REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN IN ADVERTISING

A Critical Analysis of Progressive Depictions of Gender in Advertising

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

-  Mistry suggests that advertising has changed since the mid-1990s through companies increasingly adding more homosexual subjects and images.

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

 

- 1950s - idea of "feminine mystique" emphasized a woman's main value and commitment should be embracing her femininity.

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

- This has resulted in women being seen as objects and the perception of women as delicate and innocent.

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

- Laura Mulvey: she suggested that women are the bearer of meaning and not the maker of meaning. This means women are not placed in the role where they can take control of a scene, instead they are simply put thereto be observed from an objectified point of view.

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

- "New Woman" was a term used to describe the many different images that emerged, representing the changing realityof women's social position and the impact of the women's movement. These images showed women as independant, confident and assertive individuals.

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?

- The ad shows women in roles like an employee. van Zoonen argues that these roles are only slightly different from the more traditional roles of women. 

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

- Women can break into male-dominated spaces without making men feel threatened as long as we show we are still feminine.

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

- Women can use Christian Dior make-up to feel more attractive. Richard Dyer argues that these portrayals are not accurate representations of women's empowerment.

Beach Bodies v Real Women

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

- The campaign cause a stir amongst the media and consumers. The advert was arguably aimed first at the male gaze but it was definitely designed for women.

2) What was the Dove Real Beauty campaign?

- The campaign features real women with real bodies of all races and ages.

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

- The campaign used a sketch artist to draw women twice, first based on self-perception then based on a strangers descriptions. The outcomes demonstrated that the strangers 

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

-  Van Zoonen suggests that women are portrayed in a particular way with the help of the media and Stuart Hall says that there is not a true representation of people in a text. This links to how adverts can have many different representations  and opinions that can be taken differently.

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?

- I believe that there has been a change over time in the way women are depicted in advertising. I think in previous decades there was more of a sexist representation of women (such as housewives), however in later decades women are presented as seductive.