The Roles Of Advertising : Women And Advertising

In the documentary Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women by Jean Kilbourne, she talks about how women are depicted in advertisement. The average American will spend 2 years of their life just watching advertisement, and most of these people will make the claim that the ads were not effective to them. Jean Kilbourne stresses that the advertisement companies make their ads quick and cumulative so that they almost seem forgettable. However, the advertisements will still resonate in your mind unconsciously. Kilbourne argues that the objectification of women in the advertisement industry: negatively affects the mental health of women with the societal need to be perfect, encourages the eroticism of violence, and tells women they need

One of the the oldest advertising agencies in America since its creation in 1869, N.W. Ayer and Son, produced a compilation of their ads in order to teach how marketing could be used to convince customers to buy their goods. In this booklet they state “Out of magazines and newspapers they [customers] glean the ideas that are to rule their daily lives” (In Behalf). This statement reiterates the fact that advertising was particularly focused on promoting goods as useful in order to appeal to a wide variety of customers. Though this statement from N.W. Ayer and Son does not speak to any specific gender, it can be inferred that they were speaking about women as Estelle Freedman, an acclaimed American historian specializing in women and social reform, as well as a professor of history at Stanford University, writes how “Home economics became woman’s professional realm…” (Freedman 391).

The use of sexualization also reinforces a pattern of gender roles that are currently circulating throughout advertisements. More often than not, women who are used as ploys in ads are seen doing household chores like vacuuming, changing the toilet paper, or making coffee. Females are rarely ever seen in a work place, and definitely not in a powerful position. In fact, the directors of most of these ads place women below or behind the man to show who has the power in actuality. Women are seen as skinny, fragile, and immobile in high heels, while men are strong and powerful. By setting up such a strong binary between the two different groups, it is obvious that the majority of the American society will not be able to fit into these roles, and it leaves a sense of rejection for the average person. This rejection, accepted by the viewers, manifests

These roles for females represent what the advertisement industry believe buyers deem as the real world. As Goffman asked," What messages about women have been given to society through magazine

Sexist ads show that society is dominated by the same masculine values that have controlled the image of women in the media for years. Sexist advertisement reinforces gender stereotypes and roles, or uses sex appeal to sell products, which degrades the overall public perception of women. The idea that sexism is such a rampant problem comes from the stereotypes that are so deeply embedded into today’s society that they almost seem to be socially acceptable, although they are nowhere near politically correct. Images that objectify women seem to be almost a staple in media and advertising: attractive women are plastered all over ads. The images perpetuate an image of the modern woman, a gender stereotype that is reinforced time and time again by the media. These images are accepted as “okay” in advertising, to depict a particular product as sexy or attractive. And if the product is sexy, so shall be the consumer. In the 1970s, groups of women initially took issue with the objectification of women in advertisements and with the limited roles in which these ads showed women. If they weren’t pin-ups, they were delicate

Women’s magazines, television, and advertisements all showed this new image of the feminine woman and the ideals. Editorial magazines showed women as either happy housewives or unhappy careerists. Most of these types of advertisements were made by men. If a woman living this ideal domestic life that had been propagated was unhappy, she was seen as abnormal or possibly sick. Women who did not comply with the standard of female domesticity were likewise seen as being abnormal and something to stay away from.

From 1890 to 1940, advertisements were produced in such a way of generalizing groups of people to make goods more appealing. Advertisements directed at women generally concerned beauty products and household goods, which were women’s main concern in this time period. These advertisements capitalized on women’s inferiority to men, and motherhood. However, women were also used to help sell goods, by making men think they will attract more women, or be able to provide for their woman with certain products. People of color were treated as almost a whole other species. African Americans were used on labels to represent a richness about the product, in that people who had this product seemed to have the resources to hire a person of color to work

According to Kim Bartel, the stereotype of a housewife was created through the continuation, and constant exposure of consumers to patterns of imagery (91). The female role has naturalized in popular culture, especially in advertisements. These advertisement constantly portray women as either the cook, maid, or caretaker of the home. During the early 1950s and late 60s advertisements start to objectify female identity in order to use their images to sell either products or a lifestyle. In this sense marketer begin to realize the value women had on selling items.

Advertising in the 1950’s, at first glance, can be described as sexist; however, with a deeper understanding of the assumed gender roles of the decade, it is discovered that advertising was pushing established boundaries, especially that of women’s portrayal in ads. Advertising in the 1950’s was drastically different compared to today’s advertising norms. Ads in the 1950’s, under today’s values, are mostly interpreted as purely sexist. However, a deeper understanding of the decade and society can reveal how ads were even boundary pushing. While these ads may not be successful in today’s society, a simple comparison to today’s advertising can show how society’s values have shifted to accommodate different gender roles.

Objectification of women is on the rise in society today. The underlying message is that women are living in a sexually gratified atmosphere. From advertisements to television and magazines etc. Woman are exploited as sexual objects while men believe depicting images of women in a sexual manner is funny or sexy but why not offensive or degrading? Therefore, advertisements influence the core of the sexualization of culture.

Images of females are everywhere. The image of females portrayed through advertising for the most part gives off a negative message to girls who struggle with body image and even women who want to look a particular way. The most negative message that advertising portrays is objectification of women and violence towards them. Women and girls need to recognize the true meaning behind the advertisements that we see in all aspects of media. They should not allow themselves to be objectified in any way, nor accept that this is the way the female gender is portrayed.

This paper focuses on gender roles in advertisements and further analyzes the affect these advertisements have on women. Gender roles refer to the ways in which individuals are expected to act based on their gender. These roles are very prevalent in society, and because of this, are also depicted heavily in advertisements. Although men do receive negative messages from advertisements, this paper focuses more on women because of the amount of violence and stereotypes that are depicted towards them in these ads.

Men and women in advertisement were not equal but instead conformed to common beliefs about appropriates gender roles and gender stereotypes. In many advertisement women were more likely sexualized more than men. Women were more likely to wear seductive clothing and more likely to be objectified. In most advertisement women were less likely to be presented in working roles and more likely to be presented in recreational

In society, advertisement has created unrealistic standards which are shown silencing women and empowering men. You will be amazed by what these ads actually make you perceive as normal and what everyone thinks you should be? Advertisement in today's society is continuously using the same generic features, these generic features are gender stereotypes, male gaze and objectifying. Advertisement in today’s society can be very blunt and

The growing display of female images in the mass media, which presented youth, beauty, and sexuality in often unrealistic ways increased this. The gendering of consumption did not really allow for women as producers in the new consumer industries. Women made up a minority of professionals working in advertising, and magazines in the early twentieth century, and rarely controlled them or held executive positions, most were copywriters, which was deemed the correct work for women (Peiss, 1998). The businesswomen entered a position as information advisers who claimed to understand and communicate with women consumers successfully. The early advertising women found work in the large agencies on women’s accounts, such as beauty products, and housewares. In department store merchandising, over forty percent of buyers were women by 1924. A number of female home economists promoted standardised goods, and brand-names, the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval was also given assuring consumers of the quality and safety of products under the appearance of good domestic performance (Peiss,