Rebelling Against Femininity: A Rhetorical Critique on the Nerf Rebelle Campaign

While there has been extensive research that has examined the pressure young girls feel to fit into social norms (Paetcher, & Lafky & Duffy), this study is unique because it investigates society’s anxiety in response to the threat young girls pose to dominant masculinity. Through a feminist critique of the Hasbro Nerf Rebelle campaign, this study analyzes the feminization of typically masculine toys and asks whether the results of the toys and their marketing are empowering, disempowering, or some combination of the two. Drawing on the work of previous scholars and the discussion of the different waves of feminism, Title IX, and more references such as the Hunger Games and the feminization of the NFL, this study will illustrate how the Nerf Rebelle campaign inherently reinforces gender barriers while simultaneously challenging dominant masculinity. Introduction Young American girls struggle with their gender identities: Should they be a girly-girl? A tomboy? A feminized tomboy? These possibilities plague young girls in part because of society’s incessant need to frame how girls see themselves based on the activities they participate in. Tomboy and girly-girl identities tend to be polarized, for instance, “tomboy identities can be constructed not so much in relation to masculinity, but through a rejection of femininity” (Paechter, p. 228). Girls are conditioned to play dress-up, with dolls, and value collaborative relationships whereas boys are conditioned to play war, sports, and compete. Girls and women construct their femininity through the available “ways of being, attitudes, and behaviors” (Paetcher, 221) and society is constantly reframing the activities that are acceptable for young girls. The current cultural moment encourages girls to play sports, become sports fans, and participate in more masculine activities. However the nature of participation in these REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 3 contemporary activities has been modified and constrained to meet the dominant public’s expectations of females. This study investigates society’s anxiety concerning young girls’ threat to dominant masculinity, due to the “brand” of femininity that is prevalent in this particular cultural moment. These anxieties are considered through the examination of the Hasbro© Nerf Rebelle campaign and the question of whether the feminization of typically masculine toys is empowering, disempowering, or a combination of the two. The dominant public’s expectations of femininity are based on perceptions of what dominant masculinity should be. In the United States, hegemonic masculinity is the societal standard and benchmark of acceptable male behavior and men are expected to perform the roles and behaviors that accompany it. According to Addis and Mahalik, “themes of dominant masculinity include such aspects as emotional control, homophobia, risk taking, autonomy, power over women, competitiveness, aggression, and a host of other factors (Kahn, Holmes, & Brett, p. 31). Women’s idea of femininity is constructed in part as a result of the widely accepted perception of masculinity. The idea of a new “brand” of femininity is breaching societal standards and challenging the social norms that have been instilled in American culture for decades. Although women experience a greater amount of freedom in the United States than in many countries such as India and the Middle East, gender expectations still are instilled in girls at a young age and these expectations limit girls. In one study, both the boys and girls stated that at school, boys were identified with “not accepting sporting losses graciously,” in addition to being more dominant and aggressive (Paetcher, 229). This study supports the generalization that girls are perceived as more nurturing, and boys as more dominant. Yet, the current cultural changes in gender REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 4 expectations also encourage boys to be nurturing, and for girls to take control and become more independent. For example, we have celebrity icons such as Ryan Gosling and Beyonce taking on these different roles. Ryan Gosling’s “Hey Girl” memes on the Internet trend feminist blurbs and gushy sayings and he has chosen to embrace it. In 2010 he commented on the “Hey girl” memes saying, “they’ve nailed it...I’m going to make a movie about ‘Hey Girl’” (Clements, 2013). Beyonce, on the other hand, has songs such as “Independent Woman” which promotes independence and contains the lines, “The shoes on my feet; I bought it. The clothes I’m wearing; I’ve bought it. The rock I’m rockin’; ‘Cause I depend on me.” This song encourages women to be independent and not depend on anyone else, which consequently does not let male dominance define them. These reversals of gender roles in celebrities have the potential to change society’s perception of what’s acceptable. The Nerf Rebelle campaign is significant because it is responsible for challenging young girls to embrace playing with Nerf toys while simultaneously instilling some of the gender norms feminist advocates have been fighting against for years. Literature Review There are four major themes relevant to this study: gender in advertising, feminist waves with a focus on third wave feminism, dominant masculinity’s impact on women, and the presence of the tomboy. I explore each