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The sexualization of women in advertising
The sexualization of women in advertising
Influence of TV commercials on body image dissatisfaction
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Advertising has changed in many ways over the years, growing and maturing to show us what we should be. Because our own self-esteem is not enough, we rely on advertising to tell us what is beautiful and what is not. Whether we realize it or not, beauty is ultimately defined for us. Products are advertised all around us, telling us that something in our life is missing because we do not have a certain product in our possession. Ranging from make-up to plastic surgery, most of this advertising is geared toward women. This can be shown through the advertisements analyzed in this essay. Both ads depict women who are approachable. The older ad depicts simplicity and innocence, while the current ad shows a more complex, sexual look. The images are described in further detail in the following paragraphs.
The first advertisement is from Seventeen magazine in November 1980 and shows a young girl, most likely a teenager. She is wearing a dark blue sweater, but you are only able to see her shoulder and part of her right arm in the picture. Her right hand is placed behind her neck. On her wrist, she is wearing a thick green bracelet. She is smiling and her eyelashes are thick and chunky with mascara, which is the product advertised in this picture. She has brown and blonde hair that is shoulder length. The ends of her short hair are curled upwards. There is white text over the top of the picture that says, “Not just big lashes. Not just thick lashes. But big, thick, just-won’t-quit lashes.” There is also similar white text on the bottom of the advertisement that states, “Take your lashes to the Maxi.” Maxi is the brand name for the mascara being advertised, which is shown in the bottom right corner of the advertisement.
The second advert...
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... a more sexual look to it. Her eyes are smiling and have a look of lust in them. She also has her lips slightly parted, which is sexy because it makes you almost want to kiss her. The old ad girl is smiling and is almost just staring out of the picture. Her eyes seem to convey a look of complete innocence; there is not much sexuality here.
By comparing these two ads, one can easily determine that advertising between the present day and thirty years ago has changed in a number of ways. Back in 1980, beauty and innocence seemed to go hand in hand. Society seemed to prefer a woman who was much more innocent, vulnerable, and submissive. Looking at the ads that are around us today, beauty is defined in a much different way: through sexuality and flawless physical beauty. Perhaps now you have a better idea of how beauty is defined – through advertising.
Advertising, whether criticized or celebrated, is undeniably a strong force in American society. Portrayals and Images of women have long been used to sell in published advertisements. However, how they have been used has changed enormously throughout the decades. Women have fought to find a lasting and prominent position in their society. Only in the span of twenty years, between 1900’s and 1920’s, the roles of women changed dramatically here in United States.
The documentary Killing Us Softly 4 discusses and examines the role of women in advertisements and the effects of the ads throughout history. The film begins by inspecting a variety of old ads. The speaker, Jean Kilbourne, then discusses and dissects each ad describing the messages of the advertisements and the subliminal meanings they evoke. The commercials from the past and now differ in some respects but they still suggest the same messages. These messages include but are not limited to the following: women are sexual objects, physical appearance is everything, and women are naturally inferior then men. Kilbourne discusses that because individuals are surrounded by media and advertisements everywhere they go, that these messages become real attitudes and mindsets in men and women. Women believe they must achieve a level of beauty similar to models they see in magazines and television commercials. On the other hand, men expect real women to have the same characteristics and look as beautiful as the women pictured in ads. However, even though women may diet and exercise, the reality...
Analyzing the advertisement, one may infer that the ad is appealing to both male and female. From a male’s perspective, he would notice the sexy female shown in the ad and think “She’s really hot!” and since she is holding a bottle of Coca-Cola, he may think that if he were to buy one, a female, like the one in the ad, would begin to take interest in him. From a female’s perspective, she notices the woman with a bottle and probably thinks, “If I buy myself a coke, I’ll look just as hot as her,” and also has the mindset that she’ll get the best out of the product that she bought. Also, the audience may also take notice that if they themselves were to obtain a bottle of Coca-Cola, they may become more “cool” and appealing to the opposite
First, Kilbourne’s research should be praised tremendously for bringing to light the unhealthy impression of true beauty in today’s culture. Kilbourne challenges the audience to reconsider their viewpoints on advertising that is sublime with sexual language. The evolution of advertising and product placement has drastically changed the real meaning of being a woman. According to the movie, every American is exposed to hundreds and thousands of advertisements each day. Furthermore, the picture of an “ideal women” in magazines, commercials, and billboards are a product of numerous computer retouching and cosmetics. Media creates a false and unrealistic sense of how women should be viewing themselves. Instead of being praised for their femininity and prowess, women are turned into objects. This can be detrimental to a society filled with girls that are brainwashed to strive to achieve this unrealistic look of beauty.
Makeup ads are debatably the most persuasive ads our society falls victim to on a daily basis. People, mainly women, love to read and hear that they have a chance to look ‘flawless’ or ‘perfect’. The Revlon Just Bitten Kissable ad is under extreme criticism during this essay because it was put together with weasel words, catchy sentences, and a pretty face. Who would not want to look like a celebrity, have amazing skin, and have the perfect kiss whenever they ware with their attractive partner? No one. That is exactly why ads, such as this Revlon lipstick ad, make their companies millions of dollars a year. Revlon has been one of the leading companies for makeup sales since 1931. With that being said, consumers have obviously been pleased with the results of Revlon products. Even though the products are credible and they have been satisfying customers for eighty-three years, they will not make anything about you ‘perfect’.
