Advertising: The representations of women in advertising

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Blog tasks: Representations of women in advertising

The following tasks are challenging - some of the reading is university-level but this will be great preparation for the next stage in your education after leaving Greenford. Create a new blogpost called 'Representations of women in advertising' and work through the following tasks.

Academic reading: A Critical Analysis of Progressive Depictions of Gender in Advertising

Read these extracts from an academic essay on gender in advertising by Reena Mistry. This was originally published in full in David Gauntlett's book 'Media, Gender and Identity'. Then, answer the following questions:

1) How does Mistry suggest advertising has changed since the mid-1990s?
More ambiguity,   Ads started showing people in ways where you can’t always tell their gender or who they’re attracted to. It became more mixed and less clear.
2) What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?
Women were shown as housewives. They were seen as mums and cleaners, happy to stay at home and take care of the family.
3) How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising?
Women were shown more as pretty objects. The ads made it seem like their job was to look good, mainly for men.
4) Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to?
Mulvey. She said that most media is made from a man’s point of view, so women are shown in a way that makes men want to look at them.
5) How did the representation of women change in the 1970s?
Women started being shown as more confident and working outside the home. But they still had to look attractive

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?

She said the women still looked like they were just there to be looked at. Even if they had jobs, they were still shown in a way that pleased men.



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

She said ads try to look modern, but they still make sure men feel in control. Women might look powerful, but they still need to look good for men.

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

He said it’s not real freedom. It looks like women are in charge of their bodies, but really they’re still acting sexy to get male attention.


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