theme through a review of feminist and gender roles to focus on the question of how young girls can be empowered or disempowered. Gender in Advertising Significant research suggests that the different portrayals of gender in advertising immensely impact how individuals see themselves and others. Sandra Bem, for example, discusses the “lenses of gender” and how it “influences the ways individuals socially construct REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 5 reality and produce...gender traits” as well as how it “helps to shape gender-based inequalities” (as cited in Lafky & Duffy, 380). The “lenses of gender” provide a way of seeing one’s identity; in this case, based on advertisements and how gender is portrayed in the media. Advertisements create a sense of reality for the audience that does not account for equality among genders – instead they focus on making products attractive to the consumer. In regards to femininity, “research suggests that while stereotypical representations may not [always] induce product purchase, they do encourage viewers to internalize the social constructed image of femininity in advertising, thus helping to define femininity and acceptable female roles” (Lafky & Duffy, 381). This is significant because it means that the media and advertisements are responsible for creating specific gender norms and shaping the roles of women despite the variety amongst femininity that actually exists. This internalized construction of femininity applies to both male and female individuals. When men see an advertisement that places women in a negative stereotype, they tend to internalize it and place themselves in a more dominant position. In a specific study of U.S. advertising, Beverly A. Browne concluded that “males are projected as wiser, more active, aggressive, and instrumental than females, and also that non-verbal conduct in males implied greater control and dominance than in females” (189). While Browne’s study aligns with Sandra Bem’s idea that advertising structures gender-based inequalities, studies also set precedents for improvements in advertising for women. Women continue to advocate for equal rights and Furnham and Mark, as well as Sharits and Lammers, suggest that, “role portrayals in commercials are more representative of contemporary women [who] are gradually becoming equal to men” (as cited in Eisend). These optimistic studies are possible because of the work of feminist movements and their impact on gender portrayal which in turn supports the claim that REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 6 there is significant work being done (for instance, in Nerf Rebelle) to counter popular beliefs about dominant masculinity. Feminist Movements Gender norms in modern culture are constantly being challenged due to the work of feminist movements in the past and even today. These feminist movements can be split into three waves, including the most recent: third-wave feminism. The first movement in the United States to break down barriers and push for equal rights among gender is called first wave feminism. The first wave began around 1850 (Banks, p. 46). In 1860, Samuel Longfellow, an American clergyman, expressed a fundamental goal of feminism during his time that is still indispensable to the efforts of women today: “whatever any human being can do well, that being has a right to do, and the ability of any person marks the sphere of that person” (Campbell, 101). Although there were many aspects of the first wave that were beneficial to the overall success of women’s movements, the suffrage movement was the most memorable. Olive Banks, a professor in the history of feminism, claims that gaining the right to vote for women was “the key to all the other reforms women wanted to achieve for themselves and for others” (Banks, p. 46). Women achieved this right in 1920, fifty years after African American males, and it opened up opportunities for women that had never been available before. The next movement in the United States is termed the second wave of feminism. It began in the 1960s as a result of the baby boom from post-WWII and came to a close around 1980 (Gamble, p. 25). Women who felt pressured into domesticity decided they could offer more to the world than child rearing and maintaining the household. Betty Freidan’s The Feminine Critique was perhaps one of the most influential pieces of feminist work introduced during this time in response to this dissatisfaction. Although it applied mainly to white, middle class women, REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 7 it still gave women an example to follow and set the stage to demand more. Friedan described it as “the problem that has no name” which represents the lack of voice women felt and their inability to pinpoint their inherent unhappiness (Friedan, p. 16). Women were expected to “devote their lives from earliest girlhood to finding a husband and bearing children” (Friedan, p. 16). There was little expectation for women to do anything else and they were becoming restless – hoping to get outside of the home and make a difference in the world. Friedan’s literary work encouraged women to “listen to [their] inner voice to find [their] identity in this changing world” (Friedan, p. 338); to create “a new life plan, fitting in the love and children and home that have defined femininity in the past with the work toward a greater purpose that