Sexual Stereotypes In Advertising

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Sexual Stereotypes In Advertising

This assignment is about sexual stereotyping in advertising.  

A stereotype is a standardized character, of appearance or lifestyle which people expect.  For example most people if asked to describe a ‘Super Hero’ would reply with, ‘strong, tall, brave and good looking,’ but is this always the case?

Therefore sexual stereotypes are about how people expect a person to look or act because of their gender.

 Men are thought of as successful businessmen in suits and striped shirts, which is a sign of wealth.  In some cases the male is seen as the father figure in a family of four, but in both of these cases his is attractive to the opposite sex.

Young boys are often cheeky and mischievous, they tend to wear blue as it is though of as a ‘boy’s’ colour.  In the majority of cases they are portrayed as been sporty and even from this early age show a keen interest in cars.

In advertising, a woman is seen as the mother of a family who does all of the housework and cooking for the other members of the family.  They wear purple or pastel blue, which brings across the message that they are soft and feminine.  

If they are acting the housewife they are usually slim, attractive and extremely good-looking.  The reason for this is that the company will try and sell the product using a ‘sex appeal’ method which can be very effective.  If this is the case, bright, bold colours such as red and pink are used so that the model stands out.

Little girls are often portrayed as cute and gentle, so that viewers get emotional when they are watching.  In most cases they are dresses in a pink dress, with a doll and their hair is styled into little curls.  

I have decided to use three ‘OXO’ advertisements, which are advertising gravy to show how different sexes are addressed in different circumstances.

In the first advertisement a women is cooking in a kitchen with a big grin on her face, this suggests that she is happy with what she is doing and feels at ‘home’ with cooking.

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She is wearing a light purple top, the reason for this is that it helps the bright colours of the ‘OXO’ logo to stand out.

The young girl who is most probably the lady’s daughter is helping her mother happily and brings across the message that she will one day become the mother and cook for her own family.

Finally the little boy is watching his mother but not taking any part in the cooking.  He has a big smile on his face, as he waits for his lunch to be made.  The fact that he is not helping is ...

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