Design Report

think OUT

Loud

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JANUARY 2013 £4

FASHION ADVERTISING & IT’S IMPACT ON SOCIETY Page 03

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THE ADVERTISER

Top secrets about what the advertisers really aim to achieve!

Something

To think

About An investigation into the representation of women in fashion advertising and its impact on women in society - By Abigail Aarons

Image source: http://geosfero.com/chat/chat/photoshoot-ideas-for-models&page=4

Contents 04 05 07 10 18 20 22

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Introduction & Methodology

The aims of the advertiser

How women are portrayed in fashion advertising: An inspiring or destructive illusion?

An impact on women?

What can be done to solve this problem?

Conclusion

Bibliography

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T

here are many topics of discussion regarding women’s representation in fashion advertising. This report aims to focus on a few main areas of interest.

Firstly, it intends to look at the aim of the advertisers regarding the intended impact on their audience. What is the main objective? What is the intended portrayal of women in advertising? What is the expected reaction of women in society to fashion advertising?

Leading on from this, this report aims to investigate how women are portrayed in fashion advertising.

Through carrying out primary research, this report strives to identify any possible ramifications that this portrayal may have on women in society. It also aims to gain a clearer understanding of the subject area through revealing the thoughts and views of these women regarding how the fashion industry represents women in advertising.

This report also strives to find solutions to any problems that may come to light during this study. Primary research aims to uncover the opinions and beliefs of medical and health professionals.

T

Methodology

he research for this report originally began with looking at ethics in graphic design and the role of the designer regarding social responsibility. From there, the research lead the report to the topic of ethics in advertising. Research specific to the portrayal of women in fashion advertising was then gathered. The main element of this report is about the impact that fashion advertising may have on women in society.

After gathering secondary research from books, journals, websites, documentaries and magazines, the secondary research was divided into various sections and themes in order to create a structure for the report. Leading on from here, primary research was undertaken. Focus groups were held

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using samples of women between the ages of 18-30, altogether gaining 25 responses. This sample group was chosen as secondary research suggests that the issue explored is most pertinent to this age group. (http://www. healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/articles/eating-disorders-body-imageand-advertising/) Surveys were sent out to 3 sample groups. The first group was women between the ages of 18-30. The second and third groups were medical/health professionals and graphic designers. These professions were chosen in order to ascertain opinions from relevant sources who may, in their work life, face different aspects of this issue. Responses were gained from the first two sample groups but an insufficient number of responses resulted from the third.

The aim of this report is to explore the issues surrounding the topic of women in advertising and to spread awareness about possible ramifications. The primary audience for this report is women in society between the ages of 18-30.

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1. The aims of the advertiser.

Communicating to the masses has evolved over time. What began as limited and basic exposure has developed into a complex stream of messages that surrounds us in every aspect of our daily lives. Studies have shown that the mass communications we are constantly exposed to play an important part in shaping our attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and expectations of the world around us.” (Thurm, 2001) The citation above clearly suggests that advertising plays a vital societal role whereby it forms a set of a values and a way of thinking in society.

The following extract also implies the vital role that advertising plays on society and consumer behaviour.

Advertisements are by far the most powerful means of social communication one can ever come across.

Image Source: Vogue (October 2012)

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“From dawn till dusk, people are constantly bombarded with ad messages. They are ubiquitous, proactive, and of course, play a crucial role in consumer behaviour” (http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles_various/Ads-

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targeting-women.asp) But what is the aim of the advertiser regarding the intended impact on their audience? Is it to sell products in a reasonable and respectful manner?

Is the approach of the advertiser to merely market goods in a harmless and inoffensive way?

A

fter speaking to ten women between the ages of 18-30, the views were varied. The women were asked the following question:

“What do you believe the aim of the fashion advertiser is?”

“It is an advertiser’s single aim: grab your attention.”

Image Source: Glamour (November 2012)

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There were two varying perspectives. The following quote reflects the first perspective whereby it suggests that fashion advertising merely exists to simply sell the product, creating a familiarity and appreciation of the brand.

“I believe that the aim of fashion advertising is to spread awareness of the brand and give consumer an idea of what is available and what the brand and products stand for.” (Participant A) Compared to the citation above, the following quote characterises a contrasting perspective replying with a challenging standpoint.

“I believe that the aim of fashion advertising would be to persuade society into believing that whatever they see in the ads is what they should look like, how they should act and how they should live their life.” (Participant B) This opinion suggests that advertisers aim to be forceful, scheming and manipulative in the way that they purposefully intend to impact on society.

It suggests that women in society have become spellbound by this intention, that they are trapped and that there is no way out. It suggests a sense of power, where advertisers have the ability to make society feel ensnared.

The following quote from a secondary source, seems to present an interconnected negative view towards the aim of the advertiser.

“It is an advertiser’s single aim: grab your attention. Somehow, a message must get through: advertisements fight for your eyes and ears, a morsel of your time, an iota of your attention.

And in the endless battle for your focus the theatre of operations is often in the extreme. There are no niceties here – shock tactics make one stop and stare. Mission accomplished.” (http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=84) Similar to the citation from participant A, this suggests that indeed, ad-

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“Advertising reflects society in a distorted fashion.”