shapes the future” (Friedan, p. 338). Her book was groundbreaking and influential for American, white women during this time. However, in the 1990s a third wave of feminism arose, and new perspectives were desired challenging what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Lastly, third wave feminism has goals that fight for more than just equal opportunity between men and women and encourage creating their own definition of femininity. For instance, females rally to “enjoy varied performances of gender, including femininity and masculinity, [which is now] available to them in contemporary culture” (Scanlon, p. 128). Women mesh together different aspects of their gendered identities because there is currently greater acceptance for girls who participate in more masculine activities; they are known as “feminized tomboys” due to their ability to synthesize their gendered identities. For instance, this might look like a woman who is independent, adventurous, and plays sports but simultaneously wears lipstick and a bow in her hair. The mixture of these feminist theories allows for different women to interpret feminism in a way that fits their individual needs and desires. Regardless of a woman’s ability to reject and accept different perspectives, “femininity calls young women to REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 8 agency, for example suggesting them to be equally ‘free’ as men...” (Jackson & Lyons, p. 228). This provides them with the opportunity to create their own sense of femininity, which in itself is empowering. Women have broken down barriers and worked hard and despite not being completely equal to men their “tenacity” has earned them the “right to exist in what had [previously] been a rather masculine space” (Orr, p. 10). One result of these effects is the introduction of the federal law, Title IX in 1972 that “guarantees girls and young women the same access to scholastic sports as their male counterparts” (Hardin, Simpson, Whiteside, & Garris, p. 212). Before Title IX was passed, opportunities were not equal for males and females; “only 1 in 27 girls played high school sports [and] there were virtually no college sports for female athletes” (The MARGARET Fund). Because of these daunting statistics it took a lot of perseverance and determination on the part of feminists to get Title IX recognized and passed. Women’s existence in this masculine space has created anxiety for men due to the fear that women will surpass men in fields typically male-dominated, such as sports. This fear supports the idea that men are seen as the dominant gender and essentially “breaks the rules” of gender norms. Regardless, Helen Gurley Brown promotes a feminism that includes “an embrace of compromise, an honesty about less than perfect behaviors, and a promotion of rule breaking...” (as cited in Scanlon, p. 137). Men have always displayed these behaviors, but the newfound presence of women demonstrating them has created a sense of anxiety that questions women’s threat to dominant masculinity. In the article “Is this the end of men or the beginning of women?” some of these anxieties are expressed. For instance, with 57 percent of college students as women, and women infiltrating “a wide variety of lucrative careers” the threat of women becoming as dominant as men seems to be a real threat (Sohn). Dominant Masculinity and it’s Impact REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 9 To understand women’s threat to dominant masculinity, it is first important to understand the dominant definition of masculinity in mainstream society and the impact it has on the development of both men and women. While definitions of masculinity “differ across time, culture, and among individuals” (Kahn, Holmes, & Brett, p. 30), the dominant masculinity I am referring to is the overarching theme of dominant masculinity across all races and classes. This universal idea has a more static identity based on the relevant dominant social groups’ “values, beliefs, and attitudes” in regard to “maleness” (Kahn, Holmes, & Brett, p. 31). These ideals are normalized and therefore have become the expectation for the western world’s idea of the appropriate form of masculinity. Cultures have “a systematic process in which masculinity is negotiated and reinforced in order to keep current social constructions of masculinity homeostatic” (Kahn, Holmes, & Brett, p. 31), that depend on the conformation of men and women. One central theme of dominant masculinity is “power over women” which implies that women that become too independent may threaten men’s ability to fulfill this idea of masculinity. Despite women’s triumphs in sports, the workplace, and personal life some women tend to accept this “power over women” ideology because of society’s constant effort to counteract this threat to their masculinity. Within a patriarchal historic moment, feminists believe that women “look to [the] glossy public image to decide every detail of their lives” (Friedan, p. 72). Magazines and television commercials with men in power portray women in a certain way in order to ensure their power-over status. One video that highlights these barriers to women’s equality is “Codes of Gender.” In this video, the writers introduce the term “commercial realism,” which describes a method that advertisers use to portray models and the scenarios they are placed in so that average person will accept these