Representation of Women in Advertising
Academic reading: A Critical Analysis of Progressive Depictions of Gender in Advertising
1) How does Mistry suggest advertising has changed since the mid-1990s?
There has been an increase of images based on gender and sexual orientation that are open for several different interpretations. There has also been an increase in homosexual images being used in advertising.
2) What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?
Women should stay at home and fulfil their responsibility as a women by being a good housewife and taking care of children. Advertising focused on women's domestic role so that they believed that success as a women, wife and mother could be purchased for the price of a bottle of cough syrup etc. During the 1940's, feminists wanted women to start thinking out their own careers and plans but after the war in 1945, women were made to feel guilty because there would be dangerous consequences to their home.
3) How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising?
The increasing influence of clothes and make-up let to women being portrayed as 'decorative' objects and as they were being objectified, they were being encouraged to use commodities in order to serve men.
4) Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to?
Laura Mulvey came up with the theory of 'male gaze' and suggested that the dominant view is masculine and created for the benefit of men. Women are presented for men to look at which is the male gaze and links to the idea of 'sex sells' and women are being objectified as sex objects.
5) How did the representation of women change in the 1970s?
There was an increase in images that were labelled as the 'New Woman' which represented the changing reality of women's social position and of the influence of the women's movement. The New Woman was to be 'independent, confident and assertive, finding satisfaction in the world of work and recreation, seeking excitement, adventure and fulfilment.'
6) Why does van Zoonen suggest the 'new' representations of women in the 1970s and 1980s were only marginally different from the sexist representations of earlier years?
This is because for women to go to work it gives them an opportunity to dress up and present themselves. van Zoonen suggests that women are portrayed to be more confident by working in office environments but is observed from behind by male colleagues and is not actually portrayed doing any work.
7) What does Barthel suggest regarding advertising and male power?
Barthel suggests that 'today's young women can successfully storm the bastions of male power without threatening their male counterparts' which reassures the fact that underneath the suit they are still 'all women' and there isn't a real threat to male power.
8) What does Richard Dyer suggest about the 'femme fatale' representation of women in adverts such as Christian Dior make-up?
Women can use the make up to look sexually attractive and that her sexuality is for her own enjoyment. However, Dyer suggests that images like these misrepresent women's liberation: adverts often equate liberation with aggressive sexuality and a 'very unliberated coy sexiness.' Women continue to present themselves for men and believes she is liberated by doing so.
Media Magazine: Beach Bodies v Real Women (MM54)
Now go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature on Protein World's controversial 'Beach Bodies' marketing campaign in 2015. Read the feature and answer the questions below in the same blogpost as the questions above.
1) What was the Protein World 'Beach Bodies' campaign?
The 'Are you beach body ready?' campaign was launched by Protein World in spring 2015 on London underground which was for women trying to look their best for the beach in the summer. The advert feautred a tanned. blone female in a full-frontal pose- that generated controversy. The advert was aimed first at the male gaze which gets both sexes attention but was designed for women.
2) Why was it controversial?
The ad suggested that this is what women should look like, they should be skinny in order to be 'beach body ready'. The advert was said to be 'playing on female consumer's insecurities.'
3) What did the adverts suggest to audiences?
Protein World claim their campaign is about health and not just about looking good. The model looks aggressive but seductive which could suggest that the model is being objectified for the male gaze due to the lack of clothing. The text on the ad basically questions are you thin enough to go to the beach? The advert suggests if you use their product then you too can look like this in hops of transformation.
4) How did some audiences react?
People began to campaign against the poster's sexist portrayal for which a petition with 71,000 people signed in order to have the adverts removed. Some protesters responded by posing next to the ad in their bikinis to offer a more realistic depiction of women's bodies.
5) What was the Dove Real Beauty campaign?
This campaign features real women with real bodies of all races and ages. They created an ad that was interactive and allowed the women to be in charge of the advertisements. The women themselves chose what they saw as beautiful and not the advertisers. The campaigns mission was to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence and not anxiety.
6) How has social media changed the way audiences can interact with advertising campaigns?
Social media has provided an online platform where people can share thoughts and ideas to a mass audience. It allows celebrities to promote and persuade their fan following to buy products but also makes advertising more interactive.
7) How can we apply van Zoonen's feminist theory and Stuart Hall's reception theory to these case studies?
Hall's reception theory can be applied because for the beach body ready campaign the counter-hegemonic reading was that the ad was sexist where as the preferred reading suggested by the producers was becoming healthier and they thought nothing was wrong with the ad and that they didn't intend to be disrespectful.
van Zoonen suggested that representations of gender and constructing it depended on: the institution,platform,genre,audience and how significant it is to the consumers. van Zoonen sees gender as 'negotiated and dependent' and the 'outcome having far-reaching socio-cultural implications.'
8) Through studying the social and historical context of women in advertising, do you think representations of women in advertising have changed in the last 60 years?
I think that women are still objectified in advertising for the male gaze to this day therefore much hasn't changed. However, you could say that it's become acceptable to go against adverts and their meanings because people have become more aware of the intentions of media texts and that some media products try to influence the audience.