Image Source: Glamour (November 2012)

vertising aims to have an impact on society by attempting to spread awareness of the brand. It also suggests, like participant B, that advertisers set out to purposefully torment society by demanding attention. In addition to these implications, it seems to suggest that advertisers mercilessly battle for this power. It insinuates an ongoing conflict between the advertiser and consumer and that the aim of advertising is to aggressively gain the attention of its audience. Moreover, it implies that advertisers will go to drastic measures to gain attention in order to increase sales, no matter what the cost. In fashion advertising, could that cost be too high?

To support the citations above, the following quote underpins the “general consensus” that advertising indeed reflects society in a distorted light with the aim of grabbing attention.

“Over the years many experts (for example, McLuhan, 1951; Packard, 1957; Pollay, 1986) have gone to great pains to outline the pervasive, persuasive, and ethically questionable nature of advertising. The general consensus is that advertising reflects society in a distorted fashion, calling attention to and exaggerating some aspects of our lives and hiding others.

One reason for such distortion is obviously the perceived need to push boundaries in creating the kind of attention-grabbing and innovative advertising required to get noticed in a marketplace characterised by clutter (Rumbo, 2002).” (Patterson et al. 2009) Does there seem to be any sensitivity towards to physical and mental wellbeing of society? Or is the sole aim to gain an increase in sales without a moments thought to the interests of the public?

2. How women are portrayed in fashion advertising: An inspiring or destructive illusion?

T

he media can often portray women in a false light, where they may be extremely and unnaturally skinny, or seemingly “perfect” in many other ways. This misrepresentation is widespread, appearing in music videos, television, movies and advertising.

As the report will discuss later, the misrepresentation of women in fashion advertising can lead to widespread health issues as women and girls universally attempt to aspire to the body image they see in the media.

The majority of brands however, find themselves trapped by this dilemma, as there is evidence that women are captivated by brands that use this misleading illusion even though it may harm them psychologically.

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If the average woman looked the way the majority of advertising portrays women, she would look something like this: Between the age of 18 – 30, between size 6 to 8, without a single blemish, stretch mark, scar or wrinkle.

She wouldn’t have an inch to pinch and she would have perfectly smooth, matt skin. Her hair would be long, thick, flowing and naturally “beautiful” in every way. Her eyes would be big and strikingly bold and her teeth, of course, would be sparklingly “stunning”. The truth of the matter is, this woman doesn’t really exist.

As Anita Roddick once said :

There are 3 billion women in the world who don’t look like supermodels and only 8 that do.”

Image Source: Elle (November 2012)

(http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/37429-there-are-3-billion-womenin-the-world-who-don-t) This clearly suggests that as well as the “average” woman in society, the vast majority of models who appear in fashion adverts are not the “Real McCoy”. They appear to be “perfect” but after a series of processes including airbrushing and photo editing, in no way do they resemble their true selves at all!

“Even I don’t wake up looking like Cindy Crawford.” – Cindy Crawford (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/cindy_crawford.html This poignant quote suggests a problem with fashion advertising. The illusion has gone so far that models don’t even recognise themselves in advertisements.

“In a recent study Buunk & Dijkstra (2011) demonstrated that women were willing to pay more for the product when it was promoted by an attractive model. The women in this same study also showed a more positive attitude toward the product, when it was promoted by an attractive as opposed to a moderately attractive model.” (Hari & Forestier, 2012)

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hoto editing has become a crutch; the industry is dependant on it in order to increase its sales. The thinner and more “perfect” the models are made to look, the more attention is gained, and the more the sales increase. But in fact, women in society seem trapped.

“The average woman sees 400 to 600 advertisements per day, and by the

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“Today’s fashion models weigh 23% less than the average female.”

Image Source: Instyle ((November 2012)

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time she is 17 years old, she has received over 250,000 commercial messages through the media.5 Only 9% of commercials have a direct statement about beauty,6 but many more implicitly emphasize the importance of beauty“ (http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/articles/eatingdisorders-body-image-and-advertising/) Women constantly compare their bodies to those around them, and researchers have found that exposure to idealised body images lowers women’s satisfaction with their own body (section 3).

“Advertisements emphasize thinness as a standard for female beauty, and the bodies idealized in the media are frequently atypical of normal, healthy women. In fact, today’s fashion models weigh 23% less than the average female, and a young woman between the ages of 18-34 has a 7% chance of being as slim as a catwalk model and a 1% chance of being as thin as a supermodel. However, 69% of girls in one study said that magazine models influence their idea of the perfect body shape, and the pervasive acceptance of this unrealistic body type creates an impractical standard for the majority of women.” (http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/articles/ eating-disorders-body-image-and-advertising/) The citation above clarifies that there is an ideal body image amongst women in society that has been influenced by magazine models. This damaging habit happens because of the emphasis that advertising has on the thin and “perfect” model, which scarcely exists. It is unrealistic and almost unattainable!

“Some researchers believe that advertisers purposely normalise unrealistically thin bodies, in order to create an unattainable desire that can drive product consumption. “The media markets desire. And by reproducing ideals that are absurdly out of line with what real bodies really do look like...the media perpetuates a market for frustration and disappointment.