representations as normal (Media REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 10 Education Foundation & Jhally). Women are regularly positioned lying down and they are sexualized, subjected to the male gaze through the use of actual male models. Designers such as, Paul Marciano of Guess, for instance, is quoted as admitting in “Codes of Gender” that he wanted to go back to the old sense of femininity in which men dominated women (Media Education Foundation & Jhally). Despite these obvious sexist depictions, some trends show that women tend to continue to purchase from these companies and contribute to diminishing women’s challenges to dominant masculinity. There is one way that women continue to threaten dominant masculinity and that is with a tomboy identity. Tomboys The concept of a tomboy identity emerged in the United States after the Civil War and around the time Little Women was written (Russel), though the identity wasn’t accepted and embraced until the last few decades. Due to feminist movements and Title IX, “increasing opportunities for girls and women...have created new visibility for tomboys (in both popular culture and lived reality) that simply did not exist even thirty years ago” (Skerski, p. 470). During youth, girls are accepted and even encouraged to take on the tomboy identity. Carr has cited that: “Several scholars have theorized that tomboys are granted more social and parental acceptance than their “sissy” counterparts because of the ‘more rigid...role construction’ of masculinity than of femininity (Kimmel, 2004, p. 132), and because tomboys display socially rewarded ‘masculine’ traits or behaviors (Burn, O’Neil, & Nederend, 1996; Devor, 1989; Martin, 1995, p. 440). REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 11 Its important to recognize that girls are encouraged to be tomboys because the masculine performances they deliver are perceived as positive. Conversely, boys are ostracized for being a “sissy” because feminine traits are still unjustly seen as inferior. This social encouragement for tomboy behavior ceases quickly after puberty hits for girls because “the fear of adult female masculinity underlies the pervasive encouragement of young tomboys to embrace femininity (and its implications) as she reaches adulthood” (Skerski, p. 467). Society seems to allow women to be more active and take part in more masculine activities when she is younger and as long as she maintains the proper amount of femininity expected by those around her when she matures. While tomboy-ism usually stops once society steps in and discourages it, there are heterosexual women that persist beyond puberty and maintain a tomboy identity without violating society’s fear of adult female masculinity. This extension is typically because of “their love of sports and the outdoors...” which is accepted (Carr, p. 446). The idea that women are initially accepted for their tomboy identity and then forcefully shaped into more typically feminine roles ultimately is disempowering. Young girls and women should be free to develop their identities individually without limits created through the prevalence of advertising and society’s expectations. Cultural Context for the Hasbro Nerf Rebelle Campaign The Hasbro Nerf Rebelle campaign has begun to saturate the consumer market during a time that is historically appropriate due to the introduction of movies such as The Hunger Games, as well as the NFL’s effort to feminize football to attract a wider variety of fans. This campaign’s effort to feminize typically masculine toys is entirely relevant. Hunger Games With the recent craze of the Hunger Games and heroine, Katniss Everdeen at the forefront, women’s empowerment is on the rise. Katniss, who dons a bow and arrow, seems to be REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 12 instrumental in the success of the Hasbro Nerf Rebelle Campaign. In the movies, Katniss Everdeen supports her family, and in a game of strength and honor beats out 22 other boys and girls between 11-18 years of age. Not only has the movie encouraged archery and athletic feminine prowess, it has encouraged independence, strength and determination in young women. In the movie and in real life she has become a new face to look up to because of her ability to overcome her fear of her death and the death of her family. According to Tessa Iaconi, a spokeswoman for USA Archery, the Hunger Games has given “archery the hip factor it’s just never had before” (Rubin). Classes fill up overnight and waitlists span over six months. The New York Times article, The Odds Are Ever in Their Favor mentions that since December of 2011 “individual membership in USA Archery has jumped 25 percent, while the number of clubs has nearly doubled, to 540 from 270” (Rubin). While in the past there have been stints of popularity in archery, the sport has never seen such a large and sustained rise as it has from the Hunger Games – especially from young girls. The Victory Archers, of Staten Island, have had to accommodate Girl Scout troops and tween birthday parties weekly (Rubin). It is no wonder that girls are flocking to learn archery with Katniss Everdeen as their inspiration. Kelly Oliver, a professor in philosophy at Vanderbilt University, describes the recent craze of girls who hunt. She describes the character of Katniss Everdeen as “beautiful, innocent, and dangerous” (K. Oliver, personal communication, October 