Images and phrases in advertisements usually represent social expectations for gendered behavior, reinforcing the cliché feminine and masculine behaviors. Even though society has progressed toward a more equal standing between women and men, old-fashioned ideas are still persistent in contemporary society. For instance, the media still depicts many gender specific ideas, especially in the area of advertising. By presenting women and men with their corresponding gendered products, the stereotypes are greater instilled into society. Advertisements enforce factors such as occupational status, expected physical characteristics and promotes sexism.
Specific gender stereotypes are problematic when they indicate an expectation for a certain social category over another or inhibit opportunities for one gender. Stereotypes are beliefs about a particular social category, especially those distinguishing genders. Typically, adverts aimed at women are usually presented in decorative and house-held roles. For example, a Mr. Clean ad in 2017 titled “Cleaner of Your Dreams,” shows a couple cleaning together and the women finds the man sexy just because he is doing house-work. She proceeds to jump on him, kissing him while she wraps her legs around him, and then the tagline “You Gotta Love a Man who Cleans,” comes across the screen. Ultimately, the advert gives the idea that cleaning is specifically only for women and men should be rewarded for it, since it is not typical for a man to clean. However, cleaning is just a basic life skill that everyone does and should not be associated with a certain gender. While on the other hand, men are typically shown as more independent and professional. For instance, a cologne ad by BOSS tilted “Man of Today,” Chris Hemsworth is seen putting on a suit and tie and attending meetings with other men in similar attire. As the commercial plays, Hemsworth narrates how to become a better man and ends it with “be a man of today.” These advertisements are common when geared towards men, as they are typically shown in business attire while conducting what appears to be important work. The phrase “be a man of today,” gives the impression to viewers that in order to be a man one must have a white-collar career and look professional at all times. These types of advertisements are harmful for both men and women since they set out precedents for both genders to follow. Whether it be that women should stay home and do the cleaning, or that men should have an office job, they are damaging to viewers because they are exposed to the stereotypes society believes one must follow to assure their masculinity or femininity, instead of choosing what their comfortable with.
Advertisements, specifically the ones trying to sell clothes, often portray unrealistic body types for both men and women. The ads usually fantasize really thin and muscular body types to try to appeal to consumers. For example, a Calvin Klein ad for jeans shows three thin girls as well as two well-built guys, all kissing each other while only wearing Calvin Jeans. As time progresses, advertisements idolize leaner bodies since they have become the ideal body type of contemporary society. However, this is unrealistic for many and it makes people feel ashamed about their own bodies and could potentially make them uncomfortable in their skin. People tend to compare themselves to the models they see in advertisements and wonder why they cannot look like them. This is damaging to people’s self-esteem because it can ultimately lead to more serious concerns, such as depression. Advertisements should include people of all body types to show society that there are many different kinds of body shapes and that one is not more beautiful than the other. By doing this people will feel more comfortable in buying the clothes they see in ads, benefitting both the consumers and companies.
Not only do advertisements establish deceptive expectations for both men and women but both genders are also represented in entirely different ways. Generally, women are sexually objectified by posing with fewer clothes and in a demure manner to appeal to the male audience. Women are usually made to be captivating by modelling in alluring ways to get people’s attention, but for the wrong reasons. Whereas men are often portrayed as powerful and influential by standing tall and appearing proper. A perfect example that differentiates how both genders are represented are the ad covers for the 15th annual GQ awards. There were two covers made; one featuring singer, Lana Del Rey and the other featuring rapper, Tinie Tempah. In Del Rey’s cover, she is sitting down nude while hugging her crossed legs. She is a well-respected and gifted artist but is degraded by being stripped down to shift the focus from her talents to her body. Del Rey’s demeaner makes her look vulnerable and weak as she appears small, since she was made to pose with her body pulled together. These adverts are still common to this day and exemplify the sexist idea that women’s bodies are objects to be looked at and are meant to appeal to others. Whereas in the second cover, Tempah is seen standing upright in a suit, making him look strong and well-put together. The implications of a suit usually symbolize power, wealth and independence. These ads directed towards men often portray these terms to society and in return, society associates them with men. This is not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but the overall agenda is detrimental to society because these terms are being used exclusively for men. Although Del Rey may have these qualities, they are not shown in her cover. Therefore, this dismisses them and further emphasizes how society views women as objects because the ads are mainly concerned about appearance. This instills the sexist thought onto society that women are not capable of acquiring the qualities presented through the adverts for men. Therefore, ads like these are proof that women and men are still not equal in society as men are continuously being advertised as having more control.
Some may argue that hypermasculinity and the objectifying of women through advertisements help sell more products because people are able to relate themselves to a certain social category. However, the constant use of gender stereotypes in ads make people feel as they have to fit into a certain category. This tightens the targeted audience because if people cannot relate to the ad or if they feel the product is not meant for them, they are most than likely not going to buy it. If gender specific advertisements changed how they marketed their products by making them more gender-neutral, the pool of consumers would grow efficiently because a variety of people – regardless of gender – would feel more comfortable purchasing a product that was not labeled for a certain group.
The issue of enforcing gender stereotypes onto society through advertisements has become an important problem that must be solved. They alter people’s way of thinking and can affect important life decisions such as career choice. People may choose a path they do not want to pursue because the toxicity of gender-specific advertisements make people feel as if they have to take that path or they will be frowned upon by society. Gender-specific advertisements also set impractical expectations for viewers which could have negative effects to mental health as people become unhappy with what they see in the mirror since they do not compare to the one’s they see in ads. They also encourage sexism, which divides society because it’s a step back from equality. Society as a whole should get rid of gender stereotypical ads and begin to create ads that do not create a certain type of stigma so future generations can live without barriers concerning gender.