CASTRO, Kevin Cedrick R. 2010-06974

Bachelor of Secondary Education (CA-English/SPED) Prof. Romylyn Metila

Thesis: GLSEN‟s “That‟s so Cheerleader” advertisement utilizes an interplay among the

foreground, the background and the supplementary text through the use of literary techniques

(i.e. allusion, pastiche, wordplay), linguistic phenomenon (i.e. semantic shift), textual features

(i.e. uppercase font, large font size, and yellow as font color), directives, and a grayscale image

of an unsmiling teenage girl to elicit a strong emotional appeal for the audience to stop the use

of homophobic language. The interconnection among the major elements leads us to believe

that their advocacy is right; making sure that their subjectivities and intentions will be our own

creed as well, even though if it justifies stereotyping as a reasonable thing.

Facial Features

The meaningful eyes

and the unsmiling lips

exhibit the seriousness

of the advocacy’s

request

Supplementary Text

The use of directive

utterances show a

sign of authority

Foreground’s Text

Through the use of

wordplay, font color

(yellow), font size

(large), and all-

uppercase letters, the

audience is

stimulated to look at

this first before

anywhere else

Grayscale Image

The use of grayscale

image adds up on the

gravity and intensity

of the subject matter

that the campaign

tackles

The Bullied Strikes Back

A discourse analysis of GLSEN‟s “That‟s so cheerleader” advertisement

That‟s so “the Background of the „That‟s so cheerleader‟ Advertisement”

The story behind the “That‟s so cheerleader” advertisement

On October 8, 2008, the US-based organization Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education

Network (GLSEN), with the help of Ad Council, released an advocacy campaign called Think

Before You Speak. This aims to put an end to the use of homophobic vocabulary in all schools

in the United States. Through the use of different media (print, television, radio) and the

participation of a number of celebrities (Wanda Sykes, Hillary Duff, and a number of NBA

players), GLSEN launched campaign resources which school teachers, staffs, and

administrators may use to advocate an affable and welcoming environment for gay students.

According to the data provided in the campaign‟s official website, thinkb4youspeak.com,

“9 out of 10 LGBT students report being harassed at school,” while “over one-third of LGBT

students have been physically assaulted at school because of their sexual orientation or gender

identity/expression” (Think Before You Speak). These physical abuses, bullying, and

harassments started with the common use of anti-LGBT language, such as “so gay” which

means lame and stupid.

With these information, it is very evident that this advocacy poster is targeting students

of all level as its audience in a full-scale view. Furthermore, as we examine each of these

posters, a certain clique inside the school, composed mostly of the “cool” kids just like the

athletes and cheerleaders, are the specific and obvious target of the advertisements.

The elements of the advertisement

Of the three varieties of this advertisement, I decided to work with the one shown on the

first page. To ease up the analysis, I will be referring to this as the “That‟s so Cheerleader”

advertisement.

The advertisement is composed of four elements: the foreground (the yellow uppercase

text which says: That‟s so “cheerleader who like can‟t like say smart stuff.”), the background (a

grayscale image of a young woman, possibly within the age range of 13-17 years old, who

exhibits a serious look in her face), the supplementary text written in white enclosed in a black

background (which says “Think that‟s mean? How do you think „that‟s so gay‟ sounds? Hurtful.

So, knock it off.”), and the logos of Ad Council and GLSEN positioned on the bottom page, the

former on the leftmost while the latter on the rightmost.

Through the interconnection and interaction of all these elements, especially the

foreground, the background, and the supplementary text, 1GLSEN‟s “That‟s so Cheerleader”

advertisement utilizes an interplay among the foreground, the background and the

supplementary text through the use of literary techniques (i.e. allusion, pastiche,

wordplay), linguistic phenomenon (i.e. semantic shift), textual features (i.e. uppercase

font, large font size, and yellow as font color), directives, and a grayscale image of an

unsmiling teenage girl to elicit a strong emotional appeal for the audience to stop the use

of homophobic language. 2The interconnection among the major elements leads us to

believe that their advocacy is right; making sure that their subjectivities and intentions

will be our own creed as well, even though if it justifies stereotyping as a reasonable

thing.

