Gender+in+Advertising

I. Gender Ideals a. Ads present images of normalcy - how we "should" look and act ("We can look like this if we try hard enough") b. Computer retouching

II. Men in Advertising a. Ideal Body Image i. Thin and fit ii. Slightly tanned at times b. Body Language i. Strong, aggressive body language ii. Active (moving rather than posing) iii. Feet squared to the camera iv. Looking directly into the camera c. Negative Stereotypes i. Commitment-phobic ii. Male chauvinists iii. Hopeless at "women's tasks"

III. Women in Advertising a. Body Image i. 5% of women have the ectomorphic (thin and not muscular) body type shown in nearly all ads (some exceptions to this now) ii. Might this indirectly lead to eating disorders (1 of 5) and disordered eating (4 of 5)? iii. Contempt for older or overweight women b. Negative Stereotypes i. Gold-diggers ii. Women of color often presented as animals (exotic, but "not fully human") c. Negative trends i. Sexualization of young girls ii. Violence towards women depicted as erotic d. Advertising Techniques i. Women are turned into objects (literal objectification) ii. Dismembered bodies (suggests a woman is defined by one body part) iii. Being literally silenced (covering mouth with hand or object) iv. Passive body language ("the feminine touch" as opposed to grasping objects firmly as men do in ads) v. Licensed withdrawal - woman is distracted or out of touch with surroundings, causing her to either be protected or manipulated by men vi. Function Ranking: when man and woman collaborate on a task in an ad, the man serves the executive function (less common now than the past)

Always ask yourself, "Who is the target audience for the advertisement?"