The text at the bottom of the ad chosen reads, “The lighter way to enjoy chocolate. HERSHEYS.” The left side of the image depicts the back of a larger African American woman who is not wearing any clothes. On the right we see rippling heresy’s chocolate syrup. Hershey’s is trying to make a correlation between the colour/shape of the women on the left, and Hersey’s chocolate syrup on the right. Throughout this paper I will be taking a look at how women are affected by advertisements that promote dehumanization, body shaming, objectification, and the negative portrayal of African American women.
A large issue that I have with this ad is that it compares a women’s body to an object/food. By doing this they’re dehumanizing this woman and treating
…show more content…
It guilt’s women and enforces unfair body expectations on them, while shaming those who cannot meet them. “Messages abound telling women that they are not good enough or beautiful enough, encouraging us to constantly change ourselves, often through the use of various products and practices.” [2] (Pg. 232) In this advertisement we …show more content…
“The lighter way to enjoy chocolate,” to me this phrase is referring to the fact that African American women are often nicknamed as “Chocolate” due to their darker skin, and that’s why this African American woman is being compared to Hershey’s Cholate syrup. Therefore, this advertisement implies that Hersey’s chocolate syrup is the lighter way to enjoy chocolate, rather than a larger African American woman. This ad is may be detrimental to the self esteem and confidence of many women. “Despite a small degree of tokenism, black women are rarely represented in mainstream iconography.” (Pg. 248) [4] This advertisement resonated with me on a more personal side as I relate to being an African American women dealing with the pressures of societal expectations. African American women have many stereotypes that follow them in life. They are known to be big, loud, sassy, and obnoxious women. So, when it comes to playing a role in advertisements, we are immediately placed in roles that fit our description. Advertisements such as these just reinforce the negative stereotypes placed on
In a brilliant update of the Killing Us Softly series, Jean Kilbourne explains the dangers of advertisements and how they objectify women. Advertisements intelligently portray women in a sexual and distorted way in order to attract the consumers’ attention. Media sets a standard on how young women view themselves and puts them at risk for developing an eating disorder. Kilbourne’s research has led her to educate those who have fallen victim to achieving the “ideal beauty” that has evolved in today’s society.
The target audience is both males and females in their late teens to mid twenties. This company gets the male side of the equation by getting their attention and interest drawn to the attractive woman on the right with bright colors drawing your attention there as well as the bottle of whiskey which is right in the middle of the page. Then what gets these peoples attention to stay there is the fact they have an incredibly good looking female who is posing in next to nothing. Then a way that they try and get the females to look at the advertisement and read it is by showing a very plain girl who seems to be very typical of girls during their younger years. Then beside they show the same girl who now has become a women who is very attractive and just seems so much more powerful and sure of herself. One way that you can achieve that is if you drink Evan Williams Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey.
Often in advertising, there are images of women that offend some people, who see them as degrading, while others think they are harmless. However, upon a closer examination of the facts we will find that it is truly demeaning and not just a situation propelled out of proportion by ultra-feminists or what some people term “femi-nazis.” Although it is a feminist issue, it is also a family issue. Everyone has a sister, a mother, a grandmother or female friend who could potentially be harmed by being objectified in these ads. This can incite violence against a woman, damaging the woman as well as her family or friends. In Jean Kilbourne’s “Killing us Softly 3,” Kilbourne advances the idea that the advertising industry makes “. . . deliberate choices,” and “. . . tactical decisions designed to sell their particular brands by selling particular brands of femininity . . . undermining the way girls and women see themselves, while normalizing the violence done to them by men” (mef pp 3). Nevertheless, why do people, including women, still till tend to buy from the stores/retailers who advertise in this fashion? As we attempt to answer this question we will look at the biases created by these ads, and their affect on the people who are looking at them. With this evaluation, we shall discover that it is not just feminists over-reacting, but an issue for all humanity with ramifications for women’s rights, health and safety for years to come.
Frith, Katherine T., and Barbara Mueller. "Advertisements Stereotype Women and Girls." Opposing Viewpoints. N.p., 2006. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. .
...representation of body is seamlessly depicted in today’s contemporary culture. Without question, body fat is a controversial aspect to the female population. The ad does this for many purposes as discussed before. Bocock provides evidence that the reason women consume a large amount of goods is because of the multiple ways in which these products can correspond to the way they feel. Women in particular, buy Body Language Sportswear clothing to have a meaning, or emotional attachment to it. The advertiser’s use celebrities as mentioned above to represent these images. In return, the advertising company not only gains profit, but also expands their mass production. Brands such as this will eventually skyrocket through the spread of market. As a result, this ad evidently presents the ideological and theoretical values for marketing strategies intended to mediate people
Although this commercial is refreshing to see women of different nationalities and body types, it’s still putting women in competition with other women. When they made “This Body” a hashtag, it was supposed to empower women with curves but they neglect the women without curves. This separation is heavily influenced by the media. In today’s society, we encourage advertisements and commercials that promote the “ideal” body type which we perceive as “real beauty”. Fashion designers and advertisers look for models with a slim figure that wear between a size zero and four. As we get used to seeing this type of body image and value it, it becomes the norm. This stereotype controls the way women think of themselves and make them believe that they all need to look that way. This can result in women going on extreme diets, taking pills, or even altering their body. The people that benefit from these women are fashion designers and advertisers because they have fallen into their traps. These companies will continue to target distinct audiences of young ladies and capitalize off of their vulnerability because they believe that being slim is in. Plastic surgeons and fitness centers also benefit from young adults with low self-esteem. They believe that they are able to enhance their overall appearance and provide them with healthier lifestyles. In addition, men also play a huge roll in how ladies of all ages perceive themselves. In most cases, women are altering their bodies to either find a spouse or for their
In conclusion, we can see how everything presented in an advertisement can actually have an impact in the people. Although the company’s target was to sell their product, their way of transmitting the message to the people also fortifies the stereotype. Thus, the media today does abuse the power of stereotyping in order to gain a favorable reputation. Everything they present in the ad, from symbolism to the lifestyle of the characters, race, age and gender, has an effect on strengthening the stereotype. In this case, women are perceived as emotionally drained, weak and incapable, although now a days that characterization is trying to be broken because women are much more than that and can actually get to achieve greater things.
