Rolex Award for Enterprise. In a gorgeous photograph, we see María, a native

South American, dressed in her typical robe facing a beautiful rainforest landscape. The heading

of the ad claims that Maria gave breathing space to six million human beings! After reading the

ad’s small print, we learn that María was determined to protect her native rainforests by

establishing a natural reserve, thus stopping further exploitation and erosion that has caused 90

percent of Ecuador’s forests to disappear. We also learn that she has implemented education and

farming programs to help her people. For these, among other reasons, María, a Latino woman

was presented with the Rolex award. Apparently, Maria didn’t need anybody’s help for

achieving her goal, at least not Rolex or any male figure that we know of. In this ad it is clear

that Latino woman can be successful leaders and can achieve highly important goals without the

help from men or from the west. Interestingly enough, the ad is printed in English.


Another interesting ad to compare to the IBM set is one by DHL Carrier services. Also

presented in the same TIME issue, this Spanish-written ad shows two Latino women high-fiving

each other after what appears to be a joyful situation. Once again, as Rolex did, DHL presents

these women in a very different light than IBM. The DHL women appear to have a natural talent.

As stated by the uppermost headline, their talent is to close big business deals. DHL´s talent: to

move those deals over the world.

In the DHL ad, women again do not need a male figure to succeed. These Latino ladies

are completely capable of doing big business on their own. If anything, DHL will help them

move their successful deals around the world. No sense of inferiority is displayed in the ad; no

man appears on the photograph, just two Latino women doing big business, a definite difference

of representation of women in Latin America than the IBM “directoras” ad.

Representation and stereotypes

The fact that prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination against anyone for any reason is

wrong, is today a truth of the public discourse that is never questioned. However, in the private

discourse, we are the constant victims and perpetrators of these practices. Virtually everyone,

whether right or left, black or white, men or women, practices some kind of discrimination about

someone and holds strong stereotypes in his or her mind. In this sense, stereotypes, which are

generalizations and often misconceptions about a group, race, or confined entity, usually are born

from the grounds of prejudice.

A stereotype is used as a representation mechanism. It frames and confines a subject to

the qualities and associations of the stereotype. Commonly used when there is a lack of


knowledge of the subject matter, a stereotype can become a very dangerous way of portraying as

it lends to radical and even extremists positions.

Gender Stereotyping

One of the oldest stereotypes in history is one we can relate very easily. The differences

between men and women have been the starting point for the search of an ideal male and female

figure. Though this may seem like naïve, in reality, this is the foundation over which dangerous

gender stereotyping is constructed.

Males have always been regarded as the stronger sex. This virtue comes only in the form

of physical power. Though this may be true, the fact that men are physically stronger has

extended over the whole gamma of the balance of power among sexes. In this way, men have, by

virtue of a stronger physical force, been regarded as generally superior and more capable than

women. Of course, after centuries of men dominance in gender struggle, women have been led to

believe this for a fact. We now know, of course, that this is completely false as both men and

women posses’ different strengths and abilities. In some areas, like in the physical, men have

clear advantages while in some others women are clearly more capable.

The problem with gender stereotyping is that it started long time ago and occurred

practically all over the world. Back then, men, through physical superiority, defined what a

women should and should not be and do. Men would posses all freedom of will, education and

development whereas women would be limited to household duties and childcare. In this

context, men would always dominate women and dictate and/or approve if a woman was to do

anything else.

This kind of view, though it may sound completely archaic, is still pretty much embedded

in the subconscious of many cultures. In the Latin American culture, there are even strong


personifications that represent these stereotypes clearly. The figure of the “Macho” is clearly

regarded as the dominant man. An individual who’s characteristics include a strong and powerful

temper, leader and master of his family, who is able to do as he pleases without even informing

or taking into account any other family member. He can be single, in which case, the dominated

female is the mother, or married, where he would assert total authority over his wife. Machos

have only specific responsibilities, which include the protection of his estate, his family and his

honor. Aside from that, he is a free individual with total control over his life and actions. A

Macho would be completely offended if for some reason, he would be questioned by his female

partner, or worst, if she would do anything important without his approval. (Melhuus, 1997)

On the other hand, the female stereotype is represented by the anti-heroine: La Malinche.

