YOUR WORK NEEDS TO BE VERY ACCURATE** PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE YOU MAKE A BID. I'm working on a writing project, I've done with the first step of my project, which is choosing an artifact and analyzing it. The second step of my project is l

It is a common behavior to judge people based on their appearance. Even without paying close attention to details like facial features, it is easy to assume that someone is a part of a particular group or subculture because of their hairstyle, attire, or even occupation. It would not be expected that somebody working at a fast food restaurant has a PhD in theoretical physics – in fact, it would come as a surprise if he or she did. The association between appearance, profession, or mannerisms and outside assumptions about the nature of that person are created with the help of stereotypes. Stereotypes allow generalizations to be made about a particular group that people can then use to judge people who, because they fit the criteria of the stereotypes, are assumed to be members of that group. They can be used to assume social status, financial background or even sexuality. In these assumptions, expectations are created: if a person looks like a member of a certain group, it is expected that he or she is a part of that group. Norwegian Sporting Goods Company XXL shattered expectations about homosexuality in its commercial released before the 2014 Summer Olympics in Sochi, Russia, showing how strong of a role stereotypes play in judging sexuality. In its commercial “Airport Love,” XXL uses the expectations of heterosexuality to demonstrate how stereotypes of sexuality are both prevalent and societally dangerous.The commercial makes viewers anticipate heterosexuality, only to reveal the opposite in the last frame, when two women kiss.

Stereotypes play a large role in the external judgment of someone’s sexuality.When somebody sees a person with characteristics he or she considers “gay” – whether a certain hairstyle, outfit, or behavior – he or she may label that person. These quick judgments are not unjustified. William T. L. Cox et al. from the University of Wisconsin’s Psychology Department advocate that stereotypes about gays and lesbians actually serve a purpose: categorization, a natural tendency for humans used to assess situations(159). Labels can be employed to assume many characteristics about humans, from acquired traits like occupation, financial status, or romantic availability, to innate ones like gender, race or sexuality. The psychologists cite “an abundance of self-report, correlational, and experimental evidence” showing that people rely on stereotypic attributes like fashion, hairstyle, or degree of femininity or masculinity to make inferences about sexual orientation (Cox et al. 160).

What might viewers assume about the female protagonist in XXL’s commercial? PhDs Wendy Geiger, Jake Harwood, and Mary Lee Hummert studied college students’ reactions to images of homosexuals and recorded their responses, publishing their results in the academic Journal of Homosexuality; the top three generalizations for lesbians included short hair, toughness, and a love of athletics (167).These homosexual stereotypes – regarding clothes, haircut, or gendered behavior – are absent from XXL’s commercial. In fact, the commercial shows the opposite, establish strong heterosexual undertones within the first scene: a beautiful woman with flowing hair, squeezed into a tight black dress, steps out of a car in high heels. She immediately grabs the attention of every man in the airport, Olympic athletes showing off in their respective sports to impress her. However, the woman does not even turn her head to acknowledge them as they try in vain to catch her eye.

The situation in the commercial clearly violates many of the stereotypes that, to the average person, define a typical lesbian. She has long hair, does not indicate any signs of particular strength, and shows no interest in athletics. As a result, men fail tolabel the woman as interested in other women, and are therefore taken aback when they discover that she is. A professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at UC Santa Barbara, Dr. David L. Hamilton explains the shock the men experience, as well as what causes it. He writes, “if the target’s behavior is clearly not in line with her or his category assignment, the perceiver is confronted with an instance of cognitive inconsistency… the perceiver must somehow handle disagreements between cognitive constructions and observed reality” (76). The “cognitive constructions” in this case are the ideas of a typical lesbian, whose “behavior” does not agree with how she is acting. To deal with this inconsistency, the men are surprised – a natural reaction. Althoughbiologically accounted for, the shock the men display in this commercial shows that society relies profoundly on established stereotypes to visually classify homosexuals, and to therefore expect certain “typical” behaviors from them. When stereotypes do not perform, mental expectations are broken.

