The Codes of Gender

The Codes of Gender is a 2010 documentary written and directed by Sut Jhally, a professor of communications at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

This pattern is further examined and related to Erving Goffman's declaration that the ways in which individuals are positioned through advertising, reinforces society's cliché ideologies of masculinity and femininity.

[2] The film begins by presenting a series of clips such as "Boys don't cry" and "The O'Reilly Factor" that exemplifies our ability to acknowledge whether an individual is male or female.

These images bring to light various concepts that Erving Goffman presents such as the feminine touch and function ranking which further reproduce the subordination of women in advertising.

Jhally analyzes the images displayed throughout the film by concentrating on various gestures such as placement of the hands, knees, arms; facial expressions and eye contact.