Gender Audit of Wardah vs Gatsby Pomade

1. Introduction

Conducting a gender audit in digital media helps show how different genders are portrayed or overlooked. By studying language, visuals, and roles, we can see if digital content supports fair representation or repeats stereotypes. It reveals hidden gaps and biases that shape how people view gender in daily life.

Branding also influences how people express identity. The brands people choose or follow often shape their image and sense of belonging. In social media spaces, both branding and personal branding help build trust and community.

Combining gender analysis and branding shows how digital media affects identity, social norms, and inequality. This encourages more inclusive practices and helps audiences understand how online content shapes their views.

• Brand Profiles

1. Wardah

• Brand Description

Wardah is an Indonesian beauty brand known for halal-certified, dermatology-tested products. It focuses on purity, safety, and gentle ingredients with a modern and youthful image.

• Target Markets

Wardah targets young and adult women who prefer halal, safe, and affordable beauty products, including students, professionals, and consumers who value natural ingredients.

• Platforms Used

Wardah promotes through Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, e-commerce live selling, influencer collaborations, TV ads, and in-store promotions.

• Reasons for Choosing This Brand

Wardah is chosen for its strong halal identity, trusted reputation, wide product range, and consistent communication.

• Gatsby Pomade

• Brand Description

Gatsby is a Japanese men’s grooming brand known for encouraging personal style. Its pomade offers strong yet manageable hold for a neat look.

• Target Markets

Gatsby pomade targets young men, especially teens and those in their 20s who value simple and reliable grooming products.

• Platforms Used

Gatsby promotes through social media tutorials, retail stores, online marketplaces, and traditional advertising to maintain a trendy image.

• Reasons for Choosing This Brand

Gatsby pomade is chosen for its dependable quality, long-standing reputation, stylish branding, affordability, and strong presence in Asian markets.

• Visual Analysis

1. Wardah

Characters displayed:

• Several young women showcasing their beauty in different activity settings.
• The visuals focus on their faces, as the advertised products are makeup items (lipstick, foundation, skincare products).
• There are no male appearances in the advertisement.

Clothing, body posture, visual composition:

• The women wear modest clothing, and some of them are wearing hijabs.
  • There are no outfits that highlight or accentuate the body.
    • The style of the advertisement is portrayed naturally, such as smiling at the camera or holding the product.
    • Soft lighting is used.

Signs of exploitation or objectification:

There is no emphasis on specific body parts, and there are no unnatural or sensual poses.

• Gatsby

Characters displayed:

• A young man is shown, highlighting his face with a backdrop of typical youth activities.
  • The visuals focus not only on his face, but also on his activities and his neatly styled hair.
    • The advertised product is pomade.
    • In the advertisement, there are two women watching the young men play football.

Clothing, body posture, visual composition:

• The characters are dressed modestly.
  • There is no clothing that accentuates the body.
    • The style of the advertisement is portrayed naturally, such as smiling at the camera or holding the product.
    • Soft lighting is used.

Signs of exploitation or objectification:

There is no emphasis on any specific body parts, and there are no unnatural or sensual poses.

• Language & Narrative Analysis

1. Wardah

• Caption

The captions highlight motivation and confidence. They show awareness of pressure and encourage viewers to be themselves, creating an emotional and supportive message.

• Slogans

The main slogan is “Wardah, feel the beauty,” suggesting beauty is something you experience. Lines like “Wardah akan selalu ada bersama cantikmu” present the brand as a supportive companion.

• Tone of Voice

The tone is warm and uplifting, like a caring friend. The language is soft and reassuring, staying positive even when mentioning challenges.

• Stereotypes

The ad promotes empowerment but still shows common beauty standards such as bright skin and a focus on women’s appearance, reflecting typical skincare ideals.

• Empowering vs Limiting Narratives

The ad encourages confidence and being yourself, yet ties these ideas to using the product. It empowers viewers but still supports commercial beauty expectations.

• Gatsby

• Captions

The captions are direct and simple, repeating the idea of the “Cowok Pomedik.” Words like “fun,” “cool,” and “trendsetter” make the image modern and appealing.

• Slogans

The key message is the “Cowok Pomedik” identity. The line “GATSBY Styling Pomade is for the pomedic guy” links the product to status.

• Tone of Voice

The tone is strong and confident. It states that the user is already “fun” and “cool,” creating an assertive and energetic feeling.

• Stereotypes

The ad creates an ideal male image based on style and popularity. It suggests men should maintain a certain look to be successful.

• Empowering vs Limiting Narratives

The message is empowering by offering confidence through style, yet limiting because it defines “cool” in one specific way connected to using the product.

