Representations of women in advertising

Academic reading: A Critical Analysis of Progressive Depictions of Gender in Advertising

Read these extracts from an academic essay on gender in advertising by Reena Mistry. This was originally published in full in David Gauntlett's book 'Media, Gender and Identity'. Then, answer the following questions:

1) How does Mistry suggest advertising has changed since the mid-1990s?

Reena Mistry suggests that Since the mid-1990s, advertising has increasingly employed images in which the gender and sexual orientation of the subject(s) are markedly (and purposefully) ambiguous. As an ancillary to this, there are also a growing number of distinctly homosexual images - and these are far removed from depictions of the camp gay employed as the comic relief elsewhere in mainstream media.

2) What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?

Prior to the war, feminists had been articulating the idea of women having their own plans and careers; but soon after 1945, women were made to feel guilty by warnings of the 'dangerous consequences to the home' that had begun to circulate (Millum, 1975:73). Looking at women's magazines in the 1950s, Betty Friedan (1963) claims this led to the creation of the 'feminine mystique': 'the highest value and the only real commitment for women lies in the fulfilment of their own femininity.

3) How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising?

There was also a second major area of expansion in production/consumption - clothes and make-up - which led to women being increasingly portrayed as decorative (empty) objects (Winship, 1980:8; Busby & Leichty, 1993:258).

4) Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to?

The concept of the “male gaze” was coined by feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey in her 1975 essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”. The male gaze refers to the way in which the visual arts and literature depict the world and women from a masculine point of view, presenting them as objects of male pleasure and dominance.

5) How did the representation of women change in the 1970s?

When women observe representations of other women it is not a form of straightforward identification. Rather, they engage in a form of 'psychic transvestism' whereby they identify with the male (gaze) that observes the woman (Doane 1982; Gamman & Makinen, 1994:183).

6) Why does van Zoonen suggest the 'new' representations of women in the 1970s and 1980s were only marginally different from the sexist representations of earlier years?

From the mid-1970s there was a proliferation of distinct images that became labelled as the 'New Woman', and that were seen as representative of the 'changing reality of women's social position and of the influence of the women's movement' (van Zoonen, 1994:72). The New Woman was supposed to be 'independent, confident and assertive, finding satisfaction in the world of work and recreation, seeking excitement, adventure and fulfillment' (Cagan, 1978:8). According to Liesbet van Zoonen, however, the ability of these images to undermine traditional female stereotypes is superficial.

7) What does Barthel suggest regarding advertising and male power?



8) What does Richard Dyer suggest about the 'femme fatale' representation of women in adverts such as Christian Dior make-up?



Media Magazine: Beach Bodies v Real Women (MM54)

Now go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature on Protein World's controversial 'Beach Bodies' marketing campaign in 2015. Read the feature and answer the questions below in the same blogpost as the questions above.

1) What was the Protein World 'Beach Bodies' campaign and why was it controversial?

The Protein World "Beach Bodies" campaign was an advertising campaign that ran in the United Kingdom in 2015. It featured a slim, bikini-clad model with the tagline "Are you beach body ready?" and sparked a huge public outcry over its perceived promotion of unrealistic body standards. The campaign was accused of body-shaming, fat-shaming, and promoting an unhealthy body image, particularly of women.

2) What was the Dove Real Beauty campaign?

The Dove Real Beauty campaign was a global effort launched in 2004 by Dove and its parent company Unilever to celebrate the beauty of all women and challenge traditional beauty standards. Through a variety of initiatives, including advertisements, films, workshops, and events, Dove aimed to create conversations that encouraged women to embrace their unique features and to redefine standards of beauty.

3) How has social media changed the way audiences can interact with advertising campaigns? 

Social media has changed the way audiences can interact with advertising campaigns by allowing users to directly engage with campaigns. This could include responding to posts, liking and sharing content, and leaving comments. Brands can now use social media to create two-way conversations with customers, allowing them to build relationships and gain valuable insights.

4) How can we apply van Zoonen's feminist theory and Stuart Hall's reception theory to these case studies?



5) Through studying the social and historical context of women in advertising, do you think representations of women in advertising have changed in the last 60 years?