9, 2013) while also acknowledging the fact that in the movie she is able to take care of herself and her Hunger Games competitor Peeta, who needs her as much as she needs him. While she undermines the typical ideals of femininity because Katniss can take care of herself, Oliver still acknowledges that the film presents Katniss Everdeen as caring more about hunting and her family than any romantic REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 13 interest, but also as being forced to fulfill society’s patriarchal fantasy when Peeta mentions to the audience of the Hunger Games that he is in love with Katniss and she suddenly is deemed “desirable” (K. Oliver, personal communication, October 9, 2013). Though she is not in love with Peeta, she must pretend to be in order to survive the games. She is then seen as a victim rather than the warrior she truly is. Despite the complicated femininity presented in the movie, it seems obvious that the recent popularity of Katniss Everdeen has impacted young girls’ interest in archery and therefore Nerf Rebelle. This leads us into discussing the recent popularization of football for women. Feminizing the NFL Football has typically been seen as a masculine interest. Sundays are for watching football with the guys. But recently women’s participation and interest in football has increased tremendously. Men are no longer the only ones with Fantasy Football teams or who spend their Sundays watching the games – women are right there with them (Dosh). The NFL, specifically, has taken numerous steps to try to continue to increase women’s participation (Dosh). Whether these efforts are meant for the benefit of women, men, or for mere profit remains an open question. The NFL Corporation has increased the apparel line over the last few years to include more options for women. The corporation recognizes that according to ESPN Sports Poll and the U.S. Census women are now 44 percent of all football fans (Dosh). Due to this rising statistic, women have become a huge target for sales. NFL marketers see this as a way to make more money. Meghann Malone, a marketing manager for marketing, advertising, and public relations at the firm IMRE says, “A female consumer is a consumer for life” (Dosh). Not only that but Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business discovered that “70 percent of ‘important family REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 14 decisions’ are made by women” (Dosh). By pinpointing women in marketing, the NFL Corporation is able to create more sales while also fostering women’s desire to become more involved in football. One would think that this drive in women’s involvement in sports is strictly empowering to women but it also raises questions. The apparel line for women, for instance, has a section that promotes “home gating” – a form of tailgating in the home that plays into domesticity. This feeds into the gender expectations placed on women to stay at home while also fulfilling a man’s desire to see women who are interested in their interests as a sign of loyalty and identification. The NFLshop.com commercial plays into this male patriarchal fantasy by featuring women in slim-fitting jerseys and shirts with their hair down, short skirts on, and makeup done. A man’s voice narrates the commercial showing through the male point of view and voice, the dominance that men still have over women in this sport. At one point during the commercial they show a woman kissing her baby and holding her baby on her hip (NFL Shop). Although the NFL is trying to include women in football and encourage them to become more involved with football, they are still portraying the female stereotypes of maternity and responsibility for child raising. The theme “we make football together” is nice in theory, but the commercial debunks its message with the man over-voice and the women being portrayed sexually and maternally (NFL Shop). Instead of showing the women in the NFL apparel at a football game, they show them as if they are walking down a runway. The NFL commercial is extremely relevant to a recent fad in fashion magazines because they use the same methods of advertising. The NFL apparel line has been showcased in magazines such as Marie Claire, Vogue, and Cosmopolitan Magazine. The women wearing the jerseys are on runways in heavy makeup and revealing clothing. This is a great example of society REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 15 feminizing the tomboy. In the Nerf Rebelle campaign, items are pink and purple, and in these NFL advertisements, the football jerseys and accessories have been altered to be revealing and to stay within the constraints of society’s expectations for femininity. Marie Claire published a “16-page insert called ‘The Savvy Girl’s Guide to Football’ in their September issue. In the insert the focus is on “NFL women’s apparel, tips for hosting a Super Bowl party, and a guide to ‘quarterback bromances’” (Sebastian). The addition of the tips for a Super Bowl party constrains femininity but Tracey Bleczinsk, VP for consumer products at the NFL, acknowledges that they “have female fans who know the game better than guys” and that the appropriate approach to attracting women is no longer to “shrink it and pink it” (Sebastian) but instead to provide the same jerseys as men but in more feminine cuts. Women fans are being given more respect and although the NFL still