Rhetorical Situation of the Goodyear Tire Commercial

          In a commercial Goodyear filmed in the 1960’s, the company lured the consumers into buying the product by convincing them that women’s safety behind the wheel relied on the company’s polyglas tires. The focus being polyglas tires were essential when a woman was driving the car alone made it clear that the commercial, and its intended audience, mutually agreed that woman were bad and unsafe drivers. This commercial was a very sexist approach to getting men to buy the Goodyear polyglas tires.

The slogan used in the commercial was, “Polyglas means more than mileage when your wife has to drive alone.” It was said at the beginning of the commercial and then repeated at the end, as well as being written at the bottom of the screen right before the commercial ended. Placing it strategically throughout the commercial helped keep it the main reason to purchase the tires and also to continually remind the consumer how important the tires were for safety. The dramatic music and scenes of a woman driving helped build the fear of allowing the wives of the consumers to be behind the wheel and show how dangerous it really is.

In conclusion, using the argument that women need polyglas tires to ensure safety on the roads was a sexist approach. It is true that usually men buy tires and other car parts, so it was appropriate to appeal to men. But implying that women were bad drivers was sexist and not necessary. It was very offensive and had it been filmed in this time period and not in the 1960’s, there would have been protests and the commercial would have been banned from being played on television.   
 -Breauna