Stereotypes of Women In Advertising
Stereotypes of Women in Today’s Advertising:
Moving Forward or Running in Place
Kasey Brandmahl
Radford University Honors Capstone
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As women of the new millennium we would like to think that we have evened the
playing field between men and women. Unfortunately for us, that isn’t the case. If you were to
take a look at the majority of today’s advertising, you would still see some of the stereotypes
from years past, plus a few more that are even more demeaning towards women. These
warped images of women are having an impact on the body image of maturing teenagers along
with other psychological effects. Fortunately there are a few companies who are hoping to
make a change in the way that women are portrayed in today’s advertising.
If we were to take a look back, the most common stereotypes of women in advertising
were the roles of housewife, mother or the submissive wife. A study of the three largest selling
magazines from the 1980s – Woman, Women’s Own and Woman’s Weekly, found that the
“most common subjects were self help, getting and keeping your man, achieving perfection and
happy families” (Mayne, 2000). In 1976, a couple did an analysis of the roles portrayed by
women in print advertisements in the years: 1958, 1970 and 1972. Their results showed that in
the 1950’s most women were portrayed in the following ways: “… as unemployed, women as
low income earners, nonworking women in decorative roles and idle situations” (Belkaoui,
1976). In these ads when women were shown as employed, they were often depicted as
“unable to cope with the vast amount of paper placed before them,” and were always made to
look as if they did not enjoy their activities. The occupations that most women had in these ads
were positions such as: secretaries, clerical work or other blue collar positions. When this
couple compared these stereotypes to the ads in the early 1970s this is what they found; there
was only a 7% increase in amount of advertising that showed women in a professional
environment (Belkaoui, 1976). Another study of ads from the 1960s found that “eight
mainstream magazines depicted both women and men in common stereotype roles: women as
homemakers who relied on men, and men as interested in women primarily as sex objects
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(Reichart, LaTour & Lambiase, 2007). This brings us to another category of stereotypes that
are prevalent in advertising, both past and present; and that is portraying women as sexual
objects. “In a comparison between ads in 1973 and 1987, these researchers found even the
pages of Ms. contained a significant increase in the proportion of women portrayed as alluring
sex objects” (Reichart, LaTour & Lambiase, 2007). Clearly, the consumer could see that these
stereotypes were evident even as far back as 50 years ago. While researching I have found
that even though the stereotypes are not identical to those of years past, they are still being
used in today’s advertisements.
Yes, women have made leaps and bounds when it comes to women’s rights and the
“feminist” movement. However, looking at the ads that run today, a female consumer might
ask her if the advertising agencies are aware of the strengths and opportunities available to the
women of today. I think author John Shannon put it best when he said, “The bad news is that
while women (…) feel positive about their own progress and achievements, they feel opposite
about the way many advertisers are talking to them” (Shannon, 1996). The housewife
stereotype is still being used in present advertising; however this character is quickly taking a
backseat to the role of “sex object” and the unrealistic body image that is promoted in today’s
ads. Women today feel as if they can do anything they put their minds to and consider
themselves on the same level as men in both the social and corporate worlds. But, turn on the
television or open a magazine and they are being told that they are nothing more than an
object or something that should just be admired for their physical beauty.
Objectification and Sexual Victimization
Sex has been present in advertisements almost since the beginning of advertising itself.