Its customers will never disappear,” writes Paul Hamburg, an assistant professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Considering that the diet industry alone generates $33 billion in revenue, advertisers have been successful with their marketing strategy.” (http://www.healthyplace.com/ eating-disorders/articles/eating-disorders-body-image-and-advertising/) The extract above suggests that advertisers are purposely creating desirable images and standardising them. They know that women will chase after this ideal image but will always fail to achieve this goal, as it is usually unachievable. Through this sentiment of dissatisfaction, the flourishing continuation of sales is guaranteed.

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3. An impact on women?

ow much do women in society know about the issue at hand?

For the purposes of this report, primary research was undertaken. The sample audience was confined to women between the ages of 18-30. The following open question was posed.

“Tell me about the effects that the representation of women in fashion advertising has on women in society?”

“Fashion advertising affects the way women view themselves”

Image Source: Vogue (October 2012)

32 answers were returned. 3 women implied there was no effect and that fashion is purely an art form. 2 women spoke about some effects but didn’t specify whether negative or positive. Only 1 woman implied that there is a positive impact on women in society.

26 answers strongly implied a negative impact. These answers used words/phrases like “pressure”, “ideal woman”, “stereotypical”, “causes mental health problems” and “impossible”. These answers suggest that the advertising industry manipulates women into feel negatively about themselves.

The following quotes embody the general notion that the representation of women in fashion advertising has a negative impact on women in society.

“Because the women in advertising are so idealistic but portrayed as “normal”, I think women forget that the images are heavily edited and believe they should be like them.” (Participant C) “It depends on the individual, but as a whole it causes most to aspire to something that isn’t possible.”(Participant D) “Fashion advertising affects the way women view themselves and their concept of an ideal woman and on women’s view of beauty.”(Participant E) For the purpose of this report, a psychotherapist was asked the following question: In your opinion, to what extent do you believe that eating disorders in women can be attributed to fashion advertising? What other factors may there be? She answered with the following: “Hugely. Women are bombarded with skinny models who are often airbrushed!! Low self-esteem; issues with control; unsatisfying relationship with parents; possibly a passing comment about one’s weight in one’s youth.

Fashion advertising can cause women to aspire to an unattainable image.

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(Hannah Lemmel) So are advertisers reflecting the genuine aspirations of women or are they exploiting them by using visual images and trying to usurp what they genuinely think and replace that with unattainable images?

The quote below talks about the concept of aspiration with very negative connotations. Using a challenging tone, this feminist writer communicates a sense of corruption within the women’s magazine industry. This notion of dissatisfaction with her very being has clearly resulted from reading women’s fashion magazines like Elle and Marie Claire.

“When magazine editors talk about being “aspirational,” this is exactly what they mean – they want their audience to aspire after these things.

They don’t want you satisfied with yourself

Image Source: Elle (November 2012)

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and your life because how are they going to get you to “aspire” to whatever products they are selling? That’s what I think of every time I hear the word “aspirational” bandied about. I think of dissatisfaction…I think of a lot of things that don’t improve my quality of life...The only way for me to extricate myself from this cycle of self-loathing has been to cut women’s magazines out of my life. I lost access to a lot of good things in the process, things like the interesting features and essays in Elle or the reporting about women’s issues in Marie Claire, but it was something I needed to do. I’m glad I did it…The world is a challenging enough place to be as it is.” (http:// fitandfeminist.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/a-year-without-womens-magazines/) “Cosmopolitan is the world’s number-one magazine for young women, 61 editions are published in over 100 countries, reaching 78 million readers worldwide - nobody talks to more women globally. Cosmopolitan evokes glamour and aspiration.” (http://www.acpmagazines.com.au/cosmopolitan. htm) In the description cited above, after stating how popular and widely distributed Cosmopolitan is, it clearly states that it “evokes aspiration” [note the word evokes].

“Aspiration; def: a hope or ambition of achieving something:” (http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/aspiration?q=Aspiration)

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“The portrayal of women in the media has significantly negative outcomes.”

Image Source: MarieClaire, (October 2012)

This seems to imply that the very reason that Cosmopolitan magazine is so universally popular is due to the fact that it stirs up a sense of hope and longing. Women are swayed towards the dissatisfaction of their own body image and will, in turn, aspire to the unattainable image of “ideal beauty” that has been conjured up in the media.

Below is an extract that clearly implies that the portrayal of women in the media has a direct impact on women, and indeed young girls.

“To achieve the currently fashionable body shape, a young woman has to be so thin that her weight is far lower than the recommended level good for health…. Girls and young women have been shown to be extremely influenced by images showing exceptionally thin female models and the extreme advertising imagery of the fashion world leads to negative effects on women’s health and self esteem. Such problems include body image dissatisfaction, anorexia, bulimia and depression...” (Aagerup, Ulf, 2011) The citation talks about mental health issues, but is the portrayal of women in advertising really causing anorexia in women in society and how serious is this?