Read these extracts from an academic essay on gender in advertising by Reena Mistry. This was originally published in full in David Gauntlett's book 'Media, Gender and Identity'. Then, answer the following questions:
1) How does Mistry suggest advertising has changed since the mid-1990s?
There has been an increase of images based on gender and sexual orientation that are open for several different interpretations. There has also been an increase in homosexual images being used in advertising.
2) What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?
Women should stay at home and fulfil their responsibility as a women by being a good housewife and taking care of children. Advertising focused on women's domestic role so that they believed that success as a women, wife and mother could be purchased for the price of a bottle of cough syrup etc. During the 1940's, feminists wanted women to start thinking out their own careers and plans but after the war in 1945, women were made to feel guilty because there would be dangerous consequences to their home.
3) How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising?
The increasing influence of clothes and make-up let to women being portrayed as 'decorative' objects and as they were being objectified, they were being encouraged to use commodities in order to serve men.
4) Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to?
Laura Mulvey came up with the theory of 'male gaze' and suggested that the dominant view is masculine and created for the benefit of men. Women are presented for men to look at which is the male gaze and links to the idea of 'sex sells' and women are being objectified as sex objects.
5) How did the representation of women change in the 1970s?
There was an increase in images that were labelled as the 'New Woman' which represented the changing reality of women's social position and of the influence of the women's movement. The New Woman was to be 'independent, confident and assertive, finding satisfaction in the world of work and recreation, seeking excitement, adventure and fulfilment.'
6) Why does van Zoonen suggest the 'new' representations of women in the 1970s and 1980s were only marginally different from the sexist representations of earlier years?
This is because for women to go to work it gives them an opportunity to dress up and present themselves. van Zoonen suggests that women are portrayed to be more confident by working in office environments but is observed from behind by male colleagues and is not actually portrayed doing any work.
7) What does Barthel suggest regarding advertising and male power?
Barthel suggests that 'today's young women can successfully storm the bastions of male power without threatening their male counterparts' which reassures the fact that underneath the suit they are still 'all women' and there isn't a real threat to male power.
8) What does Richard Dyer suggest about the 'femme fatale' representation of women in adverts such as Christian Dior make-up?
Women can use the make up to look sexually attractive and that her sexuality is for her own enjoyment. However, Dyer suggests that images like these misrepresent women's liberation: adverts often equate liberation with aggressive sexuality and a 'very unliberated coy sexiness.' Women continue to present themselves for men and believes she is liberated by doing so.
Media Magazine: Beach Bodies v Real Women (MM54)
Now go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature on Protein World's controversial 'Beach Bodies' marketing campaign in 2015. Read the feature and answer the questions below in the same blogpost as the questions above.
1) What was the Protein World 'Beach Bodies' campaign?
The 'Are you beach body ready?' campaign was launched by Protein World in spring 2015 on London underground which was for women trying to look their best for the beach in the summer. The advert feautred a tanned. blone female in a full-frontal pose- that generated controversy. The advert was aimed first at the male gaze which gets both sexes attention but was designed for women.
2) Why was it controversial?
The ad suggested that this is what women should look like, they should be skinny in order to be 'beach body ready'. The advert was said to be 'playing on female consumer's insecurities.'
3) What did the adverts suggest to audiences?
Protein World claim their campaign is about health and not just about looking good. The model looks aggressive but seductive which could suggest that the model is being objectified for the male gaze due to the lack of clothing. The text on the ad basically questions are you thin enough to go to the beach? The advert suggests if you use their product then you too can look like this in hops of transformation.
4) How did some audiences react?
People began to campaign against the poster's sexist portrayal for which a petition with 71,000 people signed in order to have the adverts removed. Some protesters responded by posing next to the ad in their bikinis to offer a more realistic depiction of women's bodies.
5) What was the Dove Real Beauty campaign?
This campaign features real women with real bodies of all races and ages. They created an ad that was interactive and allowed the women to be in charge of the advertisements. The women themselves chose what they saw as beautiful and not the advertisers. The campaigns mission was to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence and not anxiety.
6) How has social media changed the way audiences can interact with advertising campaigns?
Social media has provided an online platform where people can share thoughts and ideas to a mass audience. It allows celebrities to promote and persuade their fan following to buy products but also makes advertising more interactive.
7) How can we apply van Zoonen's feminist theory and Stuart Hall's reception theory to these case studies?
Hall's reception theory can be applied because for the beach body ready campaign the counter-hegemonic reading was that the ad was sexist where as the preferred reading suggested by the producers was becoming healthier and they thought nothing was wrong with the ad and that they didn't intend to be disrespectful.
van Zoonen suggested that representations of gender and constructing it depended on: the institution,platform,genre,audience and how significant it is to the consumers. van Zoonen sees gender as 'negotiated and dependent' and the 'outcome having far-reaching socio-cultural implications.'
8) Through studying the social and historical context of women in advertising, do you think representations of women in advertising have changed in the last 60 years?
I think that women are still objectified in advertising for the male gaze to this day therefore much hasn't changed. However, you could say that it's become acceptable to go against adverts and their meanings because people have become more aware of the intentions of media texts and that some media products try to influence the audience.
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