FROM ‘RECHARGER’ TO ‘GIDI-POWER’: The representation of male sexual power in Ghanaian radio commercials

Abstract

Gender and advertising research have often centered on gender stereotypes, most of which emphasize the representation of women as ‘sex objects'. The representation of men in sexual stereotypes are often not dealt with, even though an increasing number of advertisements are now showing men as sex objects. In its contribution to gender, language and advertising research, this study looks at how men are represented in sexual stereotypes (not in print media or from the West, which have often been the focus) in Ghanaian radio commercials. Using a Feminist Critical Discursive Approach, six adverts on products for sexual potency are examined. Through the analyses of various linguistic forms, the results show that ‘manliness’ is equated with sexual power, and this is a reproduction of the traditional male power stereotype, that is, the expectation that men are to be powerful. However, this power is subverted since it needs the ‘approval’ of women, thereby representing women as equally powerful (if not more powerful). © 2014 Taylor & Francis.