Objectification Of Women In Advertising

Women being depicted as passive sexual objects is nothing new in the media or in the patriarchal society we live in but what is, is the shift over the years from women being as passive objects of the male gaze to now sexually agentic in their sexualisation (Halliwell et al., 2011). With the help of the feminist movement, sexism and sexual objectification of women was brought to attention and thus traditional advertisements were heavily critiqued for their sexist and objectifying images of women. Although we still have sexist advertisements that objectify women, most contemporary or post-feminist advertisements now depict women as not only independent and powerful but also encourage women to partake in their own sexualisation in the name of

She argues that men and women in the media are misrepresented as sex symbols and tools. But more so that women are characterized as inferior

Specifically, The Office follows hegemonic media trends and gender archetypes like much of mainstream media does. The women in the show are portrayed in a multitude of stereotypical characterizations such as being inferior, weak, sexually promiscuous, crazy, bitchy, unintelligent, or as meager objects for male indulgence. What this paper aims to achieve is an understanding of how The Office reinforces archetypal hegemonic gender portrayals of its female characters. By conducting a detailed character analysis of this mainstream media text, it can be determined how gender ideologies associated with women are represented in the series. The presentation of such ideologies will allow for an explanation of how those ideologies are, in fact, supporting the archetypes of women that media feeds to its

Iris Marion Young believes that after examining the various ways that both men and women embody their bodies, we will be able to gain insight into the way gendered differences unfold within our society, essentially damaging women. There are specific rules and regulations that women are to abide by to be considered appropriate. There becomes this self-imposed expectation that women find themselves abiding by. Young argues that women typically underuse and undermine the actual potential of their bodies. We do not use them to their full capabilities and all they have to offer.

The media and advertising are at fault for how gender is portrayed on adverts they create gender roles which the public perceive as the correct way to behave. Lips (2001: p14) said that Gender role refers to the attitudes, behaviour, and activities that are socially defined as appropriate for each sex & are learned through the socialization process. This has all created a gender stereotype. The media are a forceful source of gender stereotyping. In adverts women are portrayed as the unintelligent consumer, socially conscious of her purchases, dependant on men and sex objects whereas men are perceived as a figure of authority, handy men and intelligent decision makers.

Dehumanization is the process through which someone asserts control and power, treating the person as an inanimate object with no dimension or surface; becoming an object means being acted upon rather than being the active subject. It is easier to be violent to someone who one already feels power over. Dehumanizing women and men is similar to pornography, where either violence or status (men over women) promotes “power over other” (Kilbourne 420). According to Jean Kilbourne in her essay, “‘Two Ways a Women Can Get Hurt’:Advertising and Violence”, advertisement is portraying women’s body as objects that both lead to dehumanization, violence, and mistreatment toward women. Considering the opposing characterization between males and females, femininity refers to submissiveness and vulnerability that is often depicted in advertisement.

The documentary talks about the numerous ways throughout time in which women are mistreated in society. It seems as though as time progresses women become more of sexual objects than human beings. Certain people in society assume it is acceptable to demean or devalue women and to think of women as second class citizens that exist to tend to their needs. This documentary depicts the deriding ways the media and society see and treat women. Throughout the documentary, many philosophers discuss the impact the media has on young children.

Oppression is prolonged cruelty against certain groups of people. In society today, it is clear that many females are still oppressed in western and non-western countries, whether this is by the media objectifying women or even through the gender pay gap. Angela Carter and Carol Ann Duffy are both writers who speak out on female oppression in their works. By subverting the stereo typical role of female characters, in their notable texts, Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber” and Duffy’s “The World’s Wife”, both writers are known to have made bold statements about the new and improved role of women in modern day society of the late 20th century. This new and improved role of a woman includes being independent and not relying on the rescue of a man,

Laws according to this period also diminished the values of women and their promiscuity. This allowed the husbands to recover “damages” from their wives’ lovers conveyed and reinstated the idea that women were property. Considering that they were property, any sexual relations with anyone but the husband would lower the value of the women in the eyes of society, as a result. Although passionlessness has many negative effects on a women’s sexuality, it has some advantages for women. “Acceptance of the idea of passionlessness created sexual solidarity among women; it allowed women to consider their love relationships with one another of higher character than heterosexual relationships” (Cott 233).

Through this story, Gilman speaks of the imprisonment and psychological struggles placed on women by society. In her mind, gender roles must be removed from the social order for women to ever be free. By using feminist criticism, readers can analyze stories like Frankenstein and “The Yellow Wallpaper” and many others, both old/forgotten and new, through symbols (the wallpaper) and get a better understanding of the characters on how the women attempt to overpower the men. Women have a tendency to value their lives while, at the same time, find themselves conflicted and driven to insanity by the men around them. Men have always been the dominate gender in the past but as the years go by, women learn to speak up for themselves; to do things in order to break free of their entrapment and live as free and independent