Whether we realise it or not, