WOMEN IN ADVERTISING
FEMINISM & ADVERTISING. This Zine will explore the link between Advertisng and feminism, looking at detail at the impact Advertising has on women in todays society. Advertise-
ing often creates an unrealistic image of women, which many women then
strive towards, however this can often have a very negative impact, such as eating disorders, and casual attitudes to wards sex due to the continuance of sex within advertising. Women iare used to sell anything from makeup and lingerie, to food and beverages. Adverts tell women that if they aren’t beauti-
ful or sexy or both they are not acceptable. A feminist would argue that the
industry is created by men for men’s pleasure, and it objectifies women in order to retain a patriarcial divide in society.
SEX SELLS. BUT SHOULD WE BUY? When people say sex sells, most of the time what they really mean is “sexy women sell.” For decades, advertisers have been finding different ways to feature women in ads in order to
entice buyers. And, it would seem, the strategy works. But the way women have been portrayed in advertising has changed
over the decades, and changed the way society views women because of it. From housebound drudge to sexpot to business
leader, ads are constantly changing what we should think a women’s role in society should be. Advertisements often show
women in a very negative way, many objectify women and take
away their identity, turning them into something which has no thoughts or feelings.
These images above were used in various advertise-
ments, they show women in sexual poses, These type of advertisements sell products by making their audi-
ence believe they will look or feel the way the women do in the Images.
Advertisment above by Prada.
This particular Advertisment is trying to sell a handbag, however it could be argued that these women are lying
on the oor, looking like they are controlled by the bag, they are acting submissive. Behavour such as this would be explained by feminists as another form of controll over women. Although the women do not apear to be acting sexual they do not look to be in control of the situation.
BY MEN FOR MEN.
Due to the way society was formed
hundreds of years ago, the high num-
ber of male artists within the last few
centuries has resulted in art which was created by men for men, this led to the
artistic genre of ‘The Nude�. Although popular this was and still is an
unrealist depiction of the female form but in fact a male fantasy. Art Critics and
Historians, who happen to also so be
men, celebrate within their writing how
wonderful this era was, they convey a positive opinion that the female form is beautiful and more worthy of artistic study. The way these critics approach
this subject, and the the fact they hold a
high status, the pornographic function
of the art piece is disguised and often justiďŹ ed by removing the guilt and the
negative connotations which therefore retains the persona of class.
EMPOWERING?
One Campaingn which springs to mind is that of Dove, which uses ‘Real women’ It could be said that this type of advertising promtes female empowerment and self esteem, However the same ad agencies which did the dove campaign, Unilever, is responsible for Axe commercials, which feature female bodies as hypersexualized props for male consumers’ enjoyment. The question remains whether these commercials simply capitalize and sometimes simultaneously undermine their own values. While Dove’s campaign claims to support self-esteem for women of all body types, it doesnt exactly stand by the message it sells, as it used photoshop in every single image of the women.
VIOLENCE WITHIN ADVERTISNG There are hundreds of advertise-
These Advertisements to the right are
women, there seems to have been
victims of violence, there are those
ments which glorify violence against a shift from ‘Sex sells’ to some-
thing far more extreme in recent years. Many theorist have looked into the reasons why women are objectified and made into some-
thing which can be commodified,
role portrayal and the representation of women are two of the many
contributions. However Stanley Kurtz would argue that women in advertising are often presented as passive and rarely
make
any
important
decisions, in turn this often means they play the role of carer of helper and this can lead to victimhood.
among many which show women as which show physical violence such
as the woman with tape over her mouth, her right of speech has been taken away. Then there are those
advertisements which show women with bruised eyes as if they have been beaten. There are also many
advertisements which show men restraining women or show women who have fallen to the floor as if they
have been killed. It could be argued that Advertisements such as these
normalise violence within the industry making it more acceptable to be
treated and to tread women violently.
DISASSEMBLING WOMEN IN ADVERTISNG.
To many a product is something which is de-
sired or in demand, something which can be purchased or gained. At ďŹ rst glance of a prod-
uct there is no moral issues, however when the product includes the human body things
begin to become ethically uncomfortable. There are hundreds of advertisements which delimb women, focusing on a speciďŹ c part on their
body, breasts, legs, bum or stomach, this once again turns these women into objects as their
personality and individuality has been taken away.
SPOT THE BLEMISH It is unfair to say that advertising only has a negative impact on
society, as there are many advertisements such as those which
encourage health screening or those which encourage people to give blood, there are many health beneďŹ ts of advertising and these
can only have positive effects on society. When it comes to the im-
pact advertising for fashion or cosmetics has, it is a different story, women see other women in different forms of advertising such as magazines and ďŹ lm and they try to make themselves look like the
women in the advertisements, however many of these women,
don’t even look like that themselves. It takes hours of photoshop to make the models in these advertisements look this way, skin
is freed from all blemishes, limbs are lengthened and waists are
made smaller, meaning that the type of women who is seen as a role model is not even real. This creates a false ideal for women in society, as they try to achieve a look which is unachievable.
IDENTITY
CRISIS! The beauty Industry has seen a huge
with
cades, this could be due to the increase
facial features being too small/ large.
boom in business over the past 2 dein advertising. The beauty industry is highly influential and very powerful, it often advertises its products in a way
which has a huge impact on the way women view themselves and each other.
Women are often pressured to feel like their bodies aren’t thin enough, their their
skin
teeth
isn’t
clear
aren’t
enough
white
and
enough,
other
problems
such
as
too
much body hair, dull eye colour and
With a $300 million a year, cosmet-
ic surgery industry, a $33 billion diet industry and a $7 million pornography industry
America
has
the
largest
market for this. This type of Advertising plays on modern day anxieties such as bulimia,
dysfunction,
Anorexia Women
and
are
Sexual
constantly
scrutinised about the way they look.
All images From Harpers Bazzar April, March, May and September 2008 editions. All Words by Katie Winter.