Saturday Night Live: Preniva

Tags: aging/life course, biology, health/medicine, gender, marketing/brands, science/technology, social construction, bourdieu, comedy, market control, 00 to 05 mins
Year: 2010
Length: 1:16
Access: Hulu

Summary: This SNL commercial parodies one of many actual TV ads in which products that may or may not improve appearance and "health" are targeted towards women of all ages. Sally Field, a spokeswoman for the prescription medication Boniva, is the subject of this specific parody (see original commercial and additional video critique). This spot highlights the important issue of age in gender. The aging and elderly are commonly marginalized in discussions of sexuality and gender, as their age excludes them from being considered "sexual," "desirable," or in some cases, even "able bodied." Viewers  interested in discussions of aging and gender may be interested in using this clip to discuss how bodies are subject to economic and social control, regardless of age. Commercialized forms of control, such as the consumption of goods intended to "solve" problems which may not actually exist as "problems," is just one kind of controlling behavior. Women's bodies are especially susceptible to this kind of control, and are regularly used as the site for cultural production (Bourdieu). Fear is another important component in the process of regulating bodies. Fear of women's bodies, or the fear of our own bodies (male or female), can be produced in a culture that misinforms or denies readily available and reliable information on the subject.

Submitted By: Aimee Koon

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