Archetypes

There are two sterotypes that I seem to see everywhere in advertising. These two particular groups of people simply don't exist in the real world in the same proportion they do on TV, print advertising, etc.

Stereotype 1: The Sassy Black Woman

Characteristics: Colorful clothes, excessively cheerful, dread-fro, non-threatening.
Frequently Sited: Hanging out with an asian woman and a white woman... with the white woman in the middle, upwardly mobile, in a Hanes commercial.

Stereotype 2: The Handsome, Virile, White-Haired Gentleman

Characteristics: White or Gray hair that is not receding, confident, impotent, Anderson Cooper.
Frequently Sited: Schilling for Cialis, Mutual Funds, or AARP (even though the actor is clearly not old enough to qualify).