Brands and the media – in NZ as well as the rest of the world – will redefine modern masculinity this year, according to Getty Images’ 2018 Visual Trends, released overnight.
Masculinity Undone is one of three trends Getty has identified that will reshape the visual language consumers will be most responsive to this year, alongside Second Renaissance and Conceptual Realism.
Based on Getty Images’ creative research by its visual experts and search and image data – one billion customer searches and 400 million downloads from its website each year – Getty Images’ visual forecast sets out macro and micro trends for the year ahead, acting as a guide for the media, advertisers, brands and businesses by reflecting on changes in the world and how they may develop over the coming 12 months.
“Getty Images’ data shows customer searches for ‘single father’ increased 60%.”
“While past years have rightly been spent addressing the portrayal of women in advertising and the media, there is a growing awareness that stereotypes for representing men are also extremely outdated,” the report says.
“In New Zealand, the Advertising Standards Authority takes a stance on this, stating that advertisements ‘should not use stereotypes in the portrayal of the role, character and behaviour of groups of people in society which, taking into account generally prevailing community standards, is reasonably likely to cause serious or widespread offence, hostility, contempt, abuse or ridicule’.
“Demographics and cultural changes are making the common one-dimensional notions of masculinity irrelevant and, in 2018, men will continue to be liberated from long-established visual stereotypes as we see more imagery embracing male emotion, vulnerability and complexity.
Getty Images’ data shows an increase of 53% in customer searches for ‘gay dads’, ‘man meditation’ is up 126% and customer searches for ‘single father’ have increased by 60%.
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