Blog tasks: Representations of women in advertising

 

1) How does Mistry suggest advertising has changed since the mid-1990s?

Since the mid-1990s, advertising has increasingly employed images in which the gender and sexual

orientation of the subject(s) are markedly (and purposefully) ambiguous.

2) What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?

Soon after 1945, women were made to feel

guilty by warnings of the 'dangerous consequences to the home' that had begun to circulate

The highest good is keeping house and raising children'

3) How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising?

It had led to women being increasingly portrayed as empty objects.

4) Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to?

Laura Mulvey- men have a sexual drive to look at women

5) How did the representation of women change in the 1970's?

The 'new women' reveal how women were now represented as dominant, confident,assertive etc

6) Why does van Zoonen suggest the 'new' representations of women in the 1970's and 1980's were only marginally different from the sexist representations of earlier years?

Images were used to believe that they incorporate feminist ideals, but are actually 'used in such a way as to empty them of their progressive meaning'


7) What does Barthel suggest regarding advertising and male power?

Barthel suggest that "we can reassure them that, underneath the suit, we are still 'all woman', that 'no serious gender defection has occurred"

which means that men should be reassured that they are nit being challenged by other women as this is still a male dominated society.

8) What does Richard Dyer suggest about the 'femme fatale' representation of women in adverts such as Christian Dior make-up?

He believes such images are something of a misrepresentation of women's liberation this is because women are presented in a sexual manner in advertisements,which favours men and their appeals. Rather than celebrating the liberation of women and their independence.

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 blog post as the questions above.

1) What was the Protein World 'Beach Bodies' campaign and why was it controversial?

The advert was arguably aimed first and foremost at the male gaze and was aimed to get the attention of both males and females but was questioned by many others. 

2) What was the Dove Real Beauty campaign?

3) How has social media changed the way audiences can interact with advertising

 campaigns? 

Social media has allowed many individuals to speak there thoughts on what they deem is right or wrong, it also allows communities to come together when collectively people think a certain advertisement or media source has done something/shown something wrong

4) How can we apply van Zoonen's feminist theory and Stuart Hall's reception theory to these case studies?

As van Zoonen says the media does aid in constructing a negative or positive view on certain genders

5) 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?

The representation of women has definitely improved over the last 60 years , however there are still cases where there may be an advertisement or media source that is aimed to uplift women however it still objectifies and sexualises women. So although it has its positives there are definitely still negatives.