Gender Stereotyping in Media Advertisements Essay

The tre manpowerdous influence of the media as an important cultural vehicle on the delivery and reinforcement of existing societal norms, beliefs, and behaviors has been under increasing scrutiny from academics, scholars, and feminists in an attempt to understand the code and language deep down which the media operates and its impacts on miscellaneous audiences.(Dines, Humez, Hoynes, & Croteau, 2003 Silverstein, Perdue, & Kelly, 1986 Gamble 1997) Lately, there has been a growing anguish over the design of the media in helping to maintain the long-standing inequality between sexes in the mien that it continues to exploit sexual urge stereotypes overtly as in the case of video programming, to the subliminal messages conveyed by reaping advertisements, music videos, and other forms of visual frolic which now include fashion spreads and magazines.(Dines, Humez, Hoynes, & Croteau 336 Gamble 272) This concern comes amidst allegations that the media, specifically harvest-home a dvertisements, is somehow responsible for the pro life sentenceration and reinforcement of unhealthy attitudes and biases against women and womens bodies, for instance, in warping the definition of physical attractiveness to that of thinness(Silverstein, Perdue, & Kelly 519 Gamble 272) and of self-worth to being moderately or desired by the male (Dines, Humez, Hoynes, & Croteau 247).In its many forms, product advertisements, through graphic, in-text, and non-graphic representation, be guilty of exploiting the prevailing societal concepts of femininity and masculinity in their sole objective of increasing demand for the products which translates to increased winnings margins. (Wiles, Wiles, & Tjerlund 35) Product advertisements ar also a cause for special concern in that they are easily accessible and are barely throttle by censorship and other legislation.The fact that they are ubiquitous in almost all forms of mediabe it print, broadcast, video, and the internetmake them dou bly almighty in molding, or warping, the minds of individuals young and old. Dines, Humez, Hoynes, & Croteau (2003) point out, for instance, how elements of the pornographic can be located in advertisements, (p. 336) referring not only to graphic sexual acts or innuendos but to specific representations of female and male constructs and of power relationships between and within these constructs that are seen in advertisements.It is argued that masculinity and femininity are ceaselessly constructed in the conventional way that the male is bigger, stronger, and has the ability to hurt the women (Dines, et. al. 336) or in a position of greater power over the women, who are always draw ined or associated with the weak, delicate, and passive role. (Gamble 272) In the same manner, women are ofttimes portrayed as inferior to men through the use of the succeeding(a) graphic illustrations women appear shorter men instruct women women appear to be planless in deep thought while men?Eyes a re focused purposely and women appear helpless. (Wiles, Wiles, & Tjerlund, 36) Indeed, one need not control further than the nearest perfume advertisement to see how men and women are portrayed as predator and prey, respectively, signifying the womens degraded position in the gender stratification. More notable is the apparent absence of others in the gender spectrum which may not be totally accepted by societal standards bisexuals, lesbians, and gays, who barely make it to product advertisements except for those products specifically intended for their market.Furthermore, results of Wiles, Wiles, & Tjerlunds (1995) study of the portrayal of women in magazines in three countries which include the linked States, the Netherlands, and Sweden supported the contention that role portrayals presented in magazine advertising depict cultural biases and stereotypes which tended to portray men in active roles and women as mens sexual objects or in decorative, passive positions.If art imitate s life and culture, this only goes to show the extent to which gender inequality remains as much a challenge to overcome in real, reel, and the simulated sphere of advertising.Works CitedDines, G. , Humez, J. M. M. , Hoynes, D. W. , & D. Croteau. sexual activity, Race, and Class in Media A Text Reader. Sage Publications, 2003. Gamble, T. K. & M. W. Gamble, Gender and Non-verbal Language. Contacts Communicating Interpersonally. Boston, M. A. Allyn and Bacon, 1997.