The text I chose to analyze was “How Genders Work: Producing the J. Crew Catalog” by Paul Muhlhauser and Kelly Bradbury. I chose this text because I have had Dr. Muhlhauser as a professor and really enjoy his perspective and insights. The text also captured my attention because I love marketing and I love analyzing more discreet forms of rhetoric such as picture advertisements as opposed to more straightforward arguments even if it includes mixed media like the following meme:

 P.S. Two things I wish weren’t so popular on Facebook: Football and Politics.

“How Genders Work” is a digital publication breaking down the elements of different J.Crew adds to consider the “necessary elements” to sell J. Crew-like clothing.  Studying the aesthetic appeal of different fonts, language, and photographs (including the photo’s context and model’s body position in the photo), Muhlhauser and Bradbury consider the arguments presented by these elements and comment on why they may appeal to the targeted gender.

I think identifying these elements and producing publications like this is important for educating consumers who should be aware of the appeal being made to them by something simple like a clothing catalogue. Also when published and disseminated there is a certain level of accountability that is generated when companies feel “at-risk” of being discovered. Similar to the when companies realized they could no longer effectively market a product like soda just by having a celebrity say they drink it so it’s the “cool-kid” thing to do.

On the other side of this, I also think there is value for companies, educational institutions, and other organizations (non-profits, etc.) in learning to understand what motivates different demographics to do the things they do and spend the way the spend. Effective branding and marketing are just as important for influencing say – the next generation of students to value the liberal arts, as they are for J. Crew or Wal-Mart to sell clothing.