In addition, both media texts integrate certain perspectives to serve the purpose they aim to achieve. While the advertisement persuades the audience to buy cosmetic products, the news report is written to clarify that negative body image is initiated by cosmetic advertisements. By transmitting an unrealistic beauty ideal, the “Blushing Beauty” advert stereotypes young Women. However, in most cases even men are affected. Furthermore, the newspaper report contains oppositions to cosmetic companies, similarly, the advertisement symbolizes Jane Irdales’ perspective. On the other hand, “a toxic combination of the media, advertising and celebrity culture account for almost three-quarters of the influence o...
...r young, impressionable mind will have been exposed to more than 77,000 advertisements, according to an international study. Last week, it confirmed the link between the images of female perfection that dominate the media and increasing cases of low self-esteem among young women..” (Shields,2007). The propaganda techniques such as liking, sex appeal, and celebrity endorsements are used in advertisements constantly. Commercials on television, billboards, magazines, and various other advertisement types are everywhere you look in America, and sadly it has become very important for women of all ages to try to be perfect. We come into contact with these messages every day, and the beauty industry is getting bigger and bigger. Propaganda has molded our worldly perception of beauty and will only continue to hurt us and gain from our lack of self-esteem if we allow it to.
This advertisement appears in the Seventeen magazines, whose readers range in age between thirteen and twenty-five. The visual shows a young, blonde, Caucasian female who is attracting the readers to the COVERGIRL™ product. Placing this sort of ad in the Seventeen magazines is appealing to most young women due to the beautiful celebrity, Taylor Swift, who uses the same product. Also, the colors used, such as the pastel pinks, draws in the reader since they are very feminine colors. Finally, the product itself is appealing to the audience of Seventeen because younger women like to look their best, and to do that, lip-gloss is a handy accessory.
Advertising is always about appearance. It is also about information and what really satisfies people. Undoubtedly, that advertisement of women has been increased dramatically and obviously in such a way that it turns out to be an important part of people’s lives. Recently, with advertising developments, there are more and more prospective shows to the public. It cannot be denied that advertisements consist of negative scenes that shape female identity.
The subjective element of beauty involves judgment, not opinion. Many people feel beauty is only something seen by the eyes. St. Thomas Aquinas views beauty in both the supernatural and natural orders. Aquinas lists the attributes of beauty to be found in nature. These are; unity, proportion, and clarity. We will see how these attributes of beauty are seen through the eye and felt by the heart.
Looking at all 8 ads there are clear similarities and differences. One similarity is that men and women are both required to be in good shape and have perfect features. This can be explained because the media wants men and women to live up to this “ideal male or female beauty” and companies feel that by selling their product through or on attractive men and women, people will be inclined to buy it in order to achieve that beauty. However, these perfect features are more likely than not photo shopped in advertisements. Advertisements over exaggerate the ideal male and female beauty in society by doing this. Another similarity is that men and women should both omit sexuality and show off their femininity or masculinity. This can be explained
With the extremely wide variety of channels now to choose from it makes it easier for advertisers to be specific about who sees it. For example children’s stations such as ‘Nickelodeon’ are packed with adverts for toys and games as the majority of their audience is under 12. But stations such as ‘The Cookery Channel’ that have an older, mainly female audience use adverts for perfumes, clothes, holidays. It is essential for adverts to be eye-catching and stylish because they are in competition with all the other adverts for similar products. Anything from catchy jingles, to horrific scenes are used in advertising [IMAGE] Hugo Boss Analysis The first advert to be analysed is the Hugo Boss fragrance.
In American culture today, society's view of beauty is controlled by Hollywood, where celebrities are constantly in the lime-light. The media watches Hollywood's every move, and is quick to ridicule “A-listers” whenever they dare to gain a few pounds or to let an uncontrollable pimple show. The media has created a grossly distorted mental image of what should be considered beautiful, and with almost every junior high and high school-age girl reading and viewing this message, the idea has been instilled in them as well. This view of beauty is causing many teenage girls to become obsessed with a highly problematic and unattainable goal of perfection.
The definition of beauty is varying among different people in the world. Even though almost everyone knows the term beauty, many people are struggling in defining it and persuading others to agree with their opinions. Beauty is defined by a combination of qualities existent in a person or thing that fulfills the aesthetic feels or brings about profound gratification. Many people define beauty as a term to describe a person’s physical appearance; they often think that beauty comes from magazines, video girls, or even models. Although the term beauty can define a person’s physical appearance, true beauty lies in the way one acts and thinks rather than the way one look.
There are many reasons as to why we find things beautiful, even if somebody else were to disagree. A person might be evolved to find beauty in flowers because it’s a sign of fertility and growth. Another person might be attracted to the model because they admire or aspire to be like the celebrity. Our societies and culture shape the ideas of beauty that we conform to. Also, imagery that appeals to our memories and emotions can also be viewed as attractive or beautiful. Jib Fowles explains in his article, “Emotional Appeals” that “consumers may not be aware of the extent of their own sensitivity to artwork, but it is undeniably large.” This means that although consumers may not always be aware, they are drawn to advertisements because it visually represents themselves in some way or another. Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication” and that is clearly how the Giorgio Armani advertisement is designed to make the consumer feel. Sophistication is felt in the simplicity of the soft white background, the models natural looking makeup hair and makeup, as well how she is dressed in an elegant, solid black shirt. On another note, the celebrity model’s flawless complexion and luscious hair states that she is healthy, and we as humans find that to be attractive. In the Tom Ford advertisement, the young model is lying nude in black water as dark purple orchids float around her. This advertisement may be found appealing to a young and more creative audience who finds appreciation in art. When consumers feel a heighted state of pleasure, the product seems better to use. Beautiful things are better to