REPRESENTATION

REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN ADVERTS AND TV

• Women are treated like objects, inferior to men and are STILL repressed in media!

• In television adverts women dominantly are shown in domestic product adverts. Such as the fairy advert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1yNyhuuVaI

• Clearly it shows a woman in the kitchen throughout decades from 1950’s to 2005. I can see that through the style of clothing worn in the advert. The stereotype of a nuclear family is supported in this advert too as the young daughter is shown in the kitchen with her mum. Usually daughters stuck with their mums in the kitchen helping out while the boys helped their dads or played outside.

• Women’s representation in media is restricted the reason why is because media in the first place was dominated by men.

• Women are shown as seductive and good looking. In adverts, covers on front pages and in other media. Women are nearly always represented as skinny with a model type body wearing little clothing or clothing that can be seen as revealing. Often in media women are too look enticing which is meant to attract audiences such as men. This is usually done by cutting sections of a woman’s body to advertise a product that has nothing to do with the product being advertised. This shows false consciousness which makes women believe they need a product to look particular way or to succeed something by using the product.

• women are still shown sexualised for men’s entertainment.

• Media shaped the way that women and men should behave in the real society which has negative effects. Advertisements specify exactly through the use of camera and content what our position in society should be like. Since early days of advertising women are still treated unfairly in the media.

• Stereotypes that are outdated with our social times still are shown in TV which means that sexism in society can still be seen today through media.

• Constantly being surrounded by these restricted stereotypes pressure women to look pretty, have skinny model bodies and to appeal sexually to men. Only slightly since the 1950’s has the stereotype of women belonging in the kitchen changed. This forms the gender association with certain things. For women that is them looking pretty without any depth, intelligence or smartness.

Some of examples in pictures

THEORY BEHIND FEMALE REPRESENTATION

• Naomi Wolf (1991) The Beauty Myth shows that media creates this ideal beautiful woman image in which they show women as needing improvement on surgical proceedures and the use of diets.

• Susie Orbach has published a book in which she criticises media that portray women with perfect bodies which causes anxiety and pressure within women, this makes them think they need to look perfect and skinny.

REPRESENTATION OF MEN IN ADVERTS OR TV

• Men in television adverts have careers, often are shown in adverts with products like alcohol, cigars and cars. Since men have dominated the media institutions they have always given themselves the status through adverts, while the woman was inferior and stayed at home. Men created the image of women that they wanted to see but also men created these conventions of what women should be like in order to ensure they are controlled and don’t overpower men. Since out society used to be patriarchal not much has changed in media and adverts that we see as woman are still treated in such a way.

• Since men are the ‘dominant’ gender they often are used in voiceovers as that shows dominance and power.

• Men often wear full dress and often suits and shirts as it could mean that they have a white collar profession.