Journal Questions: Choose some or all of these to discuss: What social and ethical concerns were raised in regard to images of women in advertising, both in the videos and in our class discussion? Which (if any) of these concerns are legitimate social or ethical concerns, and why? What can/should be done about these concerns, assuming you identified what you consider any legitimate concerns? Which if any of these concerns are not legitimate social or ethical concerns, and why? What, if anything, should companies do to address this issue in how they advertise?
Since the introduction of advertising many centuries ago, women have been objectified, and in some instances, insulted or degraded. This fact has been highlighted in the two videos watched in class today.
Ted Talk 1 by Jean Kilbourne.
Jean Kilbourne has studied print ads since the 1960’s, examining ways in which women are portrayed in American advertising. In more recent decades, the pressure on women to be young, thin, beautiful is more intense than ever before. She has cited the photo manipulation powers of Photoshop, which allows advertisers to display ads with images of women that are not only unrealistic, but also poisonous according to Kilbourne. The computer-altered images distort society’s expectations for the female body and encourage women to model their self-image on artificial models and for both sexes to accept this as normal.
With the help of many real world examples, Kilbourne shares how advertisements insult and objectify women’s bodies, and how these advertisements affect ideas of female beauty, expectations for female physical perfection and reinforce the idea that women are mere objects for male sexual desire and use.
TED Talk 2 by Renee Engeln:
Dr. Engeln discusses how girls grow up hearing both implicit and explicit messages suggesting that the most important attribute they can strive for is beauty. The focus on beauty directs cognitive resources away from other more important goals. Dr. Engeln considers whether there is hope for treating the epidemic of beauty sickness and what it might be like to live in a world where women feel free to spend less time in front of the mirror and more time changing the world. She claims that beauty sickness is the constant worry over outside appearances and a compulsion to perfect the body and how it is viewed by others. Engeln clarified in her talk that she does not want people to tell little girls they look ugly, either. She recommended complimenting other positive qualities such as being smart, persistent, generous and hardworking. Reaffirming these characteristics will help to avoid the epidemic of beauty sickness among young women. Although she admitted men can suffer from this illness as well, she said women spend more time and money on it. She added that women are at a 10 times greater risk of anorexia and bulimia. Dr. Engeln emphasized that beauty is a natural thing people look for around them. However, she argued, a woman cannot consistently monitor her appearance and engage with her environment.
I agree that advertising, marketing, and the fashion industry have created a new type of woman that does not exist in the real world. The women in ads are not real. They are a creation of an industry obsessed with perfection, and selling products to women that they claim will help them achieve the impossible goal they have set. The main purpose of the advertisements is to create a need and then, provide a product to fill that need. This can be targeted at even men. By displaying these impossible women in cologne or beer ads, they target men who would purchase these products because they associate these women with those products. Women, on the other hand, may buy certain clothes, foods and makeup products, to attempt to look like these photo shopped women. The negative effects that these advertisements have are of concern.
1. Excessive Thinness – Advertising and commercials depict excessively thin women and these unhealthy body images in advertising, regardless of what they are being used to sell, project an unrealistic image of women’s body weight. These advertisements contribute to the development of anorexia, bulimia and other serious eating disorders in women.
2. The need to look young – Along with body weight issues, advertisements often depict very young and impossibly beautiful women. As women get older, they feel pressure to look younger, and revert to using unhealthy products, and in many cases, surgeries.
3. Sexual Exploitation – Many advertisements use sexually explicit imagery to help sell their products. While sexiness in and of itself isn’t harmful, the trend of objectification and exploitation in advertising is damaging. Seeing a woman appear a certain way, can send the message that women should act submissive and men come to expect that in their relationships with the opposite sex.
4. Lack of concentration – As Dr. Engeln cited, beauty sickness can distract women from engaging in other activities and diverts their cognitive resources. This can cause women with beauty sickness to not live up to their true potential.
Some companies have taken steps to address this issue already. Several brands, including Dove and Aerie, have tried to move away from typical images of perfection. They claim to be Photoshop-free, and display real, diverse women in their advertisements. Of course, they still use attractive women in their campaigns, because at the end of the day, buyers are still superficial to a degree. It is important for advertisement agencies to start bringing about a change. The should try and steer their client away from typical, photo-shopped images of women. It is impossible for a client to buy a sexist or perfectionist ad if the agency refuses to produce one. Advertising agencies need to move away from this form of advertising and gauge what other factors to drive their clients and their customers.
I believe advertisements are more a result of the culture we live in. Objectifying women and portraying a sense of a perfect woman have long been present even before mass media advertising started. Selling sex in advertisements is just a result of what sells within this culture. Education is the key to solving these problems in the long term. It is essential to re inforce the fact, in both men and women, that it is okay to not have that perfect, unachievable body. Bringing in regulations and campaigns can make a difference in the short term, but instilling a culture of acceptance and respect is the only way this problem can be tackled. If there isn’t a market to sell these kind of images and advertisements to, neither advertisers nor companies will invest in trying to associate those with their products.
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