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March 16, 2012 at 12:13 am #602527
frannyMemberI’m a seventeen year old girl, and a senior in high school. As someone who is surrounded by, and targeted by advertising everyday, I think it’s important not to have exploitive advertising. After researching for the majority of this year, I was shocked at how many ads we see everyday, how many of them are objectifying women, and the harsh effects they have (particularly on girls my age). I wrote this opinion column on it:
The Relentless Infection: Advertising’s Toxic Portrayal of Women
We see 3,000 ads everyday. But we don’t just see ads; we absorb their harmful portrayals of women and their many toxic ideals. In a society so heavily based on consumerism, toxic images are infecting American consumers every day. Everything from the colors to the people, advertisers meticulously choose for the conscious and subconscious of the consumer.
Confining female power to their beauty, the portrayal of women in advertising is inexcusable. A recurrent message implied in advertisements was plainly stated in an ad for eye shadow featured in a 2012 edition of Cosmopolitan, “Be a force of beauty.” By covering their mouths, fixing their eyes down, or curling them up, advertisers make women passive, weak, and silenced.
Often seen as innocent, these passive poses are twisted into perfection. But never satisfied by one ideal, advertisers tell women to be sexy too. The contradictions are clear. It’s impossible to be innocent and sexy, virginal and experienced. Women feel pressured to become every ideal they’re shown. By throwing these ideals in our faces, ads influence the way our society expects women to act. Men, subconsciously consumed by the idea of sex, anticipate women to act like the women in ads. Real women, consciously influenced by how they are portrayed, feel obligated to fulfill that anticipation.
Watching the 2012 Grammies it was clear to me that criticizing style, makeup and body type have become norms in our society. It seems we are being infected with this criticism at even younger ages. Designers take advantage of the impressionable state of adolescence and show young girls role models to become: Skinny, Bodacious, Heroin Chic, or Athletic.
No wonder the self-esteem of girls in America plummets when they hit adolescence. Carrying low self-esteem, a changing body and the weight of advertising’s pressure on their shoulders, adolescent girls head out into the world of dieting. They start to think that if they try harder, diet more, or starve longer they could reach the “ideal body,” fulfilling what society expects them to be. But how realistic is the “ideal” if only 5% of American women’s bodies are shaped that way?
Advertiser’s portrayal of women as being vulnerable kindles the wild uncertainty of growing up. Spinning out of control and into adulthood, many girls feel powerless; food is something they can have power over. Most eating disorders are diagnosed from ages 14-25 but have been reported as young as eight years old. I am in no way saying that advertising directly causes eating disorders. And I know the 24 million Americans with a diagnosed eating disorder are suffering because of countless reasons. Even if the weight is gained back or the bones are no longer visible, everyday is likely to be a battle with food. I can’t pinpoint the cause of an eating disorder to one factor, but I know the impossibly high standards held by advertisers and enforced through advertisements add to the toxic mix.
We may not be able to change the other factors that contribute to eating disorders but we can change advertising’s role. We can change the 3,000 ads we’re influenced by every day. We can know the painful truths of advertising and show our grandmothers, our mothers, our sisters, and our daughters.
There is an epidemic in our society, perhaps a subconscious one. Every time we look at a billboard, we are infected. Every time we see an ad in a magazine, we are infected. Every time we watch a commercial, we are infected. Curing this infection isn’t as simple as plugging our noses and knocking back some cherry syrup, or stiffening our arms and bracing for a shot. We have to rid our culture of the fuel for our consumerism: exploitive advertising.
March 16, 2012 at 1:21 am #751636
kootchmanMemberIndeed, It is a nightmare for dads to watch the messages. There is indeed a message you can send. I strongly encourage you absolutely boycott the advertising companies that make such objectification possible. In this culture, money counts. I see some horrid shows, Jersey Shores, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Atlanta Wives etc. etc.. and can only wonder. I don’t allow Cosmopolitan, Sixteen, or any of the womens magazines whose content is primarily that message. The clothing and cosmetic industry are built on building insecurity. Your message is powerful. Your sisters and mothers are natural allies. If you aren’t aware, Huggies just pulled an entire ad campaign directed at dads because of the very vocal backlash…. we are very competent diaper changers and taking care of our children is not casual or a subject to make light of. Proud to “Pamper” dad.
March 17, 2012 at 1:26 am #751637
Talaki34Participantbump
March 17, 2012 at 3:51 am #751638
kmweinerMemberI have noticed an ad on busses lately for Beacon Plumbing with a photo of a woman with big boobs in a low cut blouse. And what does that have to do with plumbing?
March 17, 2012 at 4:09 am #751639
The Velvet BulldogParticipantfranny: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. It’s incredibly important for those of us adults who have young nieces/daughters/friends, etc. to positively reinforce their talents, skills, brains and personalities. I’m kinda terrified of all the freakin’ Disney Princesses that are invading homes across America. Let’s start reinforcing those ridiculous gender stereotypes and unattainable body types when the girl is three years old!
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I stopped reading fashion magazines in college when I realized how terrible they made me feel about myself. I never had great self-esteem to begin with, and those media messages just reinforced all the negative things I was already imagining.