• Social Role & Value Portrayal

1. Wardah

• Gender Roles (Domestic vs Public)

Wardah shows women as active in both study and work. The focus is on women in public roles, presenting them as independent and modern while still connected to cultural values.

• Leadership Roles

Wardah often shows women as leaders and inspiring figures such as entrepreneurs or creators. The message links beauty with confidence and achievement.

• Emotional Expression

Women are shown as calm, confident, and positive. The brand highlights joy, self-assurance, and inner peace rather than struggle.

• Representation of Diversity

Wardah features women with different skin tones, styles, and backgrounds. It often includes hijab-wearing women but also presents wider looks to show inclusivity.

• Gatsby Pomade

• Gender Roles (Domestic vs Public)

Gatsby shows men in public settings like school, work, or social events. The focus is on grooming, confidence, and appearance rather than home roles.

• Leadership Roles

The brand suggests men should look bold and ready to lead. Even without clear leadership scenes, the style promotes a strong and decisive image.

• Emotional Expression

Men are shown as cool, confident, and controlled. The emotional tone matches traditional masculine ideals.

• Representation of Diversity

Gatsby shows limited diversity, mainly featuring young, stylish East or Southeast Asian men with similar looks and body types.

• Public Reaction

1. Wardah

• Comments:

The comments under the advertisement are entirely positive, with no criticism directed toward the ad.

• Engagement Level:

The advertisement shows a fairly high level of engagement, as seen from the large number of views, likes, and positive comments. Viewers are interested in the ad and respond with praise.

• Sentiment Analysis:

Most of the comments contain positive feedback and praise, with only one negative comment found. Therefore, it can be concluded that the overall sentiment toward the advertisement is positive.

• Trending Hashtags:

There are no hashtags used in the advertisement.

• Gatsby

• Comments:

The comments under the advertisement are entirely positive, with no criticism directed toward the ad.

• Engagement Level:

The advertisement shows a fairly high level of engagement, as seen from the large number of views, likes, and positive comments. Viewers are interested in the ad and respond with praise.

• Sentiment Analysis:

Most of the comments contain positive feedback and praise, it can be concluded that the overall sentiment toward the advertisement is positive.

• Trending Hashtags:

There are no hashtags used in the advertisement.

• Findings: Bias, Stereotypes, Impact

1. Wardah

• Key Stereotypes

Wardah often shows an ideal modern woman who is graceful, calm, and always well-groomed. Beauty stays at the center of how women are portrayed, even with empowering messages.

• Dominant Bias Patterns

The brand focuses on femininity and attractive young women. It often uses hijab-wearing models, which supports modest representation but can still create a narrow image of the Wardah woman.

• Implications for Brand Perception

This approach helps Wardah appear trusted, uplifting, and culturally respectful. Yet the strong focus on ideal feminine beauty may feel less inclusive to some audiences.

• Gatsby Pomade

• Key Stereotypes

Gatsby often presents men as stylish, confident, and driven by public success. The message links masculinity with neat appearance and social status.

• Dominant Bias Patterns

The brand highlights young and fashionable men. Emotional range is limited, showing men as controlled and strong while excluding broader forms of masculinity.

• Implications for Brand Perception

This keeps Gatsby appealing to young men who want a modern look. However, the narrow image may feel less relatable to those outside this youthful and stylish ideal, even though the brand benefits from a clear masculine identity.

• Recommendations and Conclusion

1. Improvement Strategies

• Show more diverse people

Both brands can include people of different ages, body types, and backgrounds to make their ads more inclusive.

• Reduce gender stereotypes

Wardah often shows soft and gentle women, while Gatsby shows cool and confident men. Both can present wider roles and personalities.

• Balance identity and product

Wardah links confidence too closely to beauty, and Gatsby links identity to hairstyle. They can show that confidence comes from more than appearance.

• Show more everyday situations

Wardah can show women in daily activities. Gatsby can show men in more natural moments beyond stylish or sporty scenes.

• Inclusive Communication Suggestions

• Use more gender neutral language

Wardah uses very feminine wording, and Gatsby uses very masculine wording. Both can choose more open language.

• Avoid linking gender to appearance

Brands can highlight confidence, creativity, and kindness instead of focusing only on looks.

• Use visuals that reach more audiences

They can include people with different skin tones, abilities, and styles.

• Show a wider emotional range

Wardah mostly shows calm happiness, while Gatsby shows controlled confidence. Showing more emotions can reduce gender limits.

• Overall Conclusion

Wardah and Gatsby still use traditional images of women and men. Wardah focuses on ideal feminine beauty, and Gatsby highlights masculine style. Their ads are positive but still narrow in gender roles.
Both brands are well liked, but they can become more inclusive by showing more diversity, reducing stereotypes, and using more open language to reflect real life more fairly.