However, ad execs and marketers are pushing the envelope when it comes to the content of
some of today’s ads. Even in 1995 these stereotypes of were of a growing concern, “In recent
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decades, sexual imagery in advertising has become more common, more explicit, more
exploitative, and more violent (Jacobson & Mazur, 1995); and if you were to fast forward
almost fifteen years the feeling hasn’t changed much, “Ground has been lost in terms of sexual
stereotyping in the last 10 years,” says Linda M. Scott, an associate professor of advertising at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Things had been improving and now it looks
like it is taking a downturn,” she said (Vranica, 2003). When women are shown as nothing
more than an object to be admired or, heaven forbid, used; their value as a human being is
compromised. SKYY BLUE, an alcoholic drink, is famous for producing ads that are demeaning
to women. In a majority of their ads, women are either in bikinis or close to nothing (Beer
Magazine Ads, 2007). A couple of the ads don’t even show the woman’s entire body; they
concentrate on particular body parts. This really is treating the female body as an object and
not as an entire being, which I will discuss shortly. Being exposed to these ads is leading to the
desensitization of the nation when it comes to the mistreatment of women. It is sad to say, but
this type of advertising has almost been accepted as a norm of the marketing industry. Ads
today have progressed in some way because they do show women in the work place more
often. They are given higher level positions and are made to look more professional than they
have in the past. But, this gain doesn’t come without its drawbacks. “Ads that show working
women usually focus on their appearance and sexual availability”. For example, an ad for
Hennessy cognac features a man in his office speaking with someone on the phone and his
female co-worker, wearing a low-cut blouse is seductively handing him a drink. Another
example of where women’s work is “trivialized” is an ad stating that “Phoebe chose to work, not
because she had to, but because it gave her a place to wear her Braeburn sweaters” (Jacobson
& Mazur, 1995). This makes working women sound as if they care about nothing more than
showing off their new clothing item or having their co-workers pay attention to their physical
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assets. So, yes, women are given a place in the professional world in today’s advertisements,
but not without a few “digs” along the way. Not only is this taking place in advertisements, but
you can see real-life examples of women in the workplace and how they are truly valued for
their looks. An example is news-show host Greta Van Susteren. She moved from CNN to Fox
in 2002 and her appearance was remarkably different when she appeared in her new position.
She had surgically altered her face and her hair was perfectly coiffed and she adorned a short
skirt. “Her surgery symbolizes what many analysts have argued for decades: that the way a
woman looks is far more important than what she has to say” (Media Coverage of Women,
2007). This is just another example of how women may be given respected positions in the
workplace, but ultimately it comes down to beauty over brains; and unfortunately the ads today
are simply reinforcing this idea.
Women’s bodies are also taken apart in ads today. Their legs, breasts and stomachs are
shown instead of a whole person. “In the case of many popular ads, the objectification of the
woman occurs through the association of her being with her breasts. A woman is told that she
is no greater than her breast, and, similarly, men are told that the only thing that defines their
being is their obsession with women's breasts” (The Gender Ads Project). In most ads that
feature men, you see their faces or entire body; for a lot of the ads with women, it is not
uncommon to see just a body part here or there to sell a product. “A pair of shapely female
legs emerges from a box of cereal. A woman’s torso is juxtaposed against a photo of a sports
car.” “Women in these ads are not even whole objects; they have been reduced to an
assemblage of dismembered parts” (Jacobson & Mazur, 1995). It is disturbing to think that it is
okay for a woman’s body to be broken down and used in ways that it wasn’t meant to be.
“An ad shows a man leaning over a woman who is playfully pushing him away; the huge
headline says “No,” but she is smiling. The message: Don’t take No for an answer; she
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probably doesn’t mean it” (Jacobson & Mazur, 1995) This was an actual Old Spice cologne ad;
and hopefully it made readers take a step back and really analyze how demeaning this
advertisement is. Images such as this one, for the most part, reinforce the stereotypes of
women as sexual objects. It is scary to think that ads which basically are depicting “rape”
scenes are considered to not be harmful, and just a part of promoting a product. Other
examples of even more recent ads come from the high fashion clothing designer Gucci. It
depicts a woman lying on the ground while a man’s foot is seen stepping on her private area.
Another Gucci ad has a woman on the ground (again!) kneeling at the feet of a man standing
over her. This is reinforcing the submissive role from year’s past and throwing in the sexual
object of more present advertising.
Overall, this stereotype of objectification or sexual availability has become a reoccurring
theme of advertisements today. As an average woman it makes you want to sit back and say,
“when is enough, enough!”
