The television and the internet are full of advertisements, offering a wide range of products and services. But, there is a large difference between the portrayal of men and women in the media, especially in ads.
Female bodies sell a wide range of products, from food to cars to clothing.
The main difference is that women tend to be more sexualized in the media than are men. Men tend to have their full figures shown, while women tend to be chopped into body parts, rarely being shown in full figure (Media Portrayal; 2007). The types of body parts represented also tend to focus on a more sexual nature. A shot of a woman’s lips to sell some sort of liquid, a shot of a woman’s hair and the outline of her naked body to sell women shampoo (come on, really?). These ads, although designated to both sexes or to women only, seem to be made for the pleasure of males.
Another issue is the portrayal of subservience of women to men in advertisements (Media Portrayal; 2007). Men tend to be looking directly at the camera, and women are often shot in profile, to best show off their features. One ad, for Gucci, portrayed a women on her knees next to a man, shown only from the waist down.
The influence that these ads have is mostly on young girls, a large portion of the people buying magazines, watching television, and surfing the internet. These girls place more emphasis on how they look, and are more prone to become sexualized at an earlier age, or to develop an eating disorder to try to attain the figures of the women in these ads.
Almost all of the advertisements, unless exclusively in a magazine for women of average American sizes, which are few to none, show women who are uncommonly underweight. Hair now has to be “super skinny” (Paul Mitchell), and make-up is something for women to “die for” (Dior), because a women who does not have her hair and make-up done perfectly is characterized as less feminine. These ads are saying that women are just body parts, but only the sexy ones, and only prove that women like this do not exist in the “real world,” outside of Hollywood and the media.
Sources cited:
“The Media Portrayal of Women.” Tennessee Journalist. 2007. http://tnjn.com/2007/mar/20/515-the-media-portrayal-of-wom/.
Female bodies sell a wide range of products, from food to cars to clothing.
The main difference is that women tend to be more sexualized in the media than are men. Men tend to have their full figures shown, while women tend to be chopped into body parts, rarely being shown in full figure (Media Portrayal; 2007). The types of body parts represented also tend to focus on a more sexual nature. A shot of a woman’s lips to sell some sort of liquid, a shot of a woman’s hair and the outline of her naked body to sell women shampoo (come on, really?). These ads, although designated to both sexes or to women only, seem to be made for the pleasure of males.
Another issue is the portrayal of subservience of women to men in advertisements (Media Portrayal; 2007). Men tend to be looking directly at the camera, and women are often shot in profile, to best show off their features. One ad, for Gucci, portrayed a women on her knees next to a man, shown only from the waist down.
The influence that these ads have is mostly on young girls, a large portion of the people buying magazines, watching television, and surfing the internet. These girls place more emphasis on how they look, and are more prone to become sexualized at an earlier age, or to develop an eating disorder to try to attain the figures of the women in these ads.
Almost all of the advertisements, unless exclusively in a magazine for women of average American sizes, which are few to none, show women who are uncommonly underweight. Hair now has to be “super skinny” (Paul Mitchell), and make-up is something for women to “die for” (Dior), because a women who does not have her hair and make-up done perfectly is characterized as less feminine. These ads are saying that women are just body parts, but only the sexy ones, and only prove that women like this do not exist in the “real world,” outside of Hollywood and the media.
Sources cited:
“The Media Portrayal of Women.” Tennessee Journalist. 2007. http://tnjn.com/2007/mar/20/515-the-media-portrayal-of-wom/.
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