Blog tasks: 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?
Mistry suggests that since the mid-1990s advertising has tried to present women as more independent and confident. However, even when adverts appear progressive, they still often focus strongly on beauty and appearance.
2) What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?
3) How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising? As fashion and make-up became more important, advertising focused more on women’s looks. Women were shown as glamorous and sexually attractive, and beauty became central to how they were represented.
4) Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to? The idea of the male gaze was developed by laura mulvey It refers to the way women are shown as objects to be looked at from a heterosexual male point of view.
5) How did the representation of women change in the 1970s? In the 1970s, women were sometimes shown as more independent and career-focused. However, they were still often judged by their appearanc
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? Liesbet van Zoonen argues that these newer representations were only slightly different because women were still sexualised and valued for their looks.
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 ‘Are You Beach Body Ready?’ campaign was a 2015 advert on the London Underground. It showed a slim bikini model and promoted weight loss products. It caused controversy because many people felt it promoted unrealistic body standards and made women feel insecure
2) What was the Dove Real Beauty campaign? The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty featured women of different ages, sizes and ethnicities. It aimed to promote body confidence and challenge narrow beauty ideals.
3) How has social media changed the way audiences can interact with advertising campaigns? Social media allowed audiences to respond quickly to the Protein World advert. People created petitions, shared opinions and publicly criticised the brand, showing that companies no longer fully control how their adverts are received.
4) How can we apply van Zoonen's feminist theory and Stuart Hall's reception theory to these case studies? Van Zoonen’s feminist theory suggests both campaigns still focus on women’s bodies, even if one appears more positive. Stuart Hall’s reception theory shows how audiences can interpret adverts differently, and in this case many people rejected the Protein World message.
2) What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?
In the 1940s and 1950s, women were mainly shown as housewives and mothers. They were presented as caring, passive and dependent on men, usually in domestic settings.
3) How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising? As fashion and make-up became more important, advertising focused more on women’s looks. Women were shown as glamorous and sexually attractive, and beauty became central to how they were represented.
4) Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to? The idea of the male gaze was developed by laura mulvey It refers to the way women are shown as objects to be looked at from a heterosexual male point of view.
5) How did the representation of women change in the 1970s? In the 1970s, women were sometimes shown as more independent and career-focused. However, they were still often judged by their appearanc
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? Liesbet van Zoonen argues that these newer representations were only slightly different because women were still sexualised and valued for their looks.
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?
Richard Dyer argues that the femme fatale image makes women seem powerful, but only through their sexual attractiveness, which still fits male fantasies.
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 ‘Are You Beach Body Ready?’ campaign was a 2015 advert on the London Underground. It showed a slim bikini model and promoted weight loss products. It caused controversy because many people felt it promoted unrealistic body standards and made women feel insecure
3) How has social media changed the way audiences can interact with advertising campaigns? Social media allowed audiences to respond quickly to the Protein World advert. People created petitions, shared opinions and publicly criticised the brand, showing that companies no longer fully control how their adverts are received.
4) How can we apply van Zoonen's feminist theory and Stuart Hall's reception theory to these case studies? Van Zoonen’s feminist theory suggests both campaigns still focus on women’s bodies, even if one appears more positive. Stuart Hall’s reception theory shows how audiences can interpret adverts differently, and in this case many people rejected the Protein World message.
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