Anorexia is one of the few psychiatric disorders with a significant mortality rate, and in fact, carries the highest mortality rate of any mental illness (Costin, 1997, p. 20), which figures indicate to be approximately twentypercent (The Eating Disorders Coalition, 2006). (Hesse-Biber et al., 2006) “Undoubtedly, the portrayal of women in the media has significantly negative outcomes. These negative outcomes are not only affecting adult women but also young girls. Females are buying cosmetics and beauty products at increasingly younger ages. Recently, researchers have begun exploring self-surveillance, body shame, and disordered eating tendencies in preadolescent females and found that girls as young as seven are showing signs of disordered eating and self-surveillance (Good, Mills, Murnen, & Smolak, 2003). The media affects some women in subtle ways (unconsciously), and other women are affected in a more direct way (consciously). The problematic representations of women in the media deserve our immediate attention...” (http://www.kon.org/urc/v5/greening.html)

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o, what is the “ideal woman”? The quotes seem to indicate that the concept of the “ideal woman” only relates to one’s physical being.

Wondering if this was true, for the purposes of this report, primary research was undertaken. The same sample audience was used as above.

The following open question was posed.

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“Describe your ideal woman in 5 words:”

Out of the 141 nouns/adjectives/phrases used, 41 were purely physical (focusing on body features). These were words like “big bum”, “voluptuous” and “size 0”. 5 words were non specific. e.g. “interesting” and “mentality”. 5 words were health related, e.g. “fit”. 3 words were cultural, e.g. “god fearing” and “wordly”. 5 words were style related, e.g. “fashionable”, “own style” and “feminine”.

The vast majority of adjectives/phrases were associated with personality.

This seems to be very significant. There were 82 in this category.

The reoccurring words were “intelligent”, “independent”, “caring”, “confident”, “sensitive”, “positive”, “smiley”, “happy”, “friendly”, “funny”, and “relatable”.

The following infographics illustrates this: Passionate Driven Tribal Fashionable Fun Size Zero Smart Strong Minded Worldly Self-Aware Cheerful Feminine Self Assured Fearless Amusing Respectful Friendly Giving Calm Interested Tanned Relatable Medium Height Strong Elegant Positive Outgoing MentalityPrivate Strong-Willed Skinny Smart Big BumMotivated Respectable Funny Dependable InternalReal Voluptuous Slim Kind Humble Posture Sophisticated Kim Kardashian Capable Modest Genuine Interesting God Fearing Tall Wise Fair Presence

Confident

Beautiful

Sensitive Long Hair

Intelligent Healthy Happy Natural Independent Smiley

Caring Curves

Image Source: Vogue (October 2012)

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Hour Glass Strong Minded Aspirational Blue Eyes Nuturing Compasionate Glowing Responsible Own Style Down to Earth

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“The vast majority of research argues that idealised images of female bodies may cause consumers to engage in social comparison with the bodies being represented in advertising, and possible long-term health implications (Martin and Gentry, 1997).” (Patterson, Maurice, 2006)

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or the purposes of this report, the same 35 women were asked the following question and the result is not what one might expect given the above:

Do you compare yourself to models in fashion advertising? Does it affect your opinion of yourself?

“Idealised images of female bodies may cause consumers to engage in social comparison”

Image Source: Red (November 2012)

10 women responded saying that they do compare themselves to models in fashion advertising. Outstandingly, 25 women responded saying that they do not compare themselves to models in fashion advertising.

The women that compared themselves to models in fashion advertising implied a frustration with the fashion industry suggesting that although they do occasionally make comparisons, they realise that the models are not representative of the “real woman”.

“I occasionally compare my body with those of fashion models but I despise the extent to which some of them seem unhealthy whereas I strive for the feeling of being comfortable in my own skin.” (Participant J) “I do sometimes compare myself, and I feel that frequently the models do not fulfil my criteria of beauty and appear to be presented to look more dramatic than attractive.”(Participant K) What does this tell us about the relationship women have with advertising? It reveals that consumers do not like to be manipulated and think they are above it. The question is answered according to how women want to think about themselves rather than admitting the influence of advertising on them. However, the subsequent question presented the respondents with images, and then we see a change in focus with images clearly evoking negative self-image.

For the purposes of this report, numerous focus groups were held. 25 samples were used. The aim of the focus groups was to gather responses to images of models found in women’s magazines from women (aged 18-30).

The following question was asked: Use 1 word to describe how each of these images make you feel about yourself.

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Although the sample was small, the replies suggested that there is indeed a comparison amongst women in society. On the whole, the fashion advertisements that were presented made women feel negatively about themselves in spite of the fact that women intend to remain unaffected.

The following set of infographics illustrates some of the replies that were received.

Obese

Sad Fat Short Depressed Repulsive Unwanted

Fine-She’s Ugly

Suicidal! Ugly

Hate Myself Horrible

Hate Photoshop

Image Source: Vogue (October 2012)

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Gross Figure January 2013

Jealous

Horrible Sad Ugly

Unwanted

Happy Flabby Sexy Fat Belly

Awful Repulsive Undesirable Fat Image Source: Vogue (October 2012)

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Obese Frustrated

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Obese Unsexy Indifferent Sad

Fat Flat Chest Unglamerous

UndesirableGreat

Dumpy Jealous

No lunch for me!

Image Source: Instyle ((November 2012)

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Frustrated Fat Legs Bloated Disgusting

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4. What can be done to solve this problem?

The original sample group (women, aged 18-30) were asked the following question: What 3 changes would you like to see in fashion advertising?

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17 responses included the word “model”, suggesting that a problem may lie in the use of models in fashion advertising.

