Woman and advertisment

We consume more advertisements than we think on a daily basis. Advertisements follow us everywhere we go from ads on Youtube videos, television to magazines. The images represented are construed  from a sexual aspect and objectifies a woman and what she is supposed to be. The viewers are fed the same kind of stereotypical images of the domestic housewife, mother, or sexual woman. Real women are underrepresented. The idea of being the perfect woman is far-fetched. Advertisement promote happiness and if you purchase their products you will achieve some sort of  enhancement to love and lifestyle. Do advertisements reflect the society we live in, or does the patriarchy society want to shape how society is supposed to be?

Budlight ad 

The idea of the “perfect” woman is socially accepted in ads, and heavily influences the perception of the consumer. The consumer is told what he/she should purchase, and they will not achieve happiness without the product. For example, alcohol advertisements heavily associate their product with sex, and the female body. The Bud light advertisements are directed to both men and. For men, drinking beer attracts attractive, youthful woman. On the other hand, bud light promotes a "light" beverages in order for woman to partake in drinking beer without gaining weight. "With just 100 calories'. Bud light is the choice for light, refreshing, thirst quenching fun." Laura Mulvey’s “male gaze” explains the roles of women in media as something to be looked at, and the men as bearers of the look.

Woman are bombarded with dieting products, and are expected to consume these products that will enhance a woman’s lifestyle and appearance. "The woman who eats, only “not so much”. we never see her picture; we are left to imagine her ideal beauty and slenderness. But what she looks like is not important, in any case; what is important is the face that she has achieved what we might call a “cool” relation to food. (Bordo, 100)” The media creates the relationship of woman and food. It is not socially acceptable for woman to want to eat as much as men. In the Lean Cuisine ad, "behind every successful woman is her microwave." They are promoting success with dieting, and being slim. Obviously, advertisers do not promote the hungry, starving woman. They promote the happy woman who has an amazing life because she saving her calories. "Regret Nothing, no sugar, no calories."

Diet coke ad

Lean cuisine 

“This was a subtle and complex representation but performed very similarly across newspapers and magazines of arguably different genre and audience appeal. (Gunther, 211)” The GQ cover, a men’s magazine, is the perfect example of how both men and women are perceived in the context of the magazine. Kanye West receives the man of the year issue, and his headshot is on the front cover.  He is nicely dressed in a suit, and the left side the page says “the year’s biggest winner” alongside other well-known male celebrities. The right side says, “a brief history of go women” and lists names of female celebrities and even says “including more beauties”. Kate Upton's cove feeds the male gaze, and the insert the woman who speaks about food. “The newest reason to love your country”. She is eating a Popsicle stick topless, leaving the readers to imagine and place themselves as the dessert.

      

Femininity is also culturally accepted, just like masculinity is accepted for men. A man must be the dominate, and the woman must be the submissive. The images in ads portray a woman as a desires and indulgent to men.  “The media emphasis on the “fit” male body may be in part an effect of feminism turning the tables on objectification and in part a fear of focusing on the thing feminine body in the media […] (Gunther 205).” By men being objectified, there is no real progression being done.  “Male bodies almost exclusively with the slender but muscular footballer David Beckham as the preferred male body-ideal of 33 per cent” (Gunther 205)

Anti-aging skin care ad

The toy industry makes an obvious distinction between the separation of gender. Toy trains belong to boys, and dolls belong to girls. The separation of gender beings at a young age. The toy industry makes an obvious distinction between the separation of gender. Toy trains belong to boys, and dolls belong to girls. The separation of gender beings at a young age. However, there is hope. If the 1981 lego advertisement aimed for both genders, the toy industry can easily do the same now. Our society is constantly changing, and the influence of patriarchal society can be destroyed. It begins with the youth, and how children are raised.

1981 Advertisement

There is progression aside from the representation of both men and women. Dove campaigns and promotes real women. Woman over a certain age are not represented in advertisements. They are often forgotten because advertisements are aimed towards a certain demographic (18-35). The dove campaign empowers older woman. Nike woman are on the right track to representing woman who are athletes. However, the battle of woman of color is still in progress. We have to start somewhere before making the feminist movement succeed. Advertisements reflect the patriarchy society, but they also have the power to make the necessary shift we need.

Nike Ad

Dove campaign  

Bordo, Hunger as Ideology

Gunther Wykes, Conclusion: Body Messages and Body Meanings