Sexist advertisements seem to nonchalantly glorify the idea that women are sexual objects. According to Spectator, thousands of advertisements focus on women and young girls, telling them that they are not attractive, sexy, or intelligent unless they look a certain way (Levy, 2006). As a result, men and women have developed an unflattering and stereotypical idea of what female beauty and sexuality really is. As stated by Peter and Valkenburg, the relationship between exposure to a sexualized media environment and exposure to sexual content in general, has a stronger associative effect on the belief that women are in fact, sexual objects (Sex Roles, 2007). Even in the world of Hip-Hop, the glorification of women as sexual objects is an extremely effective advertising/marketing scheme. Tthe messages in hip-hop music videos perpetuate gender stereotypes and discrimination and attempt to normalize unequal social behaviors under the label of what is considered art and what is popular. As stated in the Journal of Communication, “..sexual elements are becoming more visual and more overt. Female nudity and erotic content has become quite commonplace in contemporary U.S. ads” (Frith, Shaw, 2005, pg. 57).
Sexist advertisements have the power to objectify women’s view on her body image, simply because they reinforce insecurity and uncertainty in women about their bodies. As stated in Psychology of Women Quarterly, “exposure to thin-ideal advertisements increased body dissatisfaction, negative mood, and levels of depression and lowered self-esteem” (Bessenoff, 2006, p. 239). As a result of advertisements that promote the idea that in order to be the object of man’s affection, she must become an unrealistic entity that embodies a conceptualized, fictional, and sometimes unattainable figure. In her film, Jean Kilbourne suggests that women are constantly sexualized; however, it is the “dismemberment” of the female body that is one of the biggest problems in advertising (Killing Us Softly 3, 2002). Such advertisements have the ability to support the idea that women should view their bodies in separate and unequal pieces, rather than a unified whole. Kilbourne also discusses the fact that sexist advertisements continuously exploit women and negatively effect the way men view women. Such advertisements suggest that women must have a specific degree of beauty; this in turn may cause some insecurity in a consumer, prompting them to buy a specific product.
Sexist advertisements promote violence against women because it further fuels the idea that women are things that are used and abused as men deem appropriate. Because women are continuously portrayed as objects in advertisements, it not only dehumanizes them but it seems to justify any form of violent acts that may be committed against them. Images of women as recipients of hostile behavior, has the ability to desensitize the act of violence against women. According to CQ Weekly, the popular video game Grand Theft Auto awards players of the game when they hire prostitutes and then win points by killing them and stealing back their fees (Zeller, 2006). This is a clear example as to how video games, (which where once upon a time, a harmless form of entertainment) has the ability to advertise and promote violence against women. In an article my MacKay and Covell (1997) they stated:
Advertisements demonstrate the power of an ad’s portrayal of women in influencing gender-role attitudes. Lanis and Covell (1995) for example, found that males who were shown magazine advertisements in which women were portrayed as sex objects, compared to males shown progressive role images of women in advertisements, were significantly more accepting of rape myths, gender-role stereotyping, interpersonal violence (particularly towards women) and held more adversarial sexual attitudes. Such portrayals typically have been shown to encourage rigid, authoritarian gender-roles and support male dominance. In addition, a link has been described among males’ gender-stereotyped beliefs, their opposition to women’s equality, and their likelihood of violence against women (pg. 574).
Now that I have given an example as to how sexist advertisements promote violence against women, I will now discuss how such ads can create unrealistic ideas regarding female body image. Sexist advertisements have the ability to create unrealistic idea regarding female body image simply because, everywhere we turn, women are forced to acknowledge that there is a specific standard for female beauty. Advertisements have a tendency to influence women and young girls to become self-conscious and insecure about their bodies, thereby causing an idealistic obsession over their appearance. Standards of beauty that are being imposed on women are everywhere! Images of the “perfect” female body sell everything from food, to cell phones, and ridiculously beer. Jean Kilbourne elaborates in her film Killing Us Softly 3, that there is a significant relationship between sexist images in advertisements and the obsession of women and young girls to achieve the unrealistically attainable body image that is frequently depicted in such advertisements. Certain advertisements target their products toward women often incorporate extremely attractive models in their advertisements in order to increase the ad’s effectiveness. According to The Journal of Advertising:
The self-concepts of many female adolescents stem primarily from their sense of physical attractiveness, and a woman’s global self-esteem also seems to be related to her own physical attractiveness. The importance of physical attractiveness prompts many women to compare themselves with the images of physical perfection, thinness, and beauty found in advertising. Some women compare themselves with the idealized images in advertising and that some women who compare themselves with highly attractive models may experience negative feelings as a result (Bower, 2001, pg. 51).
Sexist advertisements are a prominent and popular aspect of the American culture. Not only do sexist advertisements have the power to intrigue potential consumers, but they have the power to have an influence on the viewers’ self-image. It is safe to say that there is no easy solution to ending sexism in advertisements. Because sexuality is such a huge factor in gaining the attention of possible consumers, it would be hard to image an industry without it. However, I honestly believe that it is possible to positively promote and launch successful advertisement campaigns that do not capitalize off of the over-sexualized female body. One such example is the “Campaign for Real Beauty” by Dove. The company embarked on a globally integrated marketing campaign that told women and young girls that they are beautiful and perfect just the way they are; they also defied decades of advertisement strategies by using women off of the street rather than professional models. If there were more advertisements similar to this campaign, rather than advertisements that capitalize off of women, societal standards would be taking one step in the right direction to effectively putting an end to sexist advertisements.
References
Benssenoff, G. (2006). Can the media affect us? Social comparison, self-discrepancy, and the
thin ideal. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30(3), p. 239-251.
Bower, A. (2001). Highly attractive models in advertising and the women who loathe them: The
implications of negative affect for spokesperson effectiveness. Journal of Advertising, 30(3), p. 51-63.
Firth, K., Shaw, P.C. (2005). Cultural Analysis of Women’s Magazine Advertising. Journal of
Communication, 55(1), p. 56-70
Kilbourne, J. (2002). Killing Us Softly 3: Advertising’s Image of Women
Levy, A. (2006). Get a life, girls. Spectator, p. n/a/
MacKay, N., Covell, K. (1997). The impact of women in advertisements on attitudes towards
women. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 36(9/10), p. 573-583.
Peter, J., Valkenburg, P. (2007). Adolescent exposure to a sexualized media environment and
their notions of women as sex objects. Sex Roles, 5(6), p. 381-395.
Zeller, S. (2006). Strange Bedfellows. CQ Weekly, 64(8), p. 433.