Through the application of physical appearance, audience and text the ad unfortunately paints women in a negative manner. The ad employs tactics that reel society into believing that women must put a man on a pedestal in order to gain his admiration. Women have the right to be treated equally and deserve to be represented in a positive light so the culture can fray away from following beliefs similarly portrayed in this 1930s advertisement. We must teach the next generation that although it is in our nature to nurture those around us, there are no boundaries or restrictions for women to excel in society for the
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...
For the advertisement to state specifically girl instead of women just makes it seem like women are not mature enough. Throughout the years women are getting more privileges as men are, but at the same time they are still seen as minorities. To call them girls instead of women is like saying they are not capable of making their own decisions. Society and social media today has made it really hard for women to fulfill the ideal women image. It is hard for women to be told that they are not mature enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or skinny enough because it is just too painful and humiliating to hear. Advertisements are exposing an unachievable body image for women and at the same time they are making it harder for women to be seen as beautiful in men’s eyes. It is bad enough that they might be going through a hard time because of their insecurities, but to see them on advertisement just makes them feel worse about themselves not better. The article “Sex, Lies, and Advertising” by Gloria Steinem states, “After all, advertising was (and is) as potent a source of information in this country as news or TV or movies. It’s where we get not only a big part of our information but also images that shape our dreams” (202). What happens if the advertisements hurt women instead of encouraging them to achieve their dreams? If
...dea by having these stereotypical women as characters, and advertisements push these ideas on women by portraying different definitions of beauty, selling products, and how they should be and what they should stand for. The only way to change these stereotypes is to combat the ideas that women need to spend a lot of money on cosmetics, have a rule book in the sense of knowing how to get a guy, knowing how to keep a man happy in a household, and the fact that they need to listen to people around them in order to calculate their own self worth. All women should feel beautiful because they are confident and not just because what somebody might say or do. They should not let that change their thoughts and ideas about who they want to be and where they want to go in life. Every person is an individual and should be able to make their own choices and feel good about them.
To sum up, it is often said that advertising is shaping women gender identity, and some have been argued that the statement is true, because of the higher amount of sexual references of women that advertisement show and the damages that occur on women’s personality and the public negative opinions of those women. As well, the negative effects that those kinds of advertisements cause to young generations and make them feel like they should simulate such things and are proud of what they are doing because famous actors are posting their pictures that way. Others deem this case as a personal freedom and absolutely unrelated to shaping women gender identity. On the contrast, they believe that, those sorts of advertisements are seriously teaching women how to stay healthy and be attractive, so they might have self-satisfaction after all.
Nowadays, advertisements depict how women should act, dress, and eat. For example in Hunger as Ideology, it show two different advertisements for Haagen-Dazs Ice cream, one with a man who just finished a half-pint smiling, the other with a woman who just took a bite from her ice cream bar. Although very discreet, the message is visible to consumers. Another example, are the sugar-free Jell-o ads, where an attractive slender woman is leaning back on a chair eating jell-o from a glass. Above the picture is a quote which says, “I’m a girl who just can’t say no. I insist on dessert”. To the side of the ad, it states, “Every woman is entitles to her just desserts. Just as long as dessert is Sugar Free Jell-O Gelatin. It’s light and fruity and fun. And it’s only calories.” This ad emphasizes on how women want dessert, but its only okay to have it if its sugar free. “The dessert you don’t have to desert” because it’s sugar free. Same concept with the Wonder Light Bread, in this ad two women are side by side on a park bench one holding a carrot, the other happily smiling with a sandwich and the ad saying, “ You’ll think your cheating, but you know your not…It’s Wonder Light bread”. These ads accentuate how its okay to eat a lot, as long as you eat “light”. Women look upon these ads and are convinced that this is how they are suppose to be, but in the Thomas Crown Affair, the message is completely opposite.
By posing the “thin-ideal,” advertisements convince women to believe that their bodies are objects in need of constant improvement. Striving for the “thin-deal,” however, causes many girls and women to become self-conscious and dissatisfied with their bodies. One research group has found that after being exposed to women’s magazines – such as, Vogue, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan – “girls…showed more dieting, anxiety, and bulimic symptoms” (www.media-scope.com). Interestingly enough, a newspaper that has no photos, The Wall Street Journal, does the best job at advertising diet doctors, pill mills, and weight loss scams. Among the many reasons, advertisements are one reason why only a body is what a woman is see as and becomes. For the sake of selling products, advertises purposely normalize unrealistically thin bodies in order to create an unattainable objective for women.
The media favors one women's body type; the tall blonde with perfect, tan skin and long, beautiful hair. Because the images of women in advertisements are unattainable, it keeps them purchasing new products in their quest to be like the models they see (Moore). The actual women in these advertisements can't even match up to the