Womens Place In Advertising Essays - Advertising, Sexual Attraction

Women's Place In Advertising Women in Advertising Stereotypes in America have existed for hundreds of years. They were present before the Internet, television, radio, and even magazines. This is not to say that these newer media devices do not contribute to the overwhelming prevalence of racism, sexism, and stereotyping. Typecasting occurs regularly in society, for men, and especially women. Advertisers are the single largest contributor to the continuation of female degradation and sexual bias in our society. Advertising plays a tremendous role in promoting labels. Direct marketing techniques demand that people be placed in certain specific groups. The more defined a group is the better for the advertisers. Their goal is to create a situation where an entire group of people feel the same way, think the same way, and most importantly shop the same way. In the ads that I have found there seem to be three main types. The female body displayed as a sexual object; todays ads have created a society where the Kate Mosses of the world epitomize beauty. It is these types of ads that are responsible for the 80% of school girls watching their weight (Kilbourne). These second type exhibits the housewife who is nurturing, caring, older, and unsexual. These ads feature women as competent only cleaning, cooking, and taking care of children. The final type is the empowered female, in control, young, and attractive. It is only the third type of ad, which occurred much less frequently that empowered and r ecognized women as equal to men. It is necessary that advertisers change their assessment of women. Women are more than sex objects and housewives; moreover, they constitute half of the consumers in the country. With a change in advertising policies companies will serve dual purposes, their sales to women will increase and, girls will have an opportunity to feel good about themselves, their bodies, and who they are. Traditionally women in media have filled only one role in American society, the housewife. Only recently did she expand to also include the sex object. Through mass media advertisers sell beauty; they create an unattainable ideal woman, compelling other women to attempt to transform themselves into the model. Advertisers make it clear that their products have the ability to complete that transformation. In my research over half the ads in multiple magazines treated women as sex objects. Scantily clad, sexy, beautiful women drape themselves over a bottle of perfume, a bouquet of flowers, or shaving cream. In ad numbered #1 there is a perfect woman caressing herself after getting out of the shower. Her body and hair are impeccable, a satisfied sexual look on her face. The sexual implications are also evident, Seduce your senses, Silken your skin Its a sensual experience like never before. This ad is telling readers that they will be more attractive if they use this particular brand of soap. A hall-mate of mine described the ad by saying If I use that soap I will be a beautiful babe. The ad scheme and the product have no relation whatsoever; soap has nothing to do with beauty or sex. They simply chose a beautiful, satisfied looking woman to use their soap. The 2nd ad shows a tall, thin, gorgeous model. She is in the 5% of women in the world with that particular type of body build. The ad is very clear in revealing its message; these clothes you will look more like this model. You will give off the sex appeal that she radiates, her eyes, stance, and even the pole she is resting on all are very sexual yet completely unrelated to the pants that are being advertised. Every ad that I collected that featured a woman was beautiful. There are no blemishes, pimples, or love handles; every woman has perfect hair, perfect breasts, and perfect arms, the definition of beauty in our culture. These are the women that create the negative, unhealthy, unsafe images in young girls minds. It is not surprising that girls rarely feel adequate during their emotional teenage years when they are forced to compare themselves to airbrushed, made-up models. The results of years of measuring up to advertisements are eating disorders, depression, and insecurity. The ads with