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If you’ve never heard of it, I recommend BUST magazine. It’s a pretty good combo of style, DIY, feminism, and celebrity reporting. While they still rely too heavily (in my opinion) on the skinny white girl model, they do at least manage to branch out occasionally and show models of color and size.
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We need to embrace women such as Beth Ditto (well, not literally, she might not appreciate that) who is the lead singer of The Gossip. She is fat and fabulous and doesn’t give a sh*t what you think about her body.
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franny, I hope you’re sharing your opinions with your female friends and letting them know you appreciate them for something other than their tiny waistlines. You go girl!
March 17, 2012 at 4:13 am #751640
SmittyParticipantI agree. I think it starts at the top. The media has been fawning over Michelle Obamas “style” for the last four years. Huh? Educated, accomplished, smart and driven and they talk about her style? It is not just advertisers, it is systemic in this country…..and probably the world, sadly. What’s with cheerleaders, anyway?
March 17, 2012 at 4:25 am #751641
frannyMemberThank all of you for you’re supportive comments! I’ve seen that beacon pluming ad too and find it gross. And to the person talking about Bust, I hadn’t heard of it until I started research for this, but when I looked around on their site I fell in love. I do agree though, about the white skinny girl thing. This year I’m taking a race unit and a sexism unit so all this stuff about sexism and racism is being brought to light. It’s really aggravating but invigorating at the same time. I appreciate all of your comments and support guys, thanks!
March 17, 2012 at 4:25 am #751642
JanSParticipantyes, but what (or who) are they wearing. Did you watch the Oscars this year? What was the most talked about thing…the awards? the movies? no..it was what the women wore, and who looked good, and who didn’t. It’s insidious..
March 17, 2012 at 4:29 am #751643
frannyMemberAn interesting thing about the Oscars that my friend pointed out to me is that for all the female actresses they asked “who are you wearing” but for all the male actors they asked “what are you big movies this year” or something along those lines. If they did ask men who they were wearing it was almost a joke.
March 17, 2012 at 4:49 am #751644
redblackParticipantsmitty: maybe it has something to do with the fact that every time the first lady talks about important topics like childhood obesity and nutrition, the media accuses her of dictatorship.
franny: well-written and articulate.
i wonder what you think of the models themselves, though. do they have any responsibility in subjugating women through advertising?
i think they do. i think that dangling money and fame in front of younger women through advertising is only part of the issue. at some point, we have to change our values structures at a societal level and vilify the objectification of women – and the women who objectify themselves in response.
i have no illusions that i look like an underwear model, and i don’t aspire to. i have no shame in my appearance, and i’m comfortable in my own skin. shucks. i even go out in ratty clothes sometimes.
and you know what?
i like it.
March 17, 2012 at 4:55 am #751645
frannyMemberI think they do, I mean you can’t have objectifying advertisements without models to objectify. But I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s their faults. You’re right, these things, these standards, are what our society values. And we’ve been taught (at least women have been taught), in my opinion, these values since we were little. So yeah they’re taking the jobs to be in the ads that objectify women. But at the same time it could easily be blamed on society for teaching them to take those jobs, and us to like those ads. I’d like for our society to change (in that way at least) and I’d like to be a part of it. But I can’t say I have a good starting point.
March 17, 2012 at 4:59 am #751646
moochMemberUnfortunately sex sells and it doesn’t look like that’s changing anytime soon.
March 17, 2012 at 7:19 am #751647
westseamikeMemberRegarding the Beacon Plumbing ad, I’ve heard to versions of who she is. 1) She’s the sister of the founder. 2) She’s the wife of the founder. Either way, related to the founder.
I’ve worked for one of the largest ad companies, and love it or hate it, sex sells and sells well. It has to do with why we’ve kept generating offspring.
Good or bad, the job of a parent is to teach their children right from wrong. Is a busty woman on a bus evil? Maybe, depends on your ideals I guess. Is it worse than the news publicizing events in war zones? I think the kicker is where it’s displayed, not what is displayed. You can’t exactly cover your 2.5 year olds eyes while driving in traffic behind a bus with a busty woman on it. Although, my daughter would not understand yet why a busty woman is seen as objectifying women, to her it’s a lady on a bus at this point.
Having grown up with some of the most staunch conservative people who protested and even sued over these types of ads, I find it interesting that it was their own kids that were the druggies and most promiscuous ones in school. Maybe it was not the ads but rather the parents focussing on things that were not important instead of talking with their kids about the world and how to handle it.
Somehow Europeans can walk naked on the beach and nobody cares, kids can have beers at an early age (I think Germany is age 14) yet they have lower rates of underage pregnancy and drunk driving than the USA. Maybe it’s our culture to make things taboo rather than the message itself!
March 17, 2012 at 3:03 pm #751648
JoBParticipantwestseamike..
ok.. i get that the busty woman on the bus gets your attention one way or another
but does that mean it sells?
i don’t think so.
name recognition works better when coupled with purpose…
sex sells because that is what ad execs sell…
not because that is all America will buy.
