Unfair Portrayals of
Gender in Advertising
How the media portrays appropriate gender.
Modified from:
http://www.uvm.edu/~tstreete/powerpose/index.html
The Big Question:
Do our values dictate advertising?
OR
Does advertising tell us what we should
value?
"When I was born, they looked at me and said: 'What a good boy,
what a smart boy, what a strong boy!' And when you were born, they
looked at you and said, 'What a good girl, what a smart girl, what a
pretty girl!'"
"What A Good Boy," The Barenaked Ladies
STEREOTYPICALLY:
What should men BE?
What should men WANT?
What should women BE?
What should women WANT?
BE
WANT
BE
WANT
Strong
To have a woman care for him
(food, sex)
To not be seen as a “sissy”
To get an attractive female
To be seen as dominant
To not be controlled (and be
allowed to stay in the “man
cave”)
Weak
A man to care for her ($$)
To be beautiful
To be strong (always a quest)
To get an attractive man
To be dominated
Wise (but not
intellectual)
Aggressive
Brave
Cut
Tough
In Charge
Smart
Meek
Pretty
Thin
Sexy
Submissive
What do stereotypes do?
They put people into boxes.
They prevent people from being able to be MORE that
what they are typically expected to be.
BUT Women are not mere sissies
Men are not Neanderthals
relegated to their “man caves”
Real men read. Real men
care for their kids. Real men
work IN and OUT of the
home.
basking away in their spas.
Real women play sports.
Real women can kill spiders.
Real women do it all, too.
Why must the media suggest otherwise?
http://inthralld.com/2013/01/21-masculine-man-cave-ideas/
http://asianescapes.com/gallery2/d/28144-1/Le+Spa+-+058.jpg
Contradictions
Male sensitivity is conveyed as
being “girly,” or weak
http://cameronquade.wordpress.com/author/cameronquade/
While female strength is masculinized,
animalized, or sexualized.
http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/tag/animalization/
http://insidefmm.com/category/advertising-campaigns/page/4/
http://mcdani17.wordpress.com/2012/11/12/assignment-2-2-2/
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/08/judith-hanson-lasater-slams-yoga-journal-for-sexy-ads-via-its-all-yoga-baby/
Introducing: The Male Gaze
Fashion and advertising
photography often rely upon
standardized, stylized poses which
are meant to look 'natural.' In
reality, are anything but.
Look at these men.
Do they seem silly?
What about them?
We've all become used to the unnatural poses of
women in fashion magazines
What do images like this say about 'femininity'?
Women are often portrayed in a HORIZONTAL position...
- Reduced opportunities for self-defense
- A place for animals
“(the) level of the head is lowered relative to that of others,
including, indirectly, the viewer of the picture. The resulting
configurations can be read as an acceptance of subordination, an
expression of integration, submissiveness, and appeasement."
This is often combined with a flirtatious finger in the
mouth or otherwise touching the face in a childlike way
These poses are so common that nobody even
notices them...
...but once seen, the formula is hard
to ignore
These pictures are from women's magazines. They
are not for men to look at. So why are there all
these poses for women that suggest childishness,
subordination, and helplessness?
The media teaches us how to view women without us
even knowing it.
Look at the way the model
is regarding the viewer:

"I know you are looking
at me. I am in control of
your gaze." The knowing
look belies the otherwise
childlike pose.
They know they're being looked at.
This gives them power.



The childish,
submissive postures are
represented as strategic,
as a sign of control of
the gaze.
1. SO: flirtation and
submission controls the
men who look at her.
2. Her power is in her
beauty, and nothing
more.
This is why successful women
agree to pose this way.

She is showing that she
can be successful in the
arena where the goal is
to attract and control the
power of the gaze by
striking a subordinate
pose.
Women - STRENGTH
Women are STRONG because
of their beauty and sexuality
http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/if-megan-fox-could-act-this-wonder-womanposter-would-make-sense.php
OR female STRENGTH is shown in a
“male way.”
http://becomingfouroldbiddies.blogspot.ca/2012/08/strong-women.html
The problem is, however, that most women make
less money and have less power than most men,
and the message that goes out to women is this:
for a woman to get power, she needs to gain
control of a male (through sex, force, or
manipulation), which means to get power through
male power, rather than on her own.
This is where the theory of the male gaze
becomes important. John Berger once noted,
"Men 'act' and women 'appear.' Men look at
women. Women watch themselves being looked
at."
Is she looking at a woman, or at a man?
“Runways Are Everywhere”

