The Dark Side of Advertising in America
Women are objects, vulnerable and voiceless. In order to be attractive, women must be thin, clear skinned and silent. The women that do not conform to this sleek, meek and sexy label are likely to be disliked, improved upon and commonly ridiculed into submission. The list goes on when talking about female stereotypes portrayed by the media through advertising. The advertising industry is multi-billion dollar industry that displays their message via radio, billboard, television, Internet, newspaper and much more. Gender stereotyping in advertising is useful because it requires minimal thinking and audiences are accustomed to it. This method is greatly useful for persuading an audience in a short amount of time. Advertising frequently attempts to sell to the American culture of women an image that is physically and emotionally unattainable. In this passage, you will find out how the media and advertising portray women and define what is desirable. I will apply the “Media Awareness Network” to expose the effects weight loss supplements have on women. I am also going to work with Jean Kilbourne’s Killing Us Softly and Michael Petracca’s Common Culture, to aid in defining the hidden cultural ideals in a Dolce and Gabbana I came across in the high fashioned GQ magazine. I now realize that almost all the advertisements directed toward women objectified the physicality of the female body, resulting in costly effects.
Advertising and the media are becoming increasingly more powerful in defining our perception of itself and what it means to be socially accepted. The media helps shape our reaction to what should be desired both objectively and subjectively. Due to the media dubbing celebrity bodies as desirable and attractive, they become the symbol of these traits. On the other hand, bodies that fail to conform to this impossible set of standards are then labels of unattractiveness and undesirable and, as a result, start to lose self-confidence. The side effects of constantly depicting the female body as this Barbie doll figure can be seen in eating disorders. At least 1 in every 4 women has an eating disorder that consists of bulimia, binge eating and anorexia. As stated in “Media Awareness Network,” girls who watched TV commercials featuring underweight models lost self-confidence and became more dissatisfied with their own bodies leading to an unhealthy diet (Media Awareness Network). When the average American sees over 3,000 ads a day that predominantly attempt to offer a “cure,” can have a heavy negative effect on the targeted audience and an individual’s endeavor for a unique identity.
When I wanted to learn about what is desirable to be an attractive woman, I turned to a women’s magazine. As I was flipping through the magazine, nearly every other page urges some form of solution to their problems simply by shedding weight and they will have it all; from the perfect husband to a rewarding career. What I specifically noticed in these weight loss supplement advertisements were the differences between the before and after pictures. At first glance, I simply noticed a significantly larger female figure in the “before” shot. However, as I looked closer, not only was the figure larger, but also she was alone, sad, and in black-and-white. On the contrary, the “after” figure drastically changed to not only slimmer, but also smiling happily with an attractive group of men in vibrant colors. This advertised message is quite simple, fat is unacceptable and skinny acceptable. The “before” shot gives the message that along with being over-weight comes alienation and unhappiness. By not meeting the current standard of attractiveness, you will live a life of banter and darkness. Conversely, being thin and slender inherits a world of welcoming and attention. In fact, a very small population is even born with the bodies we see in advertising. As Jean Kilbourne points out, “A body type that statistically 5% of American women have is the only one we ever see as desirable or acceptable. This is genetic; you cannot diet yourself into this body type” (Kilbourne). Kilbourne is simply stating that it is almost physically impossible to achieve the body we are exposed to in advertising.
My search of advertisements depicting women as an object was simple since they are all over the place. One that specifically stood out to me was an alarming Dolce and Gabbana ad I came across in a GQ magazine. The provocative image shows a single man bent over physically restraining an attractive young woman, while four other half naked men watch. The woman illustrated in this ad has an arched back and emotionless face. The five men are oiled up, in shape and are not shy to reveal a little skin. Just by my description alone paints an image that perpetuates a gang rape or something you would see in the porn industry. In Killing Us Softly, Jean Kilbourne mentions, “turning a human being into a thing, an object, is almost always the first step toward justifying violence against that person” (Kilbourne, 278). As advertisers perpetually depict women as sex objects to sell, they unintentionally desensitize the audience. Personally, I think it is a poor and pathetic attempt to receive attention to sell and promote a high fashioned product as “edgy”. Advertisements influence people’s attitudes about sex, gender, and violence. This image would be especially distraught to any victim of sexual assault by bringing back the horrific memory. Dolce and Gabbana has a reputation of offensive and sexually stimulating advertisements. Although these advertisements will receive controversial attention, it also inherits a world of foul messages.
Instead of complimenting diversity and uniqueness of each individual, the media exploits characteristics of labels and routinely advertises stereotypes. Very rarely do we hear or see the foundation of ones own identity: honesty, integrity, generosity, intelligence, work ethic and personality. We lose focus on what makes individuals truly beautiful by constantly concentrating on their physical aspects. Advertisers frequently attempt to sell the images of American culture by portraying women as common stereotypes. Ads like the ones in women’s magazines and GQ advocate beauty before brains. A women’s body is used to sell anything from cars to food. As the unique individuals we are, we live to dream, yet the media heavily influences our dreams. “Dreams by definition, are supposed to be unique and imaginative. Yet the bulk of the population is dreaming the same dream” (Petracca 157).
Works Cited
Davis, Geena. "Media Portrayals of Girls and Women." Media Awareness Network. 17 Feb. 2003. Web. 09 Mar. 2011.<http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/index.cfm>.
Kilbourne, Jean. Killing Us Softly. Dir. Sut Jhally. Perf. Jean Kilbourne. Media Education Foundation, 2000. Video.
Petracca, Michael, and Madeleine Sorapure. Common Culture: Reading and Writing about American Popular Culture. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.