“Not only perfect women used as models.” (Participant L) 13 responses spoke about the use of clothes in advertising. 10 of these responses specifically implied that advertising should create more of a focus on the clothes and less on the body of the model.

“Advertising the fashion rather than the woman wearing the clothing.”

(Participant M) 10 responses used the word “real”, suggesting that the portrayal of women ought to be more realistic.

“More ‘real’ images” (Participant N) “Realistic images of women” (Participant O) 8 responses specifically referred to the size of models used, suggesting that diversity should be implemented to some extent.

“More normal sized women” (Participant P) 8 responses suggested that the use of Photoshop and airbrushing should be limited.

“Not airbrushed” (Participant N)

“Make it illegal to Photoshop images”

Image Source: Elle (November 2012)

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(Participant Q) 5 responses mentioned that ethnic/cultural diversity ought to exist in fashion advertising.

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“People need to be educated to love themselves and their bodies”

“More ethnic diversity in models” (Participant R) “More ethnicities” (Participant S) “Clothes from different cultures” (Participant J) 4 people specifically suggested eliminating the use of thin models.

“Stop anorexic models” (Participant K) “Not only toothpicks modeling” (Participant T) Interestingly, 8 responses suggested that “normal” looking models ought to be used in order to improve fashion advertising.

“More ‘normal’ looking women” (Participant U) For the purposes of this report, medical professionals and professionals with a connection to this topic were asked the following question.

If you were in government, what 3 things would you propose to change in order to resolve this situation?

Image Source: Glamour (November 2012)

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4 answers were received.

“Not allow very skinny women to be models not use very young girls or limit how exposed their bodies are” (Hanna Flax, psychotherapist) “I’m not sure I believe that Government can do anything here. It’s a consumer education thing. Fashion advertising is being paid by consumers - we need to change and demand change. People need to be educated to love themselves and their bodies - in whatever shape.” (Rute Pinto, Personal trainer) “Promote healthy eating information. Also info regarding bodily changes, growth, sexual development (not sex education! But health education) ie – vitamins and proteins and carbohydrates and where to find them/ The importance of healthy eating as part of one’s life cycle needs – from childhood to old age. How good eating patterns promote better chances through one’s whole life.” (Nadine Caplan, Psychologist) This feedback suggests that the consumer believes that it is in the hands of the advertisers. That a variety of models should be used and the focus should be altered.

“Difficult to regulate. Fashion is probably outside the control of government. Use of public health instruments are likely to be more effective in health eating message” (Dr Stephen Aarons, General Practitioner, NHS)

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In contrast to the replies from women in society, the quotes above mainly imply that change is in the hands of the consumer. The suggestion is made that if the education, attitudes and beliefs of the consumer were to be altered, the reception to fashion advertising may be more balanced.

Conclusion Any conclusion made, will solely be based on the primary and secondary research that was carried out for the sake of this report.

It is clear that advertising plays a vital role in society and affects consumer behaviour.

The suggestion is made that advertisers have unwavering loyalty to the increase of sales and abuse their power to manipulate consumers. They neglect the wellbeing of society in order to gain results.

The report discovered that when women in society were asked to describe the “ideal woman”, they valued personality traits more highly than physical features. The majority of women were aware that the representation of women in fashion advertising is often false and they do not consciously compare themselves to the images they see in fashion advertising. It suggested that women refuse to consciously be manipulated or influenced by advertising.

Interestingly, when actually presented with examples of advertisements from fashion magazines, many women revealed insecurities and negative feelings about themselves. The advertisements clearly influenced them more than they were prepared to admit.

It could be suggested that advertisers heavily rely on images of “ideal” physical attributes in order to drive product consumption. The attention grabbing images that are used are so strong that they influence women, so as to dramatically override what they inherently believe ought to be the ideal.

The “flawless” images that have been standardised are “desirable” and “enticing” and women long to equal this “perfection”. This results is an image that is in most cases unattainable but endlessly pursued by many. A sense of frustration is harboured when women are forced to be dissatisfied with Image Source: Harper’s Bazar (November 2012)

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their own bodies. This causes many women great mental and physical pain.

A woman who is dissatisfied with her body will strive to become thinner by attempting to reach her goal of looking like that “ideal woman” that scarcely exists. She will most likely fail to reach her goal, and a cycle of “self loathing” and futile attempts to improve her looks will begin. When a woman consciously or subconsciously sets out to “achieve the currently fashionable body shape” she may become physically and mentally unwell.

This is a large cause for concern.

The report revealed that a solution must be found urgently. Although suggestions for change have been made, it seems that both the advertiser and consumer are so accustomed to the current advertising strategies, that drastic change may cause major disruption all around.

Although many of the responses suggested that a change in types of models would benefit society, the research showed that many women are willing to pay more for a product when an attractive model promotes it.

It seems that finding a solution to this problem requires a specialised and comprehensive investigation to see whether advertisers can change their perspective. The odds in favour of this changing anything do not seem high. It is an aspiration to change the representation of women in fashion advertising to something more realistic but at the end of the day the commercial imperative of making money is likely to result in advertisers continuing as they have now done for decades.

Image Source: Vogue (October 2012)

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Chris Preston, (2005),”Advertising to children and social responsibility”, Young Consumers: Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers, Vol. 6 Iss: 4 pp. 61 - 67 Hari, J & Forestier, C, (2012) The thin win: Implicit preference for slim models in advertising, Southampton University, Academy of Marketing Conference, Paper 131, page 2.

