First and foremost, this is a very cute and humorous ad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=R55e-uHQna0#at=11
In regards to gender representations in the ad, the gender of the child is never revealed due to the costume. However, it could be a boy or girl in the disguise. One may automatically assume that the child is a boy due to the fact that the costume is that of a male character, but the child’s room shown in the ad appears to be that of a little girl with a baby doll sitting on the bed. This could be the room of the child featured, or it could be the room of a female sibling. The gender interaction of the parents is limited since the father only appears with the mother for a brief period at the end of the piece. However, it would seem that the message sent to the viewer is the old fashioned representation of the stay at home mother caring for the child and doing house work, and the father is the working man returning home in business attire. This is not an adequate representation of a 21st century family. In many modern families both parents work and share responsibilities at home. Also, the mother may be the only one working either due to choice or necessity due to the current economic crisis. Then, there is the whole issue of broken and single parent households where a parent is raising a child alone. A large number of people do not live as those represented in the ad do.
The character of Darth Vader may be from about thirty years ago, but he is a well known character. Darth Vader is an icon of the dark side much like the villains in classic stories and comics. Just think of The Joker from the Batman stories. Star Wars has become a classic along with the characters of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia. It is quite possible that thirty years from now people will still understand what this kid’s costume represents.
Even though this is a fun ad, this childhood vignette does not reveal much about the nature of families in the 21st century. There may be a small number of families who live as the traditional, old fashioned type represented in this ad, but most families of the 21st century do not. Nevertheless, the ad could still be seen as effective since society does recognize the traditional roles. And besides, it is cute.
