Gender Roles In Advertising

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Gender stereotyping continues to boom in society today. The advertising and media world play a chief part in perpetuating the nature behind gender roles and it is society as a whole who choose to receive it as a norm. A wide scope of portrayals of men and women exists in advertising, however masculine imagery traditionally depicts athleticism, strength, activity and competitiveness whereas feminine images suggest submissiveness, beauty, dependency and sensitivity. The Britax Decathlon’s car seat advertisement and the Californian beach-estate property advertisement both exemplify the stereotyped representation of gender roles in society: the female toddler dresses up in pink, is only concerned with her accessories and plays inside, where as …show more content…

The bottom part of the advertisement provides the factual information and is referred to as the real. The slogan “Safety is always in Fashion” of the real surmises the top part of the advertisement, the ideal, and convinces the viewer to believe that the fashionable, feminine car seat advertised goes hand in hand with its safety and that it is also ideally suitable for females. The caption “It’s never too soon to learn how to accessorize” enhances the effect on the viewer’s understanding of the meaning of the imagery and this is referred to as anchoring. The caption anchors the association advertised that all female toddlers want to style and accessorise themselves in pink, jewellery and dresses. The advertisement instils the idea that females grow up having to learn how to be fashionable and accessorised people. The advertisement emphasises that females appropriate the association of being passive and …show more content…

In Britax Decathlon’s car seat advertisement the girl’s feminine, clean, accessorised and passive demeanour labels females as being confined to indoors, participating in superficial, passive activities such as accessorising and living with materialistic values. In the contrary, the advertisement for a property on a beach estate in California represents males as the only figures to endure outdoor activity, boisterousness, dirtiness and adventure. These advertisements reinforce the traditional notions of gender roles

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