Since Hispanic times, in Mexico and all Mesoamerican cultures, this historic figure personifies

the “bad woman”. Malinche was a young woman presented upon his arrival to Hernán Cortés,

the great Hispanic conqueror, as a gift from the Indians. Malinche served Cortés as an interpreter

and mistress more out of self-interest that of obligation. Throughout the conquest years,

Malinche became the embodiment of treason, sell-out and backstabbing. She was a women freed

from Indian tradition and culture and embraced a new lifestyle. To Indian eyes, Malinche had

stopped doing all of what women were supposed to do. She abandon her family and dishonored

the whole Indian world by becoming one of them: a mighty and powerful conqueror, even more

powerful than Indian men, something a woman would never have even dreamt of becoming. By

taking into consideration the characteristics of Malinche, it is possible to interpret those of the

“good Malinche”. The housewife who would honor her man would take care of duties such as

household labors, child care and total submission to his Macho, including a complete

dependence on what is permitted her to do. (Melhuus, 2007)


Ethnic Stereotyping.

Much has been said about the subject of racial prejudice. It is not necessary to

recapitulate all the horrors and deeds that have been done in the name of racial differences.

However, though we might believe that all that dark chapters of human history have been left

behind, there is still a deeply rooted sentiment of individuality inside each one of us that force us

to see others as different. This phenomenon is even clearer in the realm of anthropological

diversification.

In this sense, clear racial differences surface immediately. Skin color, body frame, facial

characteristics are all the grounds for racial differentiation. For years, men were led to believe

that these differences carried also a component of mental capacity and intellectual ability. Even

today, when the human genome have been decoded and we are reassured that all men are equal

there is still an unconscious side of our mind that force us to find differences, and to justify

abilities and capacity on these differences. (Sardar, 2001) This is the starting point for ethnic

stereotyping. In this case, however, these differences do not come from our own heritage and

upbringing, like in the case of the gender issues. Ethnic stereotypes are created by others and

embraced or accepted by us in blind belief. Mass media has been the quintessential channel of

delivery for ethnic stereotypes. In many cases, people in a community do not have direct contact

with other ethnicities, so mass media may be the only way to get to know these other groups.

And so, it has been through the way TV, movies and magazines portray different ethnicities that

we create a mental model of them and accept them as shown. Many ethnic stereotypes have been

nurtured this way for many years. Most of them are even offensive for the ethnicities portrayed

like in the case of Blacks and Latinos in the American media.


Blacks have been presented for many years as unintelligent and uneducated people.

Mostly, Blacks in media have no set of morals and very little refinement. They are the heart and

soul of gangster and neighborhood gangs. They are thieves, rapists, armed convicts, drug dealers,

etc. The stereotype of the ‘bad black man’ is so strong in the mind of white North Americans that

it even creates social and geographic boundaries, which impedes unity between two races that

are now meant to live together.

Latinos in American media also suffer from severe stereotyping. The image here is that

of an uneducated, lazy and untrusting alien. Border problems between Mexico and North

America have caused a silly fear of invasion. It seems that Latinos crossing the border would be

doing it in an attempt to harm North Americans. There is a mental image that fills the

consciousness of North Americans where drug packed Latinos invade their country and turn it

into an anarchic and violent uncivilized place, somewhat the same as their stereotyped view of

Latin America. Drugs and Latinos mean the same to the North American public, just like Blacks

and crime, Asians and cheap technology, Italians and mafia, etc. In any case, the sense in

practicing ethnic stereotyping is always of superiority. No other ethnicity is worth looking up to.

