Gender Bias In Advertising Essay

Plous and Neptune writes in their “Racial and gender biases in magazine advertising” that advertisements have been called ubiquitous, inescapable and one of the most important cultural factors affecting the modern society. They are also known to be one of the great vehicles of social communication. While it is difficult to determine the cumulative effects of the exposure to the vast number of advertisements, it is proved through research on gender stereotyping that these advertisements affect people’s perceptions of and relations with one another (Plous & Neptune, p.01). The debate regarding gender bias in advertising and marketing campaigns is not new. Since long, female bodies have been used to advertise a large number of products from chocolates to toilet products. In the new era, gender has also become a marketing tool just like sex has used to be. Gender bias in advertisements has become the new norm with brands trying just anything to sell their product even if it does not appear logical. A perfect example of such ads with a gender bias is the

This gender bias in advertising tells volumes regarding the way companies are ready to tweak their marketing strategies to sell their products. However, in case of food and drinks distinct product categories are generally associated with distinct genders. The self-indulging chocolates are more targeted at females and the big, chunky hunger bars at the females. The key thing is appeal and the marketers would rather go to any extent to add appeal to their products through advertising. It is only a step ahead in the direction of using sex for creating sales. Like color, now taste and size are also being used to target products at specific genders. A light drink is meant for the girls and a strong one for the boys. No doubt the gender bias in the ad is only a reflection of how well the marketers are exploiting gender to drive the sales of their products