Representation of women in advertising
A Critical Analysis of Progressive Depictions of Gender in Advertising
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 are markedly (and purposefully) ambiguous. There is also a growing number of homosexual images.
What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?
'Feminine mystique', this is the highest value and the only real commitment for women lies in the fulfilment of their own femininity.
This was exploited and reinforced as a result of the 1950s' boom in the economy - particularly in the production of domestic goods, like washing machines
Due to stereotypes, women would be purchasing these goods for the house, so advertising was focusing its attention on their domestic role and reinforce home values.
How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising?
There was also an expansion in another area of production and consumption. This was clothes and make-up. This led to women being increasingly portrayed as decorative (empty) objects.
An example of where this occurs is in perfume advertisements, one of the most common images here is that of the 'fair maiden'. Taking Marc Jacob's 'Daisy Range' as an example, the female population is equated with flowers and nature: 'which suggests that any 'rude' contact with reality might spoil the ladies perfection.
Women are considered depersonalised and objectified because they are encouraged to 'use commodities to serve men; they use them on themselves to aid femininity; commodities replace them in their relation to men'
Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to?
Laura Mulvey came up with this theory of the 'male gaze' in 1975.
She says that scopophilia, which is the basic human sexual drive to look at other human beings, has been 'organised' by the society's definition of looking as a male activity, and being looked at as a female 'passivity'.
How did the representation of women change in the 1970s?
There was a generation of distinct images that became labelled as the 'New Woman'. this was seen as representative of the changing reality of women's social position and of the influence of the women's movement.The 'New Woman' was supposed to be independent, confident and assertive, finding satisfaction in the world of work and recreation, seeking excitement, adventure and fulfillment. none of these new images was able to surpass the traditional female stereotypes.
Why does van Zoonen suggest the 'new' representations of women in the 1970s and 1980s were only marginally different from the sexist representations of earlier years?
Van Zoonen says that 'A woman should look forward to dressing for the office.' This is because having a job is seen merely to provide. Its another happy occasion for women to dress up and present themselves. Indeed, a woman 'is portrayed stepping confidently towards the camera in an office environment observed by a male colleague from behind; but she is not portrayed actually working
What does Barthel suggest regarding advertising and male power?
Barthel notes that today's young women can successfully beat male power... without threatening their male counterparts providing we can reassure them that, underneath the suit, we are still 'all woman', that 'no serious gender defection has occurred'
What does Richard Dyer suggest about the 'femme fatale' representation of women in adverts such as Christian Dior make-up?
Another image of the New Woman is the 'dark lady'.This is the other side of innocence and romance, is the knowledge and sexuality of the daring 'Femme fatale'
Richard Dyer says that such images are something of a misrepresentation of women's liberation 'advertising agencies trying to accommodate new feminist attitudes in their campaigns, often miss the point and equate "liberation" with a type of aggressive sexuality and a very unliberated coy sexiness'
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 are markedly (and purposefully) ambiguous. There is also a growing number of homosexual images.
What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?
'Feminine mystique', this is the highest value and the only real commitment for women lies in the fulfilment of their own femininity.
This was exploited and reinforced as a result of the 1950s' boom in the economy - particularly in the production of domestic goods, like washing machines
Due to stereotypes, women would be purchasing these goods for the house, so advertising was focusing its attention on their domestic role and reinforce home values.
How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising?
There was also an expansion in another area of production and consumption. This was clothes and make-up. This led to women being increasingly portrayed as decorative (empty) objects.
An example of where this occurs is in perfume advertisements, one of the most common images here is that of the 'fair maiden'. Taking Marc Jacob's 'Daisy Range' as an example, the female population is equated with flowers and nature: 'which suggests that any 'rude' contact with reality might spoil the ladies perfection.
Women are considered depersonalised and objectified because they are encouraged to 'use commodities to serve men; they use them on themselves to aid femininity; commodities replace them in their relation to men'
Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to?
Laura Mulvey came up with this theory of the 'male gaze' in 1975.
She says that scopophilia, which is the basic human sexual drive to look at other human beings, has been 'organised' by the society's definition of looking as a male activity, and being looked at as a female 'passivity'.
How did the representation of women change in the 1970s?
There was a generation of distinct images that became labelled as the 'New Woman'. this was seen as representative of the changing reality of women's social position and of the influence of the women's movement.The 'New Woman' was supposed to be independent, confident and assertive, finding satisfaction in the world of work and recreation, seeking excitement, adventure and fulfillment. none of these new images was able to surpass the traditional female stereotypes.
Why does van Zoonen suggest the 'new' representations of women in the 1970s and 1980s were only marginally different from the sexist representations of earlier years?
Van Zoonen says that 'A woman should look forward to dressing for the office.' This is because having a job is seen merely to provide. Its another happy occasion for women to dress up and present themselves. Indeed, a woman 'is portrayed stepping confidently towards the camera in an office environment observed by a male colleague from behind; but she is not portrayed actually working
What does Barthel suggest regarding advertising and male power?
Barthel notes that today's young women can successfully beat male power... without threatening their male counterparts providing we can reassure them that, underneath the suit, we are still 'all woman', that 'no serious gender defection has occurred'
What does Richard Dyer suggest about the 'femme fatale' representation of women in adverts such as Christian Dior make-up?
Another image of the New Woman is the 'dark lady'.This is the other side of innocence and romance, is the knowledge and sexuality of the daring 'Femme fatale'
Richard Dyer says that such images are something of a misrepresentation of women's liberation 'advertising agencies trying to accommodate new feminist attitudes in their campaigns, often miss the point and equate "liberation" with a type of aggressive sexuality and a very unliberated coy sexiness'
Comments
Post a Comment