Representations of women in advertising

 Read these extracts from an academic essay on gender in advertising by Reena Mistry. 

1) How does Mistry suggest advertising has changed since the mid-1990s?

She suggests that advertising has increasingly employed images in which the gender and sexual orientation of the subject(s) are markedly (and purposefully) ambiguous as well as an increase in homo-sexual representation .

2) What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?

. 'Feminine mystique': 'the highest value and the only real commitment for women lies in the fulfilment of their own femininity. The highest good is keeping house and raising children'

. Women being increasingly portrayed as decorative (empty) objects .

3) How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising?

Women were formally presented sexually alongside their clothes and make-up and were commonly used for the male gaze however with the increase in feminism women have changed their appearance to appeal less for the male gaze and sexualisation towards women in the media has drastically become less common .

4) Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to?

Laura Mulvey and the theory refers to the idea that the way women are presented is in order for men to view it and be pleased with it .

5) How did the representation of women change in the 1970s?

The idea of 'new women' was released in order for adaptation leading to the view that women were to become more independent and confident .

6) Why does van Zoonen suggest the 'new' representations of women in the 1970s and 1980s were only marginally different from the sexist representations of earlier years?

Van Zoonen proves that the same ideology and beliefs were still withheld within women however their way of life was slightly changed .

7) What does Barthel suggest regarding advertising and male power?

That there is no real threat to male power to come from the adaptation in women .

8) What does Richard Dyer suggest about the 'femme fatale' representation of women in adverts such as Christian Dior make-up?

They cause a misrepresentation towards women's freedom .

Now go to our Media Magazine archive MM54 and read the feature on Protein World's controversial 'Beach Bodies' marketing campaign in 2015.

1) What was the Protein World 'Beach Bodies' campaign and why was it controversial?

 Protein World this spring caused a real stir amongst the media and consumers. Launched in Spring 2015 on London Underground, the PR team were clearly courting the female market (19-30) into looking their best for the beach this summer.

2) What was the Dove Real Beauty campaign?

It was launched to connote that beauty is for everyone of all genders and all races and they also intended to break the toxic masculine idea that men don't involve in self care .

3) How has social media changed the way audiences can interact with advertising campaigns? 

Due to social media viewers of advertising campaigns can react freely displaying their reactions and thoughts through social media frequently causing backlash or sometimes agreements from audiences .

4) How can we apply van Zoonen's feminist theory and Stuart Hall's reception theory to these case studies?

The change in representation of women displays that the male gaze is highly applicable to almost each media text . The audience interactions being demonstrated through social media connote that texts are taken in with different meanings depending on the audiences .

5) Through studying the social and historical context of women in advertising, do you think representations of women in advertising have changed in the last 60 years?

The overall representation of women has changed massively throughout the last 60 years . Formerly during the 50's-70's women were thoroughly seen as lesser then men and were always presented as housewives and just supporters of the men . Over time they were the sexualised mostly linking to theory of male gaze . Recently with the increase of feminism women were displayed as exactly equal to men .