Unattainable Beauty
A second stereotype that needs to be discussed is the image of what makes a “perfect
woman.” An Australian magazine “New Woman” recently featured a heavy-set model on their
cover, and for that they received a “truck-load” of letters from the public, thanking them for
what the bold step that they had made. However, the advertisers had a different opinion and
as a result the magazine returned to featuring bone-thin models. “Advertising Age International
concluded that the incident "made clear the influence wielded by advertisers who remain
convinced that only thin models spur the sales of beauty products” (Beauty and Body Image,
2007). What is considered acceptable in these beauty product ads is a “seventeen-year old
professional model, weighing just 120 pounds on a willowy 5’10” frame. Her eyes are a deep
violet-blue, her teeth are pearly white. She has no wrinkle, blemishes – or even pores, for that
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matter.” Louis Grubb, a retoucher in New York City says that “Almost every photograph you
see for a national advertiser these days has been work on by a retoucher to some degree. In
some cases, a picture is actually an amalgam of body parts of several different models – a
mouth from this one, arms from that one, and legs from a third” ( Jacobson & Mazur, 1995).
How is the average woman supposed to compete with that? These advertisements are
positioning this product to say “if you use this, you too can look this beautiful”; when in all
actuality the image woman in the ad isn’t “real”.
Psychological Effects
With images like this being portrayed in today’s media, it is no wonder that women find
it hard to be comfortable in their own skin.
“On any given day, 25 percent of American women are dieting, and another 50 percent are
finishing, breaking or starting diets.” The Glamour survey found that 50 percent of respondents
used diet pills, 27 percent used liquid formula diets, 18 percent used diuretics, 45 percent
fasted, 18 percent used laxatives, and 15 percent engaged in self-induced vomiting” (Jacobson
& Mazur, 1995).
Women struggle everyday to build there confidence; they spend hours upon hours
scrutinizing every detail of their physical appearance. An ad for Dep styling products says that
using their products will help to hide our other obvious flaws: “Your breasts may be too big, too
saggy, too pert, too flat, too full, too far apart,” the copy reads, “but … at least you can have
your hair the way you want it” (Jacobson & Mazur, 1995). As an industry that brings such
influential images to the public, I would hope that they would start to take a little responsibility
and a least mix-in a few “real women” every now and then. And, for products other than
household cleaning supplies or other items pertaining to motherhood. My challenge to them
would be to make it “stylish” to be a working mother, who works hard forty plus hours a week
and then comes home to take care of her two children and husband. They deserve to feel
glamorous every now and then! Not only do grown women have to combat the images
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portrayed in today’s advertising, but the young teenagers are fighting the fight as well. This is
a time in a female’s life when she is most influenced by the media and what is considered
beautiful. These overly-sexed ads are causing these adolescents to grow up too fast. They
become obsessed with achieving the perfect body; like the model that was in the magazine that
month. When, if they knew the truth about healthy and average body weight, they would see
that there was nothing wrong with them. For example, “The twentieth century has seen a
steady chipping away at the ideal female figures. Twenty years ago, the average model
weighed eight percent less than the average women; more recently she weighs twenty-three
percent less” (Beauty and Body Image, 2007). But, the fear of being average hasn’t stopped
with the teenagers; it has trickled all the way down to younger girls as well. For instance, my
five year old cousin has already started to show signs of being overly body-conscious. She has
told her mom that she already thinks she is fat and wants to watch what she eats. How
ridiculous does that sound? Five-year olds should be out playing and enjoying life, not worrying
about what size clothes they are wearing. Another example of this is found in a study of almost
“five hundred schoolgirls, 81% of the ten-year-olds reported that they had dieted at least once
(About Face, 2007). I am not saying that advertising is creating a cause-and-effect
relationship; however I do believe, from doing research that is helping to influence these bodyconscious trends.
As far as the psychological effects of women being depicted as objects to be admired
and used, one statement can sum it up. “By instructing men to regard women’s bodies as
objects, ads help create an atmosphere that devalues women as people, encourages sexual
harassment, and worse” (Jacobson & Mazur, 1995). When the media is telling people it is okay
to use a female’s body parts to push products, why should we as a society expect others to
treat women the way they should be treated, with the utmost respect.