The images invite
women to imagine
themselves as if they
were on fashion
runways, being viewed,
in the most ordinary of
places, like laundromats
and alleyways.
Everywhere you go, the
ad tells women, you are
on view.
What would be the effect
on girls who think runways
are everywhere?
This is not new.
Girl with the pearl earring. 1800s
Our brains see men as a whole and women as parts
BOTH are objectified (seen as reduced), but both in different ways.
http://yourworthit13.blogspot.ca/2011/03/we
ek-7-advertising-and-public-relations.html
The media teaches
women to see
themselves (and
men to see women)
as being as good as
the sum of their
parts
http://treeeeesha.blogspot.ca/2006/04/all-womanall-in-parts.html
But since we all know women
don’t buy smartphones, who
cares? Let the sexist free-for-all
continue!
http://venturebeat.com/2013/08/22/disembodied-lady-parts-oppo-ad-shows-sexism-lives-on/
Our brains see men as a whole and women as parts
BOTH are objectified (seen as reduced), but both in different ways.
The media teaches
men to see
themselves (and
women to see men)
as being as good
as a dominating
whole
These are STILL
unfair portrayals.
http://goodmrktng.tumblr.com/post/35135479283/sexualobjectification
http://harveybriggs.blogspot.ca/2010/05/real-men-dont-exfoliate.html
ROLES – in the home
AT HOME, women can do anything. … while men are incapable morons.
http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2012/08/07/studio-visit-with-evan-kafka/
http://estes0305.wordpress.com/2013/03/
http://goodmenproject.com/families/clorox-bleaches-dumb-dumb-dad-ad/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9493723/Women-are-doing-it-all-not-having-it-all.html
ROLES – out of the home
Women are passive, emotional, innocent, meek, and unattainable bitches.
http://genderedworlds.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/chaos-in-advertising-ft-fifty-shades-of-grey/
http://getfiercestyle.com/2010/02/21/fierce-fragrance-balenciaga-paris/
While men
are powerful,
“manly,” and
irresistible.
http://smallshopstudio.com/2012/03/21/mad-men-yes-please/
http://www.connectingwithconsumers.net/index.php?tag/viral%20advertising
http://www.footluxe.com/gucci-guilty-pour-homme-advertising-campaign/
http://www.femininethings.org/2010/03/some-more-thoughts-on-man-your-man.html
Both are sexualized. But differently.
Women: target audience?
Men: target audience?
http://thebeersessions.com/blog/2010/09/budweiser-give-away-500k-beers-facebook/
Both are targeted to MEN. So what should men
value
• Of WOMEN?
• Of THEMSELVES?
http://gaylensmith.blogspot.ca/2011/02/men-used-in-advertising-looking-overtly_24.html
Both are sexualized. But differently.
Women: target audience?
Men: target audience?
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/371/index/16891550/12
http://jblovesnow.blogspot.ca/2013/03/we-can-do-it-women-in-advertising.html
Both are targeted to WOMEN. So what should women value
• Of MEN?
• Of THEMSELVES?
http://vervecast.net/tag/advertising/
Men
Don Draper (of Mad Men) is
seen as a “real man” of the
1960s. He is confident, a
leader, accomplished, and
forceful.
These ideals persist today.
EVEN WOMEN OF TODAY
(forget about the show itself)
find him attractive though
they know he’s a womanizer,
an adulterer, a drunk, and a
coward. WHY?
Why?
He fits the stereotype of a “real man,” and thus limits
society’s concept of what men are capable of.
• What if we challenged this expectation?
• What is more important? Yet what does the media
more consistently portray?
http://blogs.longwood.edu/advertising3/2012/10/11/dolce-gabbana-ad/
http://dadbeat.com/shit-people-shouldnt-say-to-caregiving-dads-part-one
We are made to believe that our ideal selves are just
around the corner IF WE BUY product X
Even Dove’s “Real Beauty” campaign plays into this hand –
Dove benefits from exposing the lies of advertising; in turn, Dove makes
more money.
Nothing we see is real
We based our self-worth on images we KNOW to be fake
Nothing we see is real
We based our self-worth on images we KNOW to be fake
Nothing we see is real
We based our self-worth on images we KNOW to be fake
And under the guise of fixing it all,
DOVE made this Onslaught Ad:
But don’t worry – there’s a parody for that.
Healthy Female Body Image AT WHAT PRICE?
Think it’s just about women?
Think again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv8I0v7LLDM
Nothing we see is real
We based our self-worth on images we KNOW to be fake
Nothing we see is real
We based our self-worth on images we KNOW to be fake
Some ads to consider...
Some Final Thoughts…
Posing men in typically “female” poses –
soapy and lathery – how does it change
anything?
Posing men and women in equallysexualized positions is unequal. What are
the implications?
Reducing both
genders to being
WILD – is that okay?
Showing women to
be only useful in the
home with the help
from a man – is that
an overcorrection?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/business/media/08adco.html
http://nezta.com/mr-clean-products/
Then and Now?
Have things worsened or improved?
Then and Now?
Have things worsened or improved?
(under the guise of equality)
Then and Now?
Have things worsened or improved?
(under the guise of inspiration).
The sad thing about the media is that is portrays extremes and
passes them off as normal, thus teaching those who are most
impressionable (YOU) what it looks like to be “normal.”
p.diddy
Think it doesn’t affect you? Look at how
you portray yourself on social media.
A “manly man”
A Marilyn wannabe
A “meek little lady”
An aspiring doctor?
Time for you to Analyze an Ad. Pick one:
Identify the Audience
According to this ad, what
are men (or women)
supposed to BE?
What are men (or women)
supposed to WANT?
“Real big burgers”
What is the SUBTEXT
(what’s it really saying?)
“Summer as it should be”
“Find your beach”