That‟s so “the Analysis of each Element”1

For this visual analysis, I will be using the phenomenological discourse analysis. I will be

looking at the two significant facets in using such discourse analysis: the subjectivities, and the

intentions. Throughout the analysis, I will be explaining how the perspectives of the people

behind this advertisement try to shape our way of thinking, and try to persuade us to join their

cause. I will also be explaining what‟s good (how it becomes effective) and what‟s bad (what it

deems right even though it is not) in the advertisement. The analysis is divided into three parts:

the foreground, the background, and the supplementary text. I will be discussing the features of

each element and how these features help in attaining a certain end and in accomplishing the

advocacy‟s goal.

Starting with the foreground…

The Text: That‟s so „cheerleader who like can‟t like say smart stuff.‟

Wordplay, Stereotyping, and Semantic Shift. To effectively further the advocacy

campaign‟s cause, linguistic and rhetoric devices and techniques are used in the campaign

posters. First, there are use of allusion and pastiche. Allusion is a figure of speech that makes

reference to a certain person, event, literary works, etc, while pastiche is a literary technique

which shows an imitation with other works or styles (Wikipedia). The literary techniques utilized

in forming the principal linguistic element in this advocacy poster induces a new twist to the

common phrase “That‟s so gay.”

The phrase written above is an allusion and pastiche to the phrase “That‟s so gay.” By

changing the term „gay‟ with the phrase „cheerleader who like can‟t like say smart stuff‟, the

people behind this visual is turning the table. They use wordplay to put the typical bullies, in this

case, the cheerleaders, in the shoes of their victims. The text creates a situational event in the

reader‟s mind once they grasp it. By shifting the positions of the doer and the receiver, the doer

(cheerleader) is expected to experience a recurring painful event in the life of the receiver (gay).

In order for the bullies to fully feel what their victims felt when they use such phrase, the

advertisement relies on the use of stereotype to “hurt” the bullies. The claim of the

advertisement that cheerleaders “can‟t… say smart stuff” and the frequent use of the word “like”

which leads to a syntactically incorrect sentence are the stereotypes used in the advertisement.

This stereotyping leads to the assumption that the cheerleaders are dumb due to incorrect

sentence structure when speaking and their inability to talk of sensible things.

The use of the phrase “cheerleader who like can‟t like say smart stuff” to replace “gay”

places the former to the ranks of the latter, meaning that they now possess a similar attribute –

they both have “lame” as their definition. The advertisement, for it to be effective, degrades the

meaning of “cheerleader” and equates it with “dumb.” In this scenario, a sudden semantic shift

takes place, highlighting the same phenomenon behind the current use of the word “gay.”

Text Form, Size and Color. Upon seeing this advertisement, one will surely be captured

first by the text on the foreground. The use of the large, yellow, uppercase font style in forming

the phrase “That‟s so „cheerleader who like can‟t like say smart stuff‟” serves as an efficient

visual stimulus for the audience to look at this element first before turning their gaze to the other

elements.

The phrase indicated above occupies almost half of the whole space in the

advertisement. The absorption of a large amount of space in a visual material implies that this

element has a much more significance than the other elements presented in the visual. Since it

is a more significant element in the visual, the readers are invited to look at it first, grasp the

idea underlying this linguistic element, then, proceed with the other elements. The predominant

size of the text aims to pique the reader‟s interest to grab their full attention.

Using uppercase letters in forming the above phrase is not just a mere accidence.

Writing that phrase in uppercase letters, just like the font size, still rouses the reader‟s visual

attention. This element‟s feature further reinforces the element‟s mere significance in this

advertisement. Furthermore, it also elicits a sense of urgency for the audience to read it. This

particular feature is insisting the audience to put their eyes on the text and to read it. The

element‟s use of all-uppercase letters highlights the worth of it on the advertisement, and

demands the full attention of the reader by deeming the text as something which is urgent, at

the same time, necessary.

