Women For Sale
How advertisers use the media to degrade women…
and how we let them.
How did it begin?
Vintage Ads: 1890-1920s
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Many of the earliest
ads were focused on
the product itself.
Women were often
used as a target
audience as they were
the primary caregivers
and homemakers.
This ad praises the
wonders of Jell-O .
Classic Vintage Ads
Promoting the Product
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Some ads seem clearly sexist, but they are more a
reflection of the time. Above, one happy homemaker
manages to find time for a Coke.
Getting Suggestive with the images and the text
Post WWII ads suggested more than the benefits of a particular product.
Below, an ice skater thrills male onlookers with her “Springmaid” fabric skirt.
The women in the “Maidenform” bras wear animal masks. Why?
The ideal woman.
It is interesting to see how the ideal woman fifty years ago was NOT skinny.
These ads offer help in GAINING weight. Skinny women should
do all they can to look more full figured. This trend is most likely
a “Marilyn Monroe” effect.
The Insecure Woman
Insecure women began making an appearance in the late 40s and early 50s.
The woman on the left has been “locked out” from her husband because she
forgot to douche. The woman on the right worries that her husband, who has
clearly aged better than she has, will want a younger woman soon.
Getting the Message Across
During WWII, many women got a taste of independence by joining the
work force since so many men had left the factories to go to war.
Ads from the forties and fifties clearly reinforced the idea that a
woman’s natural place was in the home.
Some interesting messages here
And here…
Moving Forward?
The sixties and seventies were a turbulent time in American
history. However, images of women in the media remained
limited. There were only a few roles a woman could fill.
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First, there was “the
mother figure,” which
here we see a twisted
version of in this
American Airlines ad.
Moving Forward?
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Then, there was “the
child-woman,” shown here
in this creepy ad that
sexualizes a little girl.
Notice the shape of the
perfume bottle. The
seventies saw an increase
in phallic imagery in both
ads and products.
Moving Forward?
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Finally, there was “the
sexualized woman,” or the
“tramp/mistress.” She was
often hard to control, but still
desirable. She, of course,
was not the girl a man would
marry. Thus, she was often
shown in pieces only. What
does the image of a
“dismembered” woman
imply?
Contemporary ads
Today, there are several ways advertisers use women in their ads.
One popular strategy utilizes women’s sexuality, which is often unrelated to
the product. Notice the phallic symbols in these ads.
Sex is Power
These sexual ads clearly target a male audience and readership. The woman
on the left “gets chucked” with another male holding a bizarre phallic object
nearby. On the right, the woman waits expectantly for whatever violation is
in store for her. Read the copy (text) on that ad.
More disturbing ads that use sex in a way that dehumanizes
women. What are the products here? Read the copy.
What are we telling the women of our culture? What
do men think of the women in these ads? What do
women think of themselves when they see these ads?
Violence against Women
In addition to using sex, advertisers now will often use violence
against women to sell products. Notice how the product
itself is no longer the focus of the ad. These ads are for jeans.
One woman here holds on to the back of a car in a pun on
“bass yourself.” On the right, it is clearly cool to wear “wife
beater” tee shirts-the product’s name itself is offensive;
yet this couple wears their team tees with pride.
Sex and Violence Together-How nice
Some ads combine sex and violence. Here is an ad for a
popular fashion line that is very disturbing.
What seems to be happening in this scene?
Here, a woman seems to be ripped apart in a perfume
ad while the woman on the right is “bound to serve”
the customer as mercilessly as the web server does.
Still Insecure
Just like those ads from the past, ads today still target women’s
insecurities. Women can be easily replaced by a mistress or at
least a younger version of herself.
The Shallow Woman
However, now there are some new roles for women
to fill. There is the shallow woman, who cares only for her
man’s money, car, jewelry…
The dumb nymphomaniac
Women are also portrayed as brainless bimbos who really just
want guys to have sex with them, as seen in these ads.
Read the copy.
Imagine these ads with men or male parts in them. How would your
perception or reaction change if two scantily dressed men, one holding an
obvious phallic symbol, were in the left ad? What male body part would be
pressed together to sell a car in the right ad? Would male versions of these
kinds of ads ever exist?