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Controversy
Whenever a sensitive subject is discussed there is always going to be controversy.
While completing my research I found a website, The Gender Ads Project, which is a website
that has been created by a Dr. Scott Lukes to educate the masses on the continued use of
stereotypes in today’s advertising. Dr. Lukes wanted to provide a resource that educators and
students just like me, could use when researching the images of advertising. The content on
there is shocking and it is quite surprising that in today’s world these are acceptable forms of
communication. The website addresses the opposing views of this topic of women
objectification and sexuality in advertising. A majority of viewers feel like the ads are harmless
fun that are meant to entertain the masses and that no one really takes them seriously. To
respond to this, remember that what may be “harmless” fun to someone could actually
destructive both physically and emotionally to another. Sure, its fun to show beautiful women
selling products that they have nothing to do with; but when ad after ad the “perfect woman” is
portrayed as a, for the most part, an unattainable image it can start to plague the minds of
women that aren’t considered “beautiful” by the masses. Another major argument is that even
though the ads may contain disturbing images, they are actually reflections of the advertisers
that want the public to buy things. Dr. Lukes had an excellent response to this: “This argument
is very prevalent and it is an indication of the troubling nature of our society. “Have a look at (a
majority) of ads and ask yourself if the images are OK simply because they are selling products”
(Gender Ads Project). These arguments are legitimate, but after viewing the overwhelming
amount of ads that feature these stereotypes, I’m not sure how anyone could say that there is
definitely not a problem.
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The Future
Fortunately for us, there is hope for the future of advertising. Many companies are
realizing that women are more than just objects and body parts. Giving females real substance
in their ads reflects positively not only on the company itself, but also the women of the world.
One of the greatest campaigns that have ever been created is the Dove, Real Women
Campaign which is a part of their Self-Esteem Fund. Featured on their website is a video,
entitled “Evolution Film”, which shows an average woman go through the process that say a
super model would when shooting for a magazine. It is quite remarkable how much goes into
making the “perfect” face and hair. Another company that is taking a step in the right direction
is clothing designer Eileen Fisher. Her new ads boast copy like: “I’ve developed an eye for
what’s real in people and things” (About Face, 2007). She is making clothes to fit the real
women, not just the 95-pound, size 0 supermodels of today. Nike is another company looking
out for the empowerment of women. They have created ads that feature fully clothed women
doing everyday tasks. Another such company is Fruit of the Loom; they have ads featuring
“plus-size” women. What a great contrast from the unattainable “perfect image” of today.
Teen magazines are also getting involved and making a change. Christina Kelly, editor of YM,
announced that the magazine would no longer run stories about dieting and would include
pictures of bigger models. Jean Kilbourne supports the move and says “Any magazine that
purports to be for girls and young women, dieting has no place in it. This is a step in the right
direction... It would be wonderful if some other magazine editors would be equally as
courageous” (Resisting Stereotypes, 2007). As the years go by and women are able to have
their voices heard in the advertising agencies; we will hopefully see more companies emerge
with the same philosophies as the companies mentioned above.
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Conclusion
Women fill many different roles in their daily lives: some are executives, employees,
mothers, wives, friends; but one thing that no woman should ever be categorized as, is an
object. Yes, I understand that the goal of the advertising agency is to sell their product, but
does that mean that an entire gender must be defaced? Stereotypes have been a part of
advertising ever since it began; from years past the stereotypes have been housewife, mother,
submissive woman and sexually available object. From completing this research, I have seen
that the stereotypes have not changed, but the emphasis has. Yes, we still have all of the
same stereotypes as in years past; however the focus has been put on the female body and the
perfect image. If we say that as women we have made progress in today’s society, we should
reflect that in every aspect of our lives. In order to make a change women have to realize how
the industry is depicting them; as submissive, weak, and as an object. But overall, the nation
must realize that the stereotypes are real and they don’t seem to be going anywhere, anytime
soon.
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