There are two prevailing colors in this advocacy poster, yellow, and gray. In this part, I

will be discussing the significance of using yellow as the text‟s font color, what it signifies, and

what are its anticipated effects for the readers of this advertisement.

The color yellow is part of the warm color family, along with red and orange. Yellow,

having the lightest value (relative lightness or darkness) from the three, is considered the

brightest and most energizing of all the warm colors. It is usually associated with happiness and

sunshine. However, on the other end of the spectrum, it may also denote deceit, cowardice, and

danger. The color yellow also symbolizes hope (Chapman, 2010).

The use of yellow as the font‟s color in this advocacy poster is a representamen for three

things: first, cowardice; second, danger; and lastly, hope. Let‟s discuss these possibilities:

1. Cowardice is usually associated with the color yellow. In this advocacy poster,

cowardice is implied to be a recurring characteristic of the specific target audience of

this campaign. Their use of homophobic language as a form of bullying is a sign of

cowardice. The use of the color yellow with the phrase above associate the subject

of the advertisement (the cheerleaders) to cowardice, implicitly describing them as

cowards whenever they use the phrase “That‟s so gay.”

2. The use of the phrase “That‟s so gay” brings the object of bullying into a great sense

of danger. The use of yellow as the font color warns the specific target audience of

the danger linked with the use of homophobic language. By replacing the word „gay‟

with „cheerleader who like can‟t like say smart stuff‟, the target audience is expected

to feel what the recipients of such kind of bullying feels. The target audience is

expected to be in the victims‟ shoes to experience the perils and threats posed by

the use of homophobic language.

3. Through the use of yellow as the font color, the text signifies hope for the subject of

the use of homophobic language. The color implies that once the target audience

read this text, realizations and insights will emerge from their minds, thus putting an

immediate end to bullying through the use of homophobic language. The color yellow

connotes optimism which kindles the hopes that the future will be much better for the

homosexuals.

Since I am using the phenomenological discourse analysis in examining this visual material, it is

very important to see if the use of each element is intentional to convey a meaning based on the

campaign‟s subjectivity. The use of color yellow is not just a coincidence. The text is intended to

be yellow to expose the events in a gay individual‟s life, especially when at school. The use of

yellow is not just a product of pragmatic motives, but a product of intentionality and subjectivity

from the perpetrator of the advocacy poster.

Followed by the background…

Grayscale Image. I mentioned earlier that there are two prevailing colors in this

advertisement: yellow and gray. Yellow, as I explained above, is dominant on the foreground,

while gray is the central color of the background.

The use of a grayscale image as the background of the advertisement gives a serious

tone to the advocacy poster. The poster is claiming through the use of background the gravity

and intensity of what they are fighting for. A grayscale image also builds a sense of drama for

the entire advertisement. It brings the readers to a situation where the audience is supposed to

sympathize with victims of the use of homophobic language. The reader is deemed to be stirred

into a gloomy dimension by the use of a dismal background. This is to explain how hurtful it is

for gays to hear homophobic language in a daily basis inside the school. With the use the

grayscale image, the advertisement intensifies the sentiments extracted from the other

elements, thus, highlighting the use of emotional appeal to capture the audience‟s support.

Analyzing Closely the Background. It is important to have a knowledge on who the girl

on the background is. We will be looking on two feature of the image, the visible attire of the girl

on the background, and the facial features significant in creating her identity. Afterwards, I will

be discussing the image with reference to what it represents.