Disposable Women
Women can also be replaced by objects such as dolls that,
apparently, can give men what they really want. The ad on the left
is for jeans while the ad on the right is for an energy pillconsider the message there! What is suggested here?
How far is too Far?
What would a sexist
ad that objectifies
men look like?
Since I could not actually find ANY
ads that degrade and dehumanize
men in a sexual way, these “ads”
were created for effect.
Here are some superheroes who are
clearly objectified-again these pictures were
created-they are not real ads.
What would be the focus of such
ads, if they existed?
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Notice that when we
do see men’s bodies
objectified in ads
today, they are rarely
dismembered, beaten,
humiliated, gang
raped, or emaciated.
Rather, they look like this. Compare the way GQ presents
two issue covers, one with a female on the front and
one with a male. Notice the headlines as well…
This underwear ad is a typical example of a man’s body
being used to sell a product. This ad does not objectify
Mark Wahlberg in any dehumanizing or violent way.
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Rather, this ad shows the
model using the product in
a way that appears natural
and comfortable. The
male model here is happynot emaciated, bruised,
drugged out, or frightened
like we see in so many
ads with female models.
This is sexy.
This ad is one the most suggestive, sexualized
male ads I could find. This ad objectifies the model
more than most male ads do, but notice he is not
threatened or dehumanized in any way.
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Compare this to
the perfume and
jeans ads we saw
with women.
Why does our
society violate
our women and
worship our
men?
Equal Rights?
Rather than objectify both the sexes through advertising, ideally corporations
should use their media power to equalize the sexes. However, what we more
often see is a distorted view of equal rights. This ad claims to support
women’s rights, but the ad copy suggests just the opposite.
This ad is for a professional woman’s
journal. What is the message here?
Equal Power or White Power?
When minorities are in ads, they are often positioned beneath
that of the white person. Here a sexualized white woman is
shown above a black male. Reflect on the image and text.
The truly
bizarre
Can the media dehumanize, dismember, or
degrade women anymore than it already
has? The magic of technology now allows
advertisers to manipulate photos into
women who do not exist.
Get Wired!
This ad is for a cyber server which claims to double
your power. Notice where a woman’s power is.
If it is so disturbing to see men in
sexual, violent, or even manipulated images
such as this one…
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Then why do we
continue to allow such
disturbing images of
women?
Like the ad here, it
should not be any less
disturbing when the
person in the picture is
a female…
…or an African-American…or an
Asian…or any other nationality.
Would any newspaper allow this
personal ad to run in its paper?
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WANTED: SWF. Dead
or alive. Body parts ok,
no brains. Must be Big
Breasted, long-legged
bone jarringly thin.
Shallow = good. Seeking
nymphos who love S&M,
bondage, whips, chains,
and other devices. The
younger the better. Over
30 need not apply.
So why is it acceptable to imply that very
same message without all the text? Here,
this woman is “beautifully executed.”
What are we saying
to the women of our
society?
What are we saying to the women
we love?
What do we say to ourselves?
What should I say to these girls when they ask
what it means to be a woman today?
What’s Normal?
Can we change our culture’s ideal of sexy?
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This ad spurred so much
controversy a few years
ago that it was actually
pulled from some shows
and magazines. All it
shows is normal women in
their underwear-un“photoshopped,” un“airbrushed.” Why was
this ad so upsetting? Are
normal women considered
freakish while ads with
four-breasted women are
totally acceptable?
Can we take the dismembered images we have of our
women and reshape our interpretation of it through
the copy? Zoom in to read the text.
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Or can we start
celebrating the
women we are,
the women we
were, and the
women we
want to be?
We’ll never know until we try.
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Being a feminist means wanting these
things for women. It means demanding
that women and men are accepted and
treated equally in all areas: politically,
socially, financially…
It does not mean
being anti-male.
Are you a feminist? If people
were to ask if you were a feminist,
what would you say?
When we study civilizations of the
past, we consider not only the
written texts and the unearthed
artifacts, but we study the art, the
images, the reflections the
people had of themselves.
What will future
generations say about us?
New additions from students
New additions from students