Messages about Beauty, Women’s Bodies, and Femininity that Advertising Convey to Women
For several years, women have been struggling to leave the stereotypes about them that have been laid down by the society, especially with advertisements. Most adverts will portray them as pregnant, barefoot, and spending most of their time in the kitchen or taking care of the children, while the men are out doing everything that they feel like doing. They never worry about making their own lives better, but are more concerned with improving that of their men. In the same adverts, their bodies are used as objects for the attention and entertainment of men. In food adverts, the man is always the one who comes home from work looking all drained and tired. The children are doing their homework or playing in the fields, but the woman is in the kitchen, preparing food for the family. Rarely will one find adverts that will show women as professionals or working anywhere outside of the house.
Women are also made to look like they need a lot of assistance. They are always dependent and needy. They nag their husbands for petty reasons, such as asking for directions. This is in line with the common ideology of the American woman who has been seen to be in the private sphere as compared to the men who take up roles in the public sphere, such as working in order to provide for their families. This makes the women believe that their lives can never amount to anything, and that they should stick to home duties and nurturing members of their family. The man is always brought out as the strong one who is also independent. They are able to solve all of the problems that women have been said to be having. They are made to be capable of surviving on their won. Most of the adverts will show them in pubs enjoying drinks with fellow men but rarely will that group be graced with the presence of a woman. They are outside of the home a lot and only come in at meal time where they are given royal treatments by their women. When they are at home, they are always either sleeping o watching television or playing games, they never take part in any household chores like the women.
Advertising to most adverts, men are presented to be in charge of most of the situations that they are facing. They are seen to be self contained, they often spend most of their time alone, and most of this time is spent being with their friends. Men seem to be in charge of the situation, self-contained, and able to handle whatever situation they get themselves into. When men are presented before their fellow men, they begin to show signs of being in charge. They act to be self-contained and ready to take charge of any situation. When they are presented before a situation that includes the involvement of women, their characters and reactions seem to change. Men, in front of women, seem in charge and that they know exactly what they are doing. They do not need any form of guidance in behavior. Unfortunately, this means that men and their male dominance can be used in the advertisement of several products, which come from a wide range. This is because the society has given them the capability to acquire these resources. Therefore, as much as women for many years have been able to fight effectively the stereotypes of them taking up traditional roles, only very few of advertisers are able to take them up on theme on these offers. In current adverts, such as the one that is shown in the image, women too have found methods through which they are able to objectify men in the same way men have objectified them in the paper.