Consumeristic society has given rise to a generation of men and women who define themselves by unrealistic gender roles created by advertisements. The advertising industry has come to present genders as separate species, males being of one kind and females another. Females' worth has come to be defined by their sex appeal and outward appearance while males' are being valued by their strength and power. The key to advertisement's success in creating these sexual, racial, and power hierarchies is the separation of gender, the clear and concise division created in regards to what is feminine and what is masculine.
In “Constructed Bodies, Deconstructing Ads”, Anthony Cortese describes well just how females are depicted as objects valued only by their outward appearances. The female is made out to be a different species from males, a “provocateur”. He states, “The perfect provocateur is not human, rather she is a form or hollow shell representing a female figure. Accepted attractiveness is her only attribute” (54). The female is set out to be not human, as Cortese states, rather eye candy, a being devout of feelings, intelligence, and, essentially, life-like qualities and is instead a canvas on which makeup and other beauty products create a valuable painting worthy in societal standards. Males, on the other hand, are viewed as the beings with a completely different level of understanding. They are presented as being baffled by the tasks designated as being feminine, such as cleaning a house or washing dishes, making the divide between male and female in advertising even wider.
By closing this division between male and female in advertising, a great difference in how these pre-set gender roles affect men and women can be made. As Jean Kilbourne states in “Beauty and the Beast of Advertising”, “...ads sell a great deal more than products. They sell values, images, and concepts of success and worth, love and sexuality, popularity and normalcy. Thy tell us who we are and who we should be” (121). In creating such a large gap between men and women, the message of what females should be like and what males should be like is made stronger. Women and men will not be able to identify with one another or as humans all together, rather, they will continue to define themselves with the other males and females they see on such television and print ads. Even advertisers themselves have been driven to this continuous mentality of male and female as being two separate species. Such is made clear in a statement quoted by Gloria Steinem in “Sex, Lies, and Advertising”, in which advertisers stated “But women don’t understand technology” (114). Technology is viewed as something foreign to the female yet very familiar and easy to the male, and is presented as such in advertising. Such further divides the male and female from on another and convinces the male that only he can understand particular things like technology and cars and only females can understand cleaning and childcare.
By presenting women in generally male oriented positions in advertising, the split between male and female may be closed. Ads showing women as mechanics or playing sports may help to reverse the damage of separation and hierarchies that the industry has created over a number of years. The trick, however, is not only to include women in such advertisements, but men as well. Both genders should be presented doing the same activities in a similar light. Women should not be primped up or glamoured out, rather women of the “real world” should be presented in these advertisements. This would mean presenting women of a normal weight range wearing normal, every day clothing, and no make up in these advertisements. Men should not be overly muscular, rather normal, “average Joes”. By presenting men and women together partaking in the same activities in ads, that split of the genders could be erased and society could start seeing people as one collective unit defined by the same standards, hopefully none regarding looks.
These types of ads should be included in magazines directed toward teens as well as television commercials. As Kilbourne states, “Adolescents are particularly vulnerable, however, because they are new and inexperienced consumers and are the prime targets of many advertisements” (121-122). The teenage audience is like a sponge, readily soaking up and accepting whatever media throws their way. By showing females and males simultaneously in advertisements in an equal platform, teens, particularly females, will receive a message that they can offer more than a pretty face, rather they can do whatever males can do as well. They will understand that eating healthy and being a healthy weight is the right thing to do and that makeup and putting on a mask is not what will move them forward in the real world. Such values will be carried on into adulthood, and, hopefully, passed on to the future generations.
Websites like “Single Minded Women” are helping to break down these barriers between men and women. By providing articles regarding how to move forward in the work field using intellect and savvy skills rather than looks, as well as other articles regarding how to live a healthy life without the dependency on men that advertisements have implied women need to thrive, the website is a push forward in breaking down these roles and stereotypes. As Danae Clark mentions in “Commodity Lesbianism”, advertisers use race, income, and age to “distinguish target groups within the female population” (143). By creating websites such as “Single Minded Women” and by providing advertisements that present women in the same positions as men, these categories become less distinct and blur into one collective group of women that define themselves by their intellect and abilities rather than looks.
Links
Women and Men in Sports: Separate is not Equal
Cool website. Really interesting focus on the distinct division of gender roles in media. My first thought on reading this is "But I don't want to be more like the men here!" so that gives me something to talk about in therapy. Thanks! Ha!
ReplyDeleteI loved the part where you said, "The trick, however, is not only to include women in such advertisements, but men as well. Both genders should be presented doing the same activities in a similar light." And how you go on explaining how this could be done and the effects it would have on women everywhere was very on point I believe. And your example of the "Single Minded Women" website was a great extension of that. I loved your post!!
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