Advertising and Women and Their Objectification in Media

Advertising and Women and Their Objectification in MediaAdvertising and Women and Their Objectification in MediaSince the introduction of advertising many centuries ago, women have been objectified, and in some instances, insulted or degraded. Despite the efforts of many people, its apparent thatsociety is still seeing the same patternsof objectification and the mindless use of sexualized women in advertising campaigns. In many respects, the problem has escalated. With the proliferation of photo retouching software, womens bodies are not just flawless, they are anatomically impossible. This is harmful on many levels. Advertising False Ideals Advertising, marketing, and the fashion industry have created a new type of woman that does not exist in the real world. The Barbie Doll look theyre selling has some recognizable features She has no wrinkles, blemishes, or scars.She has long, smooth, and shapely legs.zu sich waist is quite small.Her ample breasts and buttocks defy gravity.Her radiant hair looks like CGI.Her eyes are dazzling and bright.Her teeth are shining white and perfectly straight. Exploiting Learned Desires At an early age, men are programmed to desire the Barbie Doll woman. This is the woman featured in ads for perfumes and lingerie. She is the centerfold in Playboy. Women, from the same early age, are told they must look like this woman. They should aim to have long legs, perfect skin, beautiful hair, and an impossible body. The problem is That woman does not exist. She is the product of hours in the makeup chairand days of photo retouching, even if shes a supermodel. Every woman has imperfections because every woman is human. A primary goal of advertising is to create a need so that a company can provide a product or service to meet that need. For example, men may drink certain brands of beer because they associate them with advertisings objectified women. On the other hand, women might buy certain clothes, foods, and makeup products in an attempt to resemble thebeer-drinking girl on TV. Real-World Results Men are taught (programmed) to view women as objects. It may have led in part to the way men view women as objects at work. The extent of this became a public focus in late 2017 with the birth of the MeToo and Times Up movements, which sought to expose the culture of sexual harassment and abuse in Hollywood, and by extension, in the culture. Early Feminists Take When Our Bodies, Ourselves was publishedin 1970, it urged women to love and honor their bodies. Betty Friedan, who passed away in 2006, and Gloria Steinem- alive and active at 84 as of January 2019- were founders of the feminist movement. Both had envisioned and worked toward an egalitarian and enlightened world by the 21st century. That has not happened yet. However, if todays feminist leaders are successful in achieving their goals, advertising will not objectify women moving forward. Changes in Advertising Several brands, including Dove and Ae rie, have moved away from the images of perfection of the past. They claim to be Photoshop-free and celebrate real, diverse women. Beer brands are moving away from semi-naked models. The craft beer movement is on the rise, and they dont need Playboy bunnies to help them sell inventory- although, sadly,the majority of men will still be attracted tocliched sexy images. If you work at an agency, you can try to steer clients away from Photoshopped images of Barbie Doll women. Veer away from the skinny size 2 models, and champion the use of normal-sized women as models for the products you sell.