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Kerr, Gayle, Johnston, Kim & Beatson, Amanda (2008): A framework of Corporate Social Responsibility for advertising accountability: The case of Australian government advertising campaign, Journal of Marketing Communications, 14:2, 155-169 Knobloch-Westerwick, Silvia, Crane, Josselyn (2011) A Losing Battle: Effects of Prolonged Exposure to Thin-Ideal Images on Dieting and Body Satisfaction, sage Patterson, Maurice, O’Malley, Lisa & Story, Vicky, Women in advertising: representations, repercussions, responses, 2009, Irish Marketing Review, volume 20, page 2, 8.

Preston, Chris (2005) Advertising to children and social responsibility. Young Consumers: Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers, 6 (4). pp. 61-67. ISSN 1747-3616 Radford, Benjamin, (2011) Most Women Would Not Trade Anything to Be Thin, Discovery News Image Source: Harper’s Bazar (November 2012)

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Thurm, Nichole (2001) The Portrayal of Women in Advertising: Reflection or Creation of Values?, Introduction to Graduate Studies and Research, assignment 7, page 2.

Wang, Alex (2008) Dimensions of Corporate Social Responsibility and Advertising Practice, Department of Communication Sciences, University of Connecticut-Stamford.

Books Barnard, Alan & Parker, Chris, (2012) Campaign It!: Achieving Success Through Communication, Kogan Page Berman, David (2008) Do Good Design, Peachpit Press Bredeson, Dean, (2011) Ethics in the Workplace, South-Western Educational Pub Fletcher, Alan, The Art of Looking Sideways, Phaidon Gillham, Bill (2005) Research interviewing : the range of techniques, Maidenhead : Open University Press Heller, Steven & Vienne,Veronique, (2003) Citizen designer, Allworth Press,U.S Henn, Stephen, (2009) Business Ethics: A case study approach, John Wiley & Sons McCandless, David (2009) Information is Beautiful, Collins McQuiston, Liz (1995) Graphic Agitation, Phaidon Press Ltd Nelson, Candice & Dulio, David & Medvic, Stephen, (2002) Shades of Gray: Perspectives on Campaign, Brookings Institution,U.S Barnard, Alan & Parker, Roberts, Lucienne (2006) Good:An Introduction to Ethics in Graphic Design,AVA Publishing Russ,Tom, (2010) Sustainability and Design Ethics, CRC Press Sandel, Michael, (2010) Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do, Penguin Shaughnessy, Adrian, (2010) How to be a Graphic Designer, Without Losing your Soul, Laurence King

E-books

Berman, David (2006) Design & Social Responsibility; Weapons of Mass Deception, David Berman Communications Image Source: Red (November 2012)

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Nesbit, Wilbur Dick, (1871-1927) First principles of advertising, The Gregg Publishing Company.

Tipper, Harry (1919) Advertising, its principles and practice, Ronald Press.

Images (See Magazines)

http://www.photologia.com/tag/glamour/ http://geosfero.com/chat/chat/photoshoot-ideas-for-models&page=4

Journals

Aagerup, Ulf (2011) Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Emerald Article: The influence of real women in advertising on mass market fashion brand perception, Emerald, page 3.

Acevedo, Claudia Rosa (2006) International Business & Economics Research Journal, How Women Are Depicted In Ads? A Content Analysis Study With Brazilian Advertisements, University Of Business Administration In Orlândia, Brazil Gangopadhyay, Saswati (2011) Global Media Journal, Use of women in advertising and the issue of social responsibility, Indian Edition/ Summer Issue OBS Journal, (2008) Women Stereotypes Portrayed in Print Ads by Luxury Fashion Brands, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain

Literary Reviews

Almanza Alonso, Silvia (2012) How Women Can Effectively Challenge the Way They Are Represented, Battered Women Support Services.

Magazines (and Images) BMJ, (October 2010) Elle (November 2012) Glamour (November 2012) Harper’s Bazar (November 2012) Instyle ((November 2012) MarieClaire, (October 2012) Red (November 2012) Slimming World (December 2011) Vogue (October 2012)

Image Source: Vogue (October 2012)

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Ipad Magazines

Harper’s Bazar (December 2012) Vanity Fair (December 2012) Red (December 2012) Grazia (December 2012) Elle (December 2012)

Presentations

Orbach, Susie, Etcoff, Nancy (2012) A workshop to explore body confidence & self-esteem, Dove SelfEsteem Programme

