Blog #8- Honda Fit

Before we were even brought into this world our parents had painted our room after they found out they were having a boy/girl. My mother knew I was going to be a girl; therefore my room was pink before I was even born. With a brother being a surprise baby, my parents picked a gender neutral color of yellow. Our gender affects many decisions in our life, but never did I think it would affect what car we decided to drive. For many years women have been depicted driving 2 distinct vehicles, a minivan or a sports car. The mother figure is always pictured driving her kids around in a minivan, and the single women are always pictured shopping in her expensive sports car. Men are not judged by the type of car they decide to drive, unless it’s pink. Honda has decided to embrace the gender stereotypes by designing a car exclusively for women, The Honda Fit.

For decades the car industry has focused most of its attention on the male market, since a majority of the men of the household buy the cars. Honda found in a study that women now make up 1/3 of the car purchasers in the United States. Now that women are making a debut in car purchasing, the market is up for the challenge. But just because women are now buying more cars, does that mean we want pink cars? I think not. While I personally know a good portion of my friends would love to drive a pink car, that doesn’t mean I would. Is this ad dangerous in portraying an already overused stereotype? What happens if a boy wants to drive the Honda Fit? Is that boy considered gay since the car is pink? In a recent study by the daily cougar, “Ads stir controversy on the issue of what makes a boy masculine and a girl feminine, as if pink and blue preferences weren’t enough. And in this age, that determining factor is a little outdated in identifying a 21^st century boy or girl.”

For the rest of this study you can find it here: http://thedailycougar.com/2011/04/20/gender-stereotypes-paint-pink-problems/

This ad affects me, along with the rest of the female population. Yes we are buying cars, and yes we like to be targeted in the market, but that doesn’t mean we want to buy a pink car. I am perfectly happy with my red car. I think playing on this stereotype of what color goes with which sex is very dangerous is a society that is constantly changing. In society today there is a fine line in even determining boys and girls, with so many people identifying as both or neither. This ad could even be considered offensive to some girls who don’t like the stereotype and don’t like the color pink. As a young women in America today I do not like being targeted this heavily, or being told what I should or should not buy.

For the full Honda Fit article you can find it here: http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/honda-fit-she-world-only-car-aimed-exclusively-205422886.html