First, let us describe the attire of the girl in the image. The girl is simply wearing an

ordinary tee-shirt. Since this is a gray-scale image, it is impossible to determine the color of the

shirt. It is also observable that the tee-shirt is round neck. We now proceed with the facial

elements of the image. There are two facial striking features which establish the identity of the

girl: the eyes and the lips. Upon looking on the advertisement, aside from the text on the

foreground, what really appeals to us is the meaningful stare of the girl on the background. You

will be lured to look at her eyes wonder why is she directly looking at you in a very serious

manner. The eyes, especially the left one, do not offer a blank stare. There is definitely

something controversial yet significant with that look. With this curiosity, you are anticipated to

explore further the elements of the poster to find a concrete answer for this look. Later on, I will

be explaining how these look interrelate with the other elements, especially with the

supplementary text. Let us now describe the lips of the girl. What really is interesting with this

facial feature is the mere fact that it shows no expression. It is neither smiling, nor it is frowning.

The lips are just shut delicately, which highly suggests total silence. The paradoxical

juxtaposition of the meaningful stares and the silent lips creates a very interesting twist in this

image. The eyes wanted to say something, but the lips either cannot or do not want to voice this

out.

With these concise descriptions of these features, we can now form the identity of the

girl, and can elucidate her role in the advertisement. I have established earlier that the specific

target audience of this advertisement is the cheerleaders, the usual people behind the use of

homophobic language. However, the image of the background does not resemble any features

from a typical cheerleader. The round-necked plain tee-shirt and the far-from-perfect

appearance of the lady give no hint that she is a cheerleader. Through the eyes and the lips of

the lady, it is safe to assume that this girl is part of the advocacy promoting the end of the

homophobic language use. Even though she is not gay, I believe that she still feels offended

when others use the word „gay‟ to mean „lame.‟ Her gaze insists to stop the use of homophobic

language. No need to say something. The stare is just as meaningful as the words themselves.

The signifier in this sign is the image of the girl while the signified is the advocates of the

aforementioned campaign (Cook, 1992).

The use of a typical girl to represent the advocates of this campaign elicits compassion

from the female population inside the schools. The mere fact that the advocacy poster has a

young lady of their age as a model assures that they are welcome to that advocacy. Whatever

your gender or sexual orientation is, as long as you believe to the advocacy‟s cause, you will

feel a sense of belongingness with the other advocates.

Then, lastly, the supplementary text…

Use of Directives and Mediated Quasi-interaction. Since this is an advocacy inside the

school, it helps that the supplementary text positioned at the bottom-left part of the poster used

an authoritative voice in giving explicit directives. Directives are “type of utterances which aims

to get the receiver to do something” (Lohansen & Larsen, 2002). The supplementary text was

written in a way that it explicitly tells the reader what to do (in this case, to stop using „that‟s so

gay‟ and other homophobic language). A voice of authority is speaking with the readers once

they scan the supplementary text. The sense of authority is detectable in the arrangement of

sentences. The sentences were assembled in a way that the reader will not be able to defend

himself. This is further supported by the use of rhetorical questions at the beginning. The

supplementary text was designed not as a form of communication, but as a one-way

transmission of thoughts. You are not supposed to answer the questions, nor are you not

allowed to defend yourself. You just need to listen, to absorb what the poster is directing you to

do, and to reflect on the past behavior being targeted by the campaign. This type of interaction

is called “mediated quasi-interaction.” Thompson described that mediated quasi-interaction “is a

structured situation in which some individuals are engaged primarily in producing symbolic

forms for others who are not physically present, while others are involved primarily in receiving

symbolic forms produced by others whom they cannot respond, but with whom they can form

bonds of friendship, affection, or loyalty” (Talbot, 2007).

That‟s so “My Personal Reaction on this Advertisement”2

The elements in this advocacy poster are designed to interact with each other. Without

the presence of just one element, the visual will not be as effective as how it seems to look now.

All of the elements cannot stand with their own. The appeal that it elicits from the audience and

the response of the readers are products of the effective interaction of each element.

Each element leads the reader‟s eyes to the other elements in the advocacy poster.

