What Women Want: An Interview with Sarah Haskins ‘01
By Madeleine Schwartz
The modern woman is powerful, well-dressed and cares for her children. According to advertisers, she also loves yogurt, cleaning her house and will buy anything that promises pseudo-sexual satisfaction.
Sarah Haskins thinks that these stereotypes are ludicrous and she’s ready to prove it. On “Target Women,” a segment on Current TV’s Infomania, Haskins mocks television commercials visibly aimed at women. The products—from yogurt, “the official food of women,” to “scientifically proven” skin cleaners—are diverse, but the message is always the same: buy this product and you will be the perfect woman.
Haskins began her comedic career as a member of Immediate Gratification Players at Harvard. After she graduated in 2001 with a degree in History and Literature, Haskins moved to Chicago. She now resides in Los Angeles, where she both writes and hosts for Current TV.
And for the record: Sarah Haskins does not like yogurt. Her favorite dairy product is cheese.
Perspective Magazine: How did you get the idea for “Target Women”?
Sarah Haskins: We wanted to expand at Current TV. We used to only have pods (short pieces) and we decided we wanted to do something longer. I was already writing for Infomania, but I was interested in doing something on camera.
I was watching TV and I saw all those ridiculous yogurt ads. I thought, “Those are dumb!” “Target Women” was built around that.
P: How do you decide if an advertisement targets women?
H: We talk about some advertisements which target women and men — like Eharmony. But most of time it’s pretty apparent that the main target is women. This week’s “Target Women” focuses on Barbie. Next week, I’m talking about those horrifying Frito Lay commercials. [We just decide from] watching the ads. Who’s in them? Are they women? Who buys or is expected to buy the product? It’s not a science—it’s more like a hunch. And if the ad is on during Oprah, it probably targets women.
P: Why do women make good targets?
H: From an advertiser’s standpoint, women are seen as in charge of certain spheres of life and product purchase. There are some spheres which are uniquely female, like the house and the kids. Women are seen as controlling a domestic budget and buy for that aspect of their lives. You can see the breakdown in car commercials. If they want women to buy the car, the commercial highlights safety, how well the brakes work and the kids in the backseat. If they want guys, it’s like, “Look at this car in the mountains!”
P: A lot of your work centers around the idea of the perfect woman—it seems that when advertisements target women, they are playing on certain ideals.
H: I think that what we are dealing with now is an idea of the perfect woman which has expanded. The perfect woman today is almost perfect at everything. She’s a mother, she’s physically beautiful, she’s perfect in the working world and at home. There’s a sense of all-encompassing perfection. And that means that there are so many ways you can improve yourself. When the perfect woman is around, no one’s feelings get hurt. She serves the workplace and her family. Do you know about the cult of the womanhood in American history? At the turn of century, there was a sense popularized in society and in women’s magazines that it was the woman’s job to be in charge of domestic sphere. Now, roles have changed, but we see the same attachment with the idea of a woman being in charge of her home. The woman’s role on the home front, as nurturer, is one she plays in the workplace as well. Also, the perfect woman always wears high heels.
P: That sounds like a lot to live up to.
H: Well, advertisements are by nature aspirational. Yeah, combined, the message is pretty demanding…but the advertising is also really bland.
P: Why do you find them so bland?
H: Everyone in those advertisements is always so sweet. The perfect woman is also always in a good mood. Except when there’s a mess. But then she has the perfect product and mess is gone.
P: I have also noticed that a lot of the advertisements that target women, such as advertisements about food and cleaning products, seem to focus on sex.
H: Yeah—it’s all about sex. I may be reading into it, though. It’s something I should discuss with my therapist.
P: Well, if we assume that neither of us is reading into it, why do you think advertisers would focus so much on sex?
H: Okay. Well, the sex is definitely there. But it is disguised sex. Disguised pleasure. Chocolate is easy—there’s the old saying that chocolate is better than sex. But with other products, the sex is more disguised. I think it’s partly a joke to think that the satisfaction from cleaning can is as exciting as actual physical and emotional intimacy.
P: Do you think that this focus on sex suggests that women are missing something? Is the idea of the perfect woman incompatible with being sexual?
H: I think the focus on sex also undercuts the idea. I mean sex—it’s what you are missing out on if you are everyone’s maid all day long.
P: Okay, the requisite Harvard alum question—did you ever pee on the John Harvard statue?
H: No. But I peed in a lot of places around Harvard.