Following
our visit to the Palmer Museum of Art, I carefully chose a place downtown in
which I could similarly analyze the gender identities and representation and
expand upon the ways in which the ideas of gender are both produced and
reproduced in the chosen setting. The location I chose was the Starbucks Coffee
store on the corner of College Avenue and Burrowes Street. I chose this
location because of the abundance of artwork and advertisements, which
contribute to the distinct visual culture associated with Starbucks, their
featured product—coffee, and the appeal to women associated with each and every
element of the store.
The theme
of the visual culture in the store aims to attract women and provide them with
an environment that is comfortable and cozy for them to enjoy. Upon entering
Starbucks, I noticed the logo that features a woman in the center. As I
continued to look around and observe the many visuals that are presented to the
customers after entering the store, I noticed that all of the advertisements
for their current specials appeal to women. The ads all show women smiling
while enjoying a sweet drink in a small cup.
These printed ads are in the form of tall, skinny posters with smooth
thin fonts and they depict tall skinny women as if to market the ideal female
shape. These colorful ads are for their featured seasonal drinks and pastries
that are both sweet and are advertised in small portions. Along the same lines,
the other products that are for sale are thermoses and bags of coffee to brew
at home. Like the posters that I mentioned noticing when I first walked in, all
of these products are tall and skinny shapes. As I went to place my order I
notice the roles of the employees behind the counter. There were three
employees working—two women, one man. The two women worked together to make the
coffee and take the orders of the customers. I noticed that they were both
friendly to me in an effort to make me feel comfortable and welcome, but I
noticed that they were especially adept at conversing with the line of
customers around me which were nearly all college aged women. They engaged in
gossip and talked about their favorite drinks as they waited for the lone male
employee to churn out their complicated order. The lone man behind the counter
was assigned the role of making all of the specialty drinks which were primarily
the orders placed by women. It struck me that, whether consciously or not; the
employees were fulfilling the stereotypical mother/father roles. The man was
the hard-worker, the provider while the two women were the comforting presence
that made you feel comfortable and right at home. The last aspect of female
oriented visual culture that I noticed was the specific effort put forth by
Starbucks to make their store a cozy atmosphere like that of one’s own home.
The tables were almost all two-seaters creating a private, intimate atmosphere.
The music playing was smooth jazz or other soft music and one of the
distinguishing factors of Starbucks is their free Wi-Fi Internet access. Nearly
everyone in the store was on his or her laptop computer (including me).
All of this
evidence clearly makes Starbucks a store geared toward women. The skinny cups,
posters, and bags of coffee appeal to the idea that women are trying to
maintain their healthy, ideal shape. The advertisements for their sweet drinks
and pastries masterfully persuade women that it is acceptable for them to have,
because all of the portions shown in the ads are very small although no option
that small is available once you reach the register. The employees working also
reproduce the feminine vibe to the customers by emulating the typical mother
and father roles, consequently making the customer feel comfortable. And
finally, the intimate seating, user-friendly technology, and the soft music all
contribute to the cozy feeling that is meant to make women feel comfortable.
While analyzing the visual culture in Starbucks to support the conclusion that gender
roles are strictly followed in an effort to market their product to women I
tried to think of a place where the opposite is true and the goal is clearly to
appeal to men. The store I though of was 7-11. These convenience stores are
famous for their large soda cups, their sugary frozen treats, and their
blatantly unhealthy food choices. A place like 7-11, when juxtaposed with a
place like Starbucks makes the gender roles, visual culture, and intent in
marketing of each store easy to see.
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