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Gendered Advertisements On Women 's Advertising

Decent Essays

Gendered Advertisements Advertisements in todays media portray an unrealistic view of what it means to be a man or a woman. It is a very narrow, dichotomous structure that only few individuals can fit. We are exposed to these ads, in various forms, hundreds of times throughout the day. There is no in between. Magazines geared towards men and women’s interests are completely saturated with these advertisements. Magazine advertisements impose an unrealistic portrayal of how to “do gender” and they further perpetuate stereotypes on a much more complex and intersectional level. Through an analysis of three magazine ads, it is clear to see how the “right” way to perform gender, according to advertisers, is through hyper-feminized, hyper-masculinized, and highly racialize ways. Femininity can be expressed in a multitude of ways. It can expressed through the way a woman dresses, the way she talks, body language, even to the types of interests she holds and the activities she participates in. Femininity is a continuous spectrum that changes from culture to culture. It is when someone imposes their view of femininity upon others when it becomes hazardous to society. Cosmopolitan is one of various magazines that has a particular and narrow view towards the right way to be feminine, which is reinforced by advertisements. In the November issue, the magazine had 224 pages in total. 81 pages, 36% of the entire magazine, was pure advertisements. The majority of the products being

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