March 17, 2012 at 3:24 pm #751649
westseamikeMemberActually it does sell, that’s why so much money is dumped into ads that utilize it. The idea is to make the image stick. You might be thinking of long term branding, which companies will go for a different route. What does winter scenes have to do with Coca-Cola? Why do they use a polar bear and Norman Rockwell scenes? That’s their longest running campaign, it’s part of their brand.
If you post a pic of a plumber on a bus, it’s no different than any other plumber, nobody remembers the name. But, post a pic of a busty lady that has nothing to do with plumbing… voila, sticks like glue and the first name in plumbing you think of is Beacon. Now, if you oppose those types of ads you might not call them, but the majority will. Thus why it sells.
Here’s a reverse on objectifying women in a plumbing ad and it works very very well. Still using the same concepts, but it objectifies men. I laugh, but you might think it’s evil. Either way, it’s a real Liquid-Plumbr ad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7fz0jpuLkM
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/liquid-plumr-double-impact-has-twice-uncomfortable-innuendo-138451
March 17, 2012 at 6:47 pm #751650
JoBParticipantwestseamike..
branding works if it is unique..
if everyone has a busty woman on their sign..
how does the image of a busy woman cause anyone to associate a busty woman with a particular product?
on my way to pick up my dog this morning
i saw a busty woman on a sign asking people to donate their cars and trucks to ????
i don’t know where because i don’t think that information was on the sign… just a phone number
and another on a housing complex sign that had added a p to leasing to make it pleasing
i couldn’t tell you the name of that complex either..
though i am pretty sure the sign was out front and maybe had the name on it.
a busty lady says LOOK!
but it doens’t tell us anything about what you should look for… and that means you are less likely to get the message.
The coca-cola brand works because it is unique to coca-cola.
the liquid plumber ad works becasue it is memorable..
btw. what it does best is make a joke out of objectification..
not objectify men…
and yes.. i got the joke
and….
i buy liquid plumber
i would find a similiar adv with a man drooling all over himself over a busty woman and buying what he may or may not need as a result similarly amusing…
and.. wait for it..
it might even make the product memorable enough to buy.
March 17, 2012 at 7:41 pm #751651
DBPMemberThe Beacon lady is just average-looking. And it’s not like she’s in a bikini. So what’s the problem here?
If anything, the Beacon ad is trying to play on the “helpless housewife” stereotype. It’s like:
Oh no! My pipes are leaking and I’m just a female.
Help! Heeeeelp!!!
Beacon sez: “Stop Freakin’! Call Beacon.”
(Subtext: Calm down, you hysterical huzzy. There’s no plumbing problem that money + a guy with a visible butt crack can’t solve.)
So yeah. It’s like . . . Stop freakin’. Call Beacon! 206-452-3130
Hey. What’s going on here?
Did I just prostitute myself . . . again?
(Yes, this is really what I look like.)
March 18, 2012 at 12:47 am #751652
JoBParticipantMarch 18, 2012 at 3:44 am #751653
kootchmanMemberThere is indeed irony aplenty. I don’t see very many men picking up a copy of Cosmopolitan. Don’t know any that watch the Housewives series, or Jersey Shores etc etc…. women editors, producers all. The next time a thread like “War on Woman” occurs, and all those evil men come to mind…those horrid oppressors. Look within your sisterhood. Many obstacles are self induced. And whilst pilloried for it before…. I will state it again. The phony effects of war paint, eye liners, and the sheer dollar volume in dollars for atrificiality is stunning. Even more inciting… all those rants on $9 per month contraceptives? Hey, priorities. That nasty, mean, Porsche driver who cuts everyone off? The one that was “compensating? He is no less dangerous than the morning make-up routines… I will see at least two women applying make-up in the rear view mirror every morning…every day. You are as whole and complete without the ornamentation….as you are with it. Give it some variability…it ranges from simple to obsessed…but artificial it is. When you watch a cosmetic blender .. and see equine shampoo go into 4 oz. bottles for women ya gotta laugh. If it’s for the horse? About $6 per gallon. Ya really think bee pollen works? You are not going to look like the Fiat Abiza model…
March 18, 2012 at 3:56 am #751654
kootchmanMemberYea, but ya don’t talk about it in front of him as you admit… I guess you want us to make that decision for ya? Minor child. Adult. Get it?
March 18, 2012 at 4:49 am #751655
miwsParticipantMarch 18, 2012 at 5:08 am #751656
kootchmanMemberha ha ha.. ya think?
March 18, 2012 at 6:50 am #751657
kmweinerMemberFranny, I just want to say how impressed I am with you. I would be proud to have you as my daughter. Go woman go!!!!
March 18, 2012 at 8:39 am #751658
kootchmanMemberSo ladies?…. I just looked at Cosmpolitan tonight… didn’t buy it cause it didn’t have the state fishing reports. This is a WOMANS mag…. editorial and ad content selected by women… for women. I ask this question? Why do you patronize such such crap? You know it hurts your daughters. You know it is objectively designed to instill feelings of insecurity….. yet… the readership is strictly female. Why do you patronize it? I am curious. Do the men in your lives pick it up and say “look like this or I am outta here”
March 18, 2012 at 8:43 am #751659 -
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