This paper will examine gender stereotyping in advertising. The examples I have found of gender stereotypes in advertising are perfume ads for Vera Wang and Giorgio Armani. As defined in the book, Transformations, “gender stereotypes are networks of related beliefs that reflect the ‘common wisdom’ about men and women,” (Crawford, 2011). The contrast between the two ads is drastic when examined closely. When glancing at the ads from a distance they would seem similar with the exception of which gender they are intended to target.
myths is a popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution or occurrence, especially on considered to illustrate a cultural ideal. Femininity and Masculinity are involved in mythology because there is a division between man and woman in mythology. A stereotype is a belief that maybe adopted about a specific type of individuals or a certain way of doing things, but that belief may or may not accurately affect reality. ( Deaux & Lewis, 1984; Foushee, Helmreich, & Spence, 1979) States that sex stereotypes are socially shared beliefs about what qualities can be assigned to individuals based on their
According to (Williamson 1978), “people are made to identify themselves with what they consume”. Hence, fashion can be considered a segment of what we ingest to create ourselves. Advertisements and their imagery possess the ability to “show you a symbol of yourself aimed to attract your desire; they suggest that you can become the person in the picture before you”. Prior to any discussion of the representation of gender and sexuality in lifestyle magazines being considered, clarification on the difference between sex, gender and sexuality is important. ‘Sex’ refers to a person’s biological orientation: whether they are male or female, ‘gender’ refers to the role or behaviours a person has been socialised into according to their sex, be it masculine or feminine and ‘sexuality’ refers to a persons sexual preference: whether they are bisexual, heterosexual or homosexual.
Case Study Two: Sigmund Freud 1.) Freudian perspective would indicate that Steve’s relationships with women are internally motivated. Steve wants to feel attractive therefore; Steve is acting with more of the basic and primal instincts of his id, which is the pleasure principle. 2.) The state of conscious that is most involved in controlling behavior is the ego, as it serves as the mediator between the id and the super ego.
Traditional imagery of the once nurturing housewife has been overridden in the media with frequent depictions of women as sexual objects. These objectifications are solely based on their physical appearance and sexual appeal (Caruthers, 2006). The socially constructed myths and ideologies in modern day society implant onto woman that they are or should be concerned about their appearance. This is what influences a guy’s impression. However we all acknowledge that one should just pay enough attention to her physical beauty because inner beauty is most important.
With the agenda that media of all sorts throws at people everywhere they turn, what does this do to a person’s perception of love, relationships and sex? “The American Culture values connection and intimacy above everything else. Because this culture’s greatest fear is being alone- according to the media in which Americans are constantly immersed” (Kircher & Kircher, 2011, p. 69). Can the very technology that is depended on by this culture help intimacy? In some ways it can, but not without paying the price on relationships.
Mass media has played a very special and important role in social influences and identifications. Beauty in our eyes of the beholder and the media is that of the beholder such as it can be a powerful agent of gender role socialization. Sex is everywhere you turn. Victoria’s Secret is notorious for their ads that plaster billboards and the sides of buildings, featuring scantily - clad women suggesting an obvious sexual air. One of the website site I will represent with sexuality media advertisement is the “Abercrombie and Fitch”.
The Crying Game manipulates several binary oppositions. The first one, which is so obvious, is male/female. Of course we all know that by nature people’s identities are determined by genitals. In this way, man should find a sexual interest in women and vice versa. But in film we see the opposite situation, which leads us to another binary opposition – sex/gender.
As a society we have molded ourselves into materialistic idealists, constantly demanding bigger, better and more beautiful. Today what is depicted in advertising is what the media has labeled as desired. Beauty sells, and beauty is what we see. Whether we are looking at a billboard advertising a Hardee’s Thickburger, a commercial for Victoria’s Secret, or a campaign for Calvin Klein’s fragrance, beauty and sex appeal is present in all. This beauty is specific, and differs depending on gender.
What we must understand is advertisement is all about appearances. It is also about information and what excites us as consumers. Stereotypes alone pave the way to sexism and the idea that one sex is superior to the other. For the purpose of this paper the advertisement projected toward women will be ad number one and the advertisement projected toward men will be ad number two. First let us look at advertisement one.