Websites

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/entertainment&id=4566898 http://academic.mintel.com.bt2ha9xt3y.useaccesscontrol.com/display/220284/ http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/10-companies-social-responsibility-core/143323/ http://adsoftheworld.com/taxonomy/industry/health_beauty http://antiadvertisingagency.com/real-beauty-from-the-makers-of-axe/ http://belovedmedia.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/fashion-advertising-agencies-concepts/ http://blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com/social-construct/my-thoughts-on-the-vogue-italia-plus-sizedcover-real-women-and-body-snarking/ http://blog.eyemagazine.com/?p=3484 http://blog.eyemagazine.com/?p=3484 http://www.creativereview.co.uk/back-issues/creative-review/2007/februar y-2007/ac-grayling.htm http://buquad.com/2010/10/24/digital-manipulation-in-the-fashion-industry/ http://changeobser ver.designobser ver.com/feature/john-thackara-answers-your-questions/15778/ http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/john-thackara-answers-your-questions/15778/ http://changingminds.org/explanations/values/values_morals_ethics.htm http://changingminds.org/explanations/values/values_morals_ethics.htm http://www.webdesignerdepot. com/2011/02/ethics-in-the-design-field/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-PricingGuidelines/dp/0932102115 http://designyoutrust.com/2012/08/whats-the-secret-of-my-beauty-photoshop-after-before-25-photos/ http://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/1377/ http://fashionlovespeople.com/why-people/ http://fastfoodmarketing.org/consumers.aspx http://fastfoodmarketing.org/consumers.aspx http://fitandfeminist.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/a-yearwithout-womens-magazines/ http://fitandfeminist.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/a-year-without-womens-magazines/ http://freelanceswitch.com/freelancing-essentials/ethical-freelancing-would-you-turn-down-a-client/ http://graphics-lsad.tumblr.com/post/18499574911/hellovon-and-barnbrook http://graphics-lsad.tumblr.com/post/18499574911/hellovon-and-barnbrook http://issuu.com/joyofkosher/docs/joyofkosher_winter_2012?mode=window&viewMode=doublePage http://jezebel.com/5889970/researchers-say-anorexia-is-a-socially-transmitted-illness http://ldnfashion.com/news/john-lewis-launch-largest-outdoor-ad-campaign/ Image Source: Instyle ((November 2012)

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http://libweb.surrey.ac.uk/library/skills/writing%20Skills%20Leicester/page_01.htm http://linda03.wordpress.com/ http://marketingmagazine.co.uk/ http://mlab.uiah.fi/polut/Yhteiskunnalliset/lisatieto_ethics_primer.html http://mslk.com/#/clients/ http://muse.jhu.edu.bt2ha9xt3y.useaccesscontrol.com/journals/advertising_and_society_review/ v012/12.3.o-barr.html http://news.discovery.com/human/survey-most-women-would-not-trade-anything-to-be-thin.html http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/aspiration?q=Aspiration http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/02/15/the-psychology-of-advertising/ http://smallbusiness.chron.com/morals-ethics-workplace-11363.html http://staging.templetv.net/keith/blog/2011/01/20/morality-the-fashion-industry/ http://thomaskolster.com/ http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/photos/controversial-fashion-and-beauty-ads-of-2011-slideshow/talyorswiftcovergirladbanned-photo-1324572821.html http://weheartit.com/entry/22262046 http://worldsavvy.org/monitor/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=602&Itemid=1049 http://www.acpmagazines.com.au/cosmopolitan.htm http://www.acpmagazines.com.au/cosmopolitan.htm http://www.adweek.com/news/press/fashion-magazines-see-little-newsstand-love-march-140105 http://www.adwomen.org/2011/06/controversial-nikes-campaign-for-women/ http://www.aef.com/on_campus/classroom/speaker_pres/data/3010 http://www.agirlsgottaspa.com/2012/10/photoshopped-beauty-ads-misleading-or-aspirational/ http://www.allaboutgod.com/workplace-ethics.htm http://www.amazon.co.uk/Graphic-Artists-Handbook-Pricing-Guidelines/dp/0932102115 http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/829518/karlie-klosss-ribs-were-photoshopped-but-airbrushing-isntthe http://www.asa.co.nz/social_responsibility.php http://www.asa.org.uk/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00tt4fr/I_Want_to_Change_My_Body/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18708790 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18708790 http://freelanceswitch.com/freelancing-essentials/ethicalfreelancing-would-you-turn-down-a-client/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18783272 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18783272 http://www.bellasugar.com/Most-Controversial-Ads-2011-20945604 http://www.beloved-media.com/article-fashion-advertising-agency-fashion-art-director-london.php http://www.boudoir-pr.com/pr-services/ http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/cindy_crawford.html http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=84 http://www.change.org/petitions/teen-vogue-give-us-images-of-real-girls http://www.channel4sales.com/advertising/sponsorship/current_sponsors http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles_various/Ads-targeting-women.asp http://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-living/beauty-personal-care/wrinkle-products/wrinklecreams/index.htm Image Source: Vogue (October 2012)