Interpretation: The stereotyped ad

At this point, it’s time to go back to the subject matter on hand and analyze the “E-

directoras” ad through stereotype analysis.

When the ad was presented, out came a bunch of intriguing questions that would be

interesting to return to: Why did it take the women nine years to develop a successful shop?

Why did it take IBM one year to transform their shop into a big exporting company? Why did


the women need IBM’s help to succeed? Why did the ad use four Latin housewives to

exemplify a “going nowhere” situation? Why is the ad written in Spanish?

Once these questions are read again, it is inevitable to relate them to our arguments on

ethnic and racial stereotyping. It appears that in all cases, the answers are given to us

immediately if we assume stereotype characteristics as facts.

It would be clear, for instance, that 9 years would be a fair amount of time for a group of

Latin women to develop a successful shop, given their lack of authority and dependence on their

Machos. This is not a bunch of “Malinches”; this is a group that has done all they can “given

their limitations”. However, once IBM joined them, and we might assume that this is also

something that was allowed them to do, the shop burst into an exporting company. It appears that

IBM assumed the Macho figure in the sense that it helped the women succeed. IBM was the

provider of solutions, the caretaker, thus the male figure. Presumably, the ad would make little

sense in the Latin American market if there were four men depicted in the scene. Four Machos

would not need another to succeed, even less four American men, efficient, intelligent and

trustworthy, like the man depicted in the first ad. Nor would four Caucasian women, like the one

presented in the second ad, perfectly capable of being full-fledged entrepreneurs, detached from

the need of a male figure. The ads language serves a clear indicator of who is the message

directed to. There is a clear targeting to the Latin American market, utilizing the Latin female

stereotype to get a point across: IBM is the male solution to a feminine Latin America, the way

out, the permission to grow, the opportunity to develop.

Conclusion


After analyzing the messages embedded in the IBM ads, it is fair to say that several

discursive figures are in play. These figures rely heavily on stereotypes to get their point across.

Not only that but also, these stereotypes work on gender and racial issues that have been

historically negative to the cultural progress of ethnicities. In this sense, the ads can be read as

politically and culturally improper. In the larger picture though, it seems that these kinds of ads

are actually blended with others that do portray women and Latinos in a very different way. It

appears that those companies that want to create positive and meaningful ads do work hard on

contextual analysis and representational issues to avoid creating pieces that may, although not

necessarily on purpose, disturb the public they are intended to.

The Latino culture is very rich and complex. Several archetype figures exist in the

everyday life of Latino culture that absolutely need to be addressed by those creating

promotional material for it, otherwise there will always be the risk of presenting material with

added connotations that may effectively work against the promoter.


References

Angenot, M. Bessière, J. Fokkema, D. & Kushner, E. (1993). Teoría Literaria. Mexico, D.F.:

Siglo XXI editors.

Hall, S. (Ed.). (1997). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. USA:

Sage Publications.

Melhuus, M. (Ed.). (1997). Machos, Mistresses, Madonnas: Contesting the Power of Latin

American Gender Imagery. USA: Verso.

Pike, F. B. (1992). The United States and Latin America: Myths and Stereotypes of Civilization

and Nature. Texas, USA: University of Texas Press.

Sardar, Z. & Van Loon, B. (2001). Introducing Cultural Studies. USA: Totem Books.

Stangor, Ch. (Ed.). (2000). Stereotypes and Prejudice: Key Readings in Social Psychology. USA:

Psychology Press.

Swann, W.G. (Ed.), Langlois, J.H.(Ed.), & Gilbert, L.A.(Ed.). (1999). Sexism and Stereotypes in

Modern Society: The Gender Science of Janet Taylor Spence. USA: American

Psychological Association.


APPENDIX A

“E-efficient”, “E-intelligence” and “E-directoras” ads by IBM


APPENDIX B

“Spirit of Enterprise” ad by Rolex and “Su talento” ad by DHL

Ethnic and Gender Stereotyping in Latin American Advertising

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