Gender and advertising

What sort of images of women and men dominated advertising pre-1970s? Why was this the case?

Before the 1970’s commercials were very different from the ones we see to this current date. Women were stereotyped to be seen as a housewife who shall be situated within the environment of a kitchen or in the role of being the cleaner/cook. This was because females were seen subverted to men.
Men on the other hand were shown to be powerful and dominant as within commercials they were given the typical role of a voice over which represented men superior to the images of the females which connoted that they are in control of female actions and that they are the ones who make the choices.

How did the advertising of the 1970’s continue to perpetuate the stereotype of women, despite depicting women in a greater range of roles?

Although there were several changes within the years after the war where females were allowed to express themselves and were given more freedom. They were still placed within the stereotypical role of housewives which kept the tradition going in advertising. However females given more power which was testing patriarchal values, however advertising was used to place females within their stereotypical roles and to continue the equilibrium.

Can Gaye Tuchman’s quote regarding under-representation and the ‘symbolic annihilation of women’ still be applied in 21st Century advertising? If so, how?

In simple words yes. This is because of advertisers still following traditional values and stereotypes of females within the current years. Not only advertisers have continued this ‘annihilation’ also music directors and film directors have still portrayed females as the subordinate gender. Advertisers still use the traditional values of women being the cook/housewife/cleaner within the 21st century. An example of this is for the company ‘Iceland’ as within the advert they use famous start Kerry to promote their products. At the end of each advert she ends it with ‘That’s why mums go to Iceland’ which connotes that females still have the role of providing food for their superior gender males. An example of how music and films annihilate women is by using them as sex objects to fulfil and please the dominant gender. By using females as a phallic symbol of a toy it connotes that males can do as they please with females.

Do you agree that adverts, such as those for the 1990’s Boots No. 7, ‘It’s not make-up. It’s ammunition.’ campaign, are post-feminist (thereby representing women as better than men?). Explain your answer

Yes. The answer is within the title of the advert, using the word ‘ammunition’ it brings a sense of power, as ammunition leads to deaths and injuries. However being ammunition there nothing without anything to fire them (men) so in some way women are does represent women better but subliminally it still shows males as the dominant sex.

Is the representation of women by the media accountable for the results of a survey in which ‘women were up to ten times more likely than men to be unhappy with their body image’?

My personal opinion in this matter is that media has to hold full responsibility of this statement. I believe this because the media is always pushing out material which is created to perfection however has just been digitally enhanced to achieve these looks. The media has brought these ideologies within our society. By using stereotypical thin models it has injected into society that being thin means you look good and that you are also achieving the look of a famous model. All these ideologies of being slim has created several implications in society not just on what values we have but also on peoples health.

Is the contemporary representation of men in advertising perhaps also a negative one where they too are treated as sex objects?

Men have increasinly been represented in advertisments as sex objects or as a emerging female gaze. Recently men within perfume adverts have been shown to be sexual which moves away from the sterotypical masiculinty role of men being tough, strong and leaders.