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http://www.creativereview.co.uk/back-issues/creative-review/2007/february-2007/ac-grayling http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2007/january/god-and-the-ethics-of-advertising http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2007/januar y/god-and-the-ethics-of-advertising.htm http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2007/januar y/god-and-the-ethics-of-advertising.htm http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/july/barnbrooks-little-book-of-shocking-global-facts http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/july/barnbrooks-little-book-of-shocking-global-facts http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/march/youtube-and-cretive-suicide http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/march/youtube-and-cretive-suicide http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1365424/Subway-vs-McDonalds-The-artery-clogging-truthfavourite-fast-food-chains.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2170810/Olympics-officials-question-McDonalds-continuesponsoring-Games-obesity-concerns.html?ito=feeds-newsxml http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar ticle-2170810/Olympics-officials-question-McDonalds-continuesponsoring-Games-obesity- concerns.html http://www.vanseodesign.com/marketing/marketingthrough-storytelling/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NCH8UypKZtI http://www.davidairey.com/advertising-to-children-right-or-wrong/ http://www.davidairey.com/anti-abortion-campaign-ireland/ http://www.davidairey.com/anti-abor tion-campaign-ireland/ http://www.davidairey.com/banksy-onadver tising/ http://www.davidairey.com/adver tising-to-children-right-or-wrong/ http://www.davidairey. com/adver tising-to-children-right-or-wrong/ http://www.designlessbetter.com/blogless/posts/miltonglaser-on-design-ethics-13 http://www.davidairey.com/banksy-on-advertising/ http://www.davidairey.com/ethics-in-design/ http://www.davidairey.com/how-ethical-are-your-design-practices/ http://www.davidairey.com/how-ethical-are-your-design-practices/ http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign. org/?page_id=443 http://www.davidairey.com/the-coca-cola-conspiracy/ http://www.davidairey.com/the-coca-cola-conspiracy/ http://www.davidairey.com/ethics-in-design/ http://www.davidthedesigner.com/davidthedesigner/2011/01/dont-shoot-the-messenger.html http://www.davidthedesigner.com/davidthedesigner/2011/01/dont-shoot-the-messenger.html http://www.designer-daily.com/10-examples-of-great-magazine-design-14500 http://www.designlessbetter.com/blogless/posts/milton-glaser-on-design-ethics-13 http://www.digitalone.com.sg/features/article/11161 http://www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org/ http://www.ehow.com/about_5427791_moral-development-workplace.html http://www.ehow.com/about_5427791_moral-development-workplace.html http://www.ehow.com/info_7924579_social-responsibility-advertising.html http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/ http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/?page_id=443 http://www.ethicsingraphicdesign.org/ http://mlab.uiah.fi/polut/Yhteiskunnalliset/lisatieto_ethics_primer.html http://www.vanseodesign.com/web-design/ethical-designer/ http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/government_ethics/introduction/campaign-ethics.html http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/government_ethics/introduction/campaign-ethics.html http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=196654277106285&set=a.152308758207504.26169.152298764 875170&type=1&theater Image Source: Vogue (October 2012)

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http://www.fashionbrand.co.uk/ http://www.fashionsalade.com/ http://www.fiell.com/page/about-us http://www.fiell.com/page/about-us http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/09/pepsi-macys-twitter-tide-levis-advertising-responsibility-cmo-network-imaginative-csr.html http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/37429-there-are-3-billion-women-in-the-world-who-don-t http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/aspiration http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/09/looking-at-women-deborah-orr http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/02/lizzie-miller-model-fat http://www.health-forums.com/alt-support-diet/nikes-real-woman-marketing-campaign-6184.html http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/articles/eating-disorders-body-image-and-advertising/ http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/articles/eating-disorders-body-image-and-advertising/ http://www.kon.org/urc/v5/greening.html http://www.luxuryreportmagazine.com/pdf/Tres_Chic_Styling_10.html http://www.magazinesubscriptions.co.uk/womens-interest/ http://www.marketingquotes.co.uk/advertising/advertising-for-fashion-companies/ http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/ http://www.marksandspencer.com/Collezione-Classic-Italian-Padded-Stormwear/dp/B001U5NJKM?ie= UTF8&ref=sr_1_35&nodeId=43503030&sr=1-35&qid=1349276935 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8998863/ns/business-us_business/t/nike-jumps-real-women-bandwagon/ http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/Luxury-Report/luxuryreportmagazine_10/2010082701#8 http://www.net-a-porter.com/magazine/171/contents http://www.onephotographic.com/ http://www.organisedconfusion.co.uk/diversity-advertising-portfolio-luxury-fashion-hair-beauty/ http://www.pushpr.co.uk/media/glossy-magazines/ http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/jul/04spec.htm http://www.sabeauty.co.za/ http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/government_ethics/introduction/campaign-ethics.html http://www.slideshare.net/TheAddedValueGroup/ethnography-and-design http://www.spot.ph/top-list/51324/10-ads-that-created-controversy/ http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/sebastian_deterding_what_your_designs_say_about_you.html http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/sebastian_deterding_what_your_designs_say_about_you.html http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2011/08/24/john-lewis-launch-outdoor-advertising-campaign-fashion http://www.thinkbox.tv/server/show/nav.1036 http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/p-controversial-products http://www.ultimo.co.uk/features/real-women-campaign http://www.vanseodesign.com/marketing/marketing-through-storytelling/ http://www.vanseodesign.com/web-design/ethical-designer/ http://www.vistelacalle.com/45306/fashion-news-lentes-3d-hussein-chalayan-y-topshop/20110712_topshop_before_500w/ http://www.wallyolins.com/includes/interviewolins.pdf

Image Source: Elle (November 2012)

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http://www.wallyolins.com/includes/inter viewolins.pdf http://www.slideshare.net/TheAddedValueGroup/ethnography-and-design http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/02/ethics-in-the-design-field/ http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-ethics-and-morals.htm http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-ethics-and-morals.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NCH8UypKZtI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTlmho_RovY&feature=youtu.be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hibyAJOSW8U

Image Source: MarieClaire, (October 2012)

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