However, it does not incarcerate the mind from going into a linear route. Due to the

interconnection among the elements, any route will suffice. The presentation is non-linear and

one can easily describe the relationship of each elements. Let us take the background as an

example of this. Earlier, I said that the girl‟s gaze is significant in analyzing the whole

advertisement. The look tells the readers to explore further the advertisement and to look at the

other elements. After looking at the girl‟s eyes, if you focus your sight to the supplementary text,

the girl‟s stare will finally be explained. It will be clear that the gaze is a silent request to stop

using homophobic language. Even though you will hear a different voice speaking the content of

the supplementary text, the eyes still conveys the same words through her gaze. We deduce

that the stare‟s meaning is the same as what is written in the supplementary text. These

interconnection and relationship fortify the cause of the advocacy campaign, creating a larger

impact on the audience. However, if you look at the foreground after looking on the background,

the gaze‟s effect will be much stronger, given that the text on the foreground is a striking

component in building up the advertisement‟s efficiency. The readers will presume a great

connection between the use of wordplay and the serious look, creating a schema that the stare

is a realization of how mean and how hurtful “that‟s so gay” sounds. The meaning conveyed by

the interplay of the elements is still rooted from the intentions and subjectivities of the campaign.

The relationship among each element is designed to discuss a phenomenon, and to persuade

the audience to believe and to follow to their way of thinking.

However, even though the advocacy poster is for a good cause, the use of stereotyping

is not an equal justification to get the sympathies of the audience. I think that the

advertisement‟s use of stereotyping makes the advocates the new bullies. Yes, the advocacy

may be effective, but the occurrence of such ideology incites a moral and ethical concerns. This

advertisement tells us that in order to protect a specific group of people, it is necessary for us to

harm other particular clique. This advocacy campaign poster strikes a chord as a form of

revenge from the pro-gay advocates to the “anti-gay” groups.

That‟s so “the Conclusion”

Through the interplay with the different elements, the intended audience will surely get

the idea that the advocacy poster wants to convey. However, it is a different matter if the

audience will buy this kind of gimmick. Even though if the advertisement explicitly discusses the

anticipated change in behavior after reading the advertisement, the advocacy poster still lacks

the power to make this change certain. Yes, it has all the elements that it needed to elicit an

emotional appeal to the audience, but its being authoritative in demanding change might not sell

very aptly for the teenagers of the United States of America, a very liberated nation with a much

independent people. However, I think this is a good start for the campaign advocacy. It makes

the audience reflect on the life that s/he had, and gives each and every individual to change for

the better.

For the audience to understand the message being conveyed by this kind of

advertisement, they must look on the interplay and the interconnection among the elements.

They must perceive each element as significant to see the advertisement‟s wider view. They

must look at what are the intentions of the creator by coming up with such idea, and the

subjectivities posed by the advertisement. The audience must avoid being swayed by the

presentation of the advertisement‟s subjectivities. They must analyze first the hidden message

between each element and build their own judgments on whether to support such campaign,

knowing that it, in practice, shows the biases of a single group. The audience must be cautious

with how the advocacy attains to reach its goal. The audience must be aware of what they are

trying to do and what they want you to acquire, in this case, the concept of „revenge‟ as a

means to reach success.

References:

Allusion. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All>.

Chapman, C. (2010, January 28). Color Theory for Designers Part 1: The Meaning of

Color. Retrieved from <http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/01/28/color-theory-for-

designers-part-1-the-meaning-of-color/>.

Cook, G. (1992). The Discourse of Advertising. New York, NY: Routledge.

Lohansen, J.D., & Larsen, S.E. (2002). Signs in Use: An Introduction to Semiotics. New York,

NY: Routledge.

Pastiche. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 23, 2010, from

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiche>.

Talbot, M. (2007). Media Discourse: Representation and Interaction. UK: Edinburgh University.

Think Before You Speak. Retrieved March 22, 2012, from

<http://www.thinkb4youspeak.com/GetInformed/>.