A feminist approach to family folklore: "Aganigi Naganigi"

Abstract

This article is devoted to analysis of gender stereotyping in a TV commercial with a special focus on patriarchal family and family folklore. A recent TV commercial promoting consumption of hazelnuts, namely "Cave Man", portrays a "pre-historical" patriarchal family which reproduces stereotypical gender roles in economic and social spheres. In the commercial, women appear in stereotypical roles in which their position confined to private sphere of "cave" and excluded from knowledge. While two female protagonists cook and flaunt the "discoveries" of their husbands "inside" of a cave, two male protagonists "discover" fire and hazelnuts "outside" the cave. The commercial which reproduces passive, subordinated and domicile female stereotyping, stretches the historical domination of man to pre-historical ages and attributes universality to patriarchal nucleus family. The cave man, who discovered "hazelnuts", uses ciphered and vernacular phrase, "Aganigi Naganigi, to call his mate for sexual intercourse. Underlying message of the commercial conveys that "hazelnuts" help to increase male sexual power. By using oral formulas and rhymed slogans as its advertising strategy, the commercial increases the efficiency of its message, which explicitly stresses male sexuality and power while confining female identity and experience to a "cave".