feminizes its products and advertisements, it is a step in the right direction. Methods The methodology I chose for the Nerf Rebelle campaign consists of feminist rhetorical critique, content analysis, and comparing and contrasting. I chose a feminist method because the toys, website, and videos under the Nerf Rebelle brand have been overtly feminized through different aspects of physical appearance and language. While the use of weapons for play for young girls is outside the norm and may challenge dominant masculinity and empower them, the colors and terminology can be considered disempowering to the social and mental development of young girls. A feminist rhetorical analysis employs the principles of rhetoric to examine the interactions between a text, an author, and an audience, which in this instance addresses the text of the Nerf Rebelle campaign’s impact on the audience of young girls I question. I question what the impact REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 16 of these toys are, particularly whether they are empowering, disempowering, or some combination of the two through the analysis of different aspects of this Hasbro campaign and the deeper meaning behind these toys catered to young girls. The way in which I did was to go through every aspect of the campaign, by gathering data on the toys, and by examining the website. I then proceeded to map them out on large pieces of paper according to feminization of colors, uses of language, the location of toys in the store, and the campaign imaging. From the data mapping I determined common themes. The themes of feminization of language, visual style, and inclusivity appeared consistently across artifacts and texts and provided the framework for analysis. The website, physical toys, and commentary are seen by the consumers most frequently, and therefore was chosen as the data set. It was important to include the website in my research because we live in a world driven by technology. Within the website I looked at each of the pages – “home”, “toys”, “shop”, “games”, and “videos” – and discovered an abundance of evidence to support the themes of gendered language, visual style, and inclusivity including, the color schemes, phrases, font, and characters portrayed, the names of the toys, the spelling of certain words, graphics, and presentation. Children are now familiar with the World Wide Web at a significantly younger age, therefore advertising has focused its efforts on television and the Internet, even resorting to putting their unique commercials on their website to gain more exposure, and this makes the analysis of the website significant. The main Hasbro Nerf website contains all of the Nerf campaigns and links to separate websites including Nerf Rebelle, Zombie Strike, N-Strike Elite, Vortex, Super Soaker and N Sports. All of the other campaigns on the site target males. I looked at the site and the Nerf section in Toys R Us through an analytic lens of compare and contrast to account for similarities REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 17 and differences in the campaigns’ toys and found that more masculine words such as “products” versus “toys” were used. This is significant because it implies that the boys’ Nerf products are taken more seriously than the girls’ Nerf toys. I then took a trip to the Toys ‘R’ Us of Westminster, Colorado to view the Nerf Rebelle toys in their original packaging as well as the consumer setting so that I could understand the marketing effects and impression that Nerf Rebelle offers to consumers first hand. I looked at location in the store as well as the size of the display, structure of the box and the wording, and colors and themes in order to understand the relative presence of Nerf Rebelle and its aesthetics, in comparison to the other Nerf brands that target males. Looking at the physical toys was important because the consumer must understand that the way a toy is presented is strategic and influences perception. Last, popular commentary about specially feminized products also was essential to data collection because it is important to recognize the point of views of consumers and critics. I included a satirical video of Ellen Degeneres highlighting the absurdities of a “Bic For Her” pen because it showed her dissatisfaction with feminized products. I also included commentary from a woman purchasing the Nerf Rebelle Heartbreaker Bow and individuals’ opinions on the YouTube commercial video. These commentaries are essential because they highlight the opinions of dissent and assent of the average person (versus a celebrity) who come into contact with feminized products. I gathered other commentary on Nerf Rebelle toys via Twitter, YouTube, and through personal correspondence. Analysis can be done time and time again, but unless commentary from those experiencing these products is taken into account, the full range of responses are not accountable. Advertising campaigns attempt to create an impression and REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 18 experience for their consumers. Without the opinion and feedback of the consumer, the advertisers cannot understand how the message was actually received and interpreted. I considered whether or not these toys are empowering, disempowering or both by looking at the facets of the Nerf Rebelle campaign that I have listed. The three central themes I identified are (1) feminization