By displaying a situation in which social expectations about homosexuality are not followed, “Airport Love” reveals the effects of the assumption of heterosexuality, a belief caused by heteronormativity. Northern Illinois University professor Jimmie Manning defines heteronormativity as “enforced cultural assumptions that heterosexuality is normal and natural for all people,” an idea that supports the notion that heterosexuality is the default label for sexuality (1). Unless strongly suggested otherwise, it will be believed that a person is straight. In the commercial, it is assumed that the protagonist is straight because the audience is given no reason to think differently. Throughout almost the entire commercial, male athletes are captivated as the woman walks by, perpetuating the commercial’s heterosexual nature. All show off, whether by juggling a soccer ball, hockey puck, or even by rappelling from the ceiling. At one point, a soccer player even takes off his shirt to reveal a chiseled body.

The significance of these appearances in the commercial is in the fact that they do not seem to be significant at all. Aside from perhaps being impressed, the audience is not phased; men showing off in ridiculous ways to impress attractive women is normal. If gender roles were altered, however – if, for instance, women were trying to impress the woman – it would be striking to the audience. Heteronormativity provides the reason this hypothetical situation would stand out. Manning explains that the heteronormative expectation of heterosexuality “has created a world in which many find it difficult to imagine sexual options beyond heterosexuality” (1). This narrow-mindedness is exactly what happens in the commercial when the woman continuously ignores the men showing off. Not only do the men not consider the possibility that she is gay, but their persistence and disregard for her indication of disinterest even suggest that they actively deny the possibility.

A consequence of this assumed heterosexuality can be seen in one of the final frames of the commercial. As soon as the protagonist has kissed another woman, the men gathered around are initially surprised, but their facial expressions soon turn to disappointment. In his article in theJournal of Homosexuality “Beyond ‘Homophobia’: A Social Psychological Perspective on Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men,” UC Davis psychology professor Gregory Herek asserts that a reason for this disappointment stems from “heterosexuals’ feelings of rejection as potential sexual partners” (10). Heteronormativity dictated to the men that she was a romantic option, and the reality the commercial depicts denies them that option. As a result, the men express frustration.

If heteronormativity can lower the moods of the men in the commercial, then it could have similar effects in reality. As evidenced by the commercial, the expectation of heterosexuality can evoke negative reactions when that expectation is not met. Dr. Michael W. Ross argues that negative emotions are caused by homosexuals’ violation of sex-role norms and the judgment of those who deviate from these norms (41).One such sex-role norm is that women are attracted to men, which the protagonist does not obey. While the commercial ends with her sheepish smile at the camera and a textual pro-LGBT message of tolerance, the attitude expressed by the men indicates a larger issue in society. The violation of the social construct of heteronormativity can create feelings of resentment, evidence for the controversialsocietal role of heteronormativity.

Heteronormativity clearly has a large impact on how sexuality is viewed. Combined with stereotypes about sexuality, heteronormativity shapes the way people judge and respond to others. “Airport Love” shows what happens when heteronormativity is not followed – when stereotypes do not function the way they traditionally do, and when heterosexuality is disregarded. The commercial hints at possible consequences of heteronormativity, especially negative ones when it is not followed. “Airport Love” evaluates the existence of heteronormativity, a prevalent social construct that could be facing big change in the present surge of feminism.

Works Cited

Cox, William T. L., Patricia G. Devine, Alyssa A. Bischmann, and Janet S. Hyde. “Inferences about Sexual Orientation: The Role of Stereotypes, Faces, and the Gaydar Myth.” The Journal of Sex Research. 53. 2 (2016): 157-171. Web. 25 April 2016.

Geiger, Wendy, Jake Harwood, and Mary Lee Hummert. “College Students’ Multiple Stereotypes of Lesbians.” Journal of Homosexuality. 51. 3 (2006): 165-182. Web. 25 April 2016.

Habarth, Janice Mary. Thinking ‘Straight’: Heteronormativity and Associated Outcomes Across Sexual Orientation. Diss. University of Michigan, 2002. Ann Arbor: UMI, 2008. Print.

Herek, Gregory M. “Beyond ‘Homophobia’: A Social Psychological Perspective on Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men.” Journal of Homosexuality 10.1-2 (1984): 1-21. Web. 20 April 2016.

Manning, Jimmie. “Heterosexuality.” Academia.edu. 1-5. Northern Illinois University. 3 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 April 2016.

Nichols, James. “XXL Releases ‘Airport Love,’ Pro-LGBT Sports Ad.” Huffington Post. 10 Feb.

2014. Web. 12 April 2016.

Ross, Michael W. “Homosexuality and the Sex Roles.” Journal of Homosexuality. 9. 1 (1983): 1-7. Web. 26 April 2016.