of language (direct commands, naming, and spelling), (2) visual style (colors, script, and dress), and (3) inclusivity. The feminist critique was most appropriate for this analysis because content analysis of the campaign using this framework allowed me to gain better perspective to what adolescent girls were being exposed. Another method such as the quantitative or qualitative approach would not have been as effective as the feminist critique because while I mention numbers in my data set, the quantitative method focuses primarily on an empirical investigation via statistical or mathematical data. The qualitative method also would not have been as effective because it attempts to gain an in-depth understanding of human behavior and why that behavior exists. In my research I did not concentrate the majority of my efforts on gaining the perspectives of consumers of Nerf Rebelle, but instead interpreted the content presented to these consumers and the implications for gender it provides. RQ1: Does the Nerf Rebelle campaign pose a threat to dominant masculinity? RQ2: To young girls, is the Nerf Rebelle campaign seen as empowering, disempowering, or both? Data It’s surprising how much insight can be gained from content analysis. When you look at a product initially, you take it at face value, but through content analysis you can discover implications and implicit messages that are surprising and include the depictions of stereotypes and social norms and presumptions conveyed about the target audience. From these implicit REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 19 messages I gathered that the Nerf Rebelle campaign’s most important elements were its website, physical toys, and commentary throughout which the themes of the feminization of language, visual style, and inclusivity emerged. Feminization of Language The feminization of language was prominent on the website as well as on the physical packaging of the Nerf Rebelle products. This included but was not limited to the spelling of Rebelle, the naming of products and the different toys, and the use of direct commands or declarations through advertising. The most recognizable thing about Nerf Rebelle is the addition of “Rebelle” on the original Hasbro Nerf brand. This is important because throughout the rest of the toy campaign, spelling is not feminized – Hasbro just decided to alter the spelling of this word, which is by far the most exposed due to its inclusion in the brand name and emblem. The intriguing implications of this addition though are that “Rebelle” is not spelled like the typically used version “rebel” but has a feminine twist on it. In fact “rebelled” is not even in the Webster’s dictionary and when typed into Google, instead the word “rebel” pops up. This use of feminized language raises a question of the validity of a girl as a rebel. The blogger, boundandgaggedbybooks, offers commentary to this point claiming, “the very name Rebelle (not to mention the heartbreaker bow and diva dart) is an annoying and unnecessary attempt to keep toys gendered, girly, and unintimidating. What? Was “rebel” not feminine enough?” This bloggers commentary supports the claim that young girls’ own line of Nerf toys is not expected or necessarily accepted; therefore it is feminized in order to avoid challenging the masculine (or original) version of rebel. With such an alteration in the name of the campaign, I question Hasbro’s intended effect in creating something to make young girls feel like they have their own version of Nerf products. It is interesting that Hasbro finds the need to supplement the Nerf REBELLING AGAINST FEMININITY 20 brand with the word “rebelle”; why not just make pink and purple options under the already existing Nerf campaign? The reason seems to be that the existing Nerf brands are directed towards males and the word; “rebelle” differentiates these products and allows it to be directed towards females. This realization leads us to a subset of the feminization of language: naming, which impacts the entirety of the product and how people view it. For instance, Nerf Rebelle is accepted as a female brand of Nerf because of the feminization of its name. This ties in the commentary of the overtly feminized naming of the product, “Bic For Her”. Ellen Degeneres, a well-known comedian and talk show host, did a satire on this product on her show, Ellen. Not only did she simply address the addition of “for her” to the previously existing Bic pen but she also made a mockery of it. After introducing the pen to her live audience she exclaims, “Can you believe this? We’ve been using man pens all these years!” and also points out that on the packaging it says, “designed to fit a woman’s hand” (Degeneres). She highlights the absurdity of naming a pen “Bic For Her” because of its pink and purple features. This absurdity is found in the fact that adding “for her” is completely unnecessary and implies that previous Bic pens were intended for males’ use only. She proceeds to support this claim with a satirical commercial she made. In the commercial she states to her “daughter” that the pens are meant to be used to write down an opinion but due to her status as woman after recording that opinion “crumple it up and throw it away because no one wants to know our opinions sweetheart” (Degeneres). With this exaggeration, the unnecessary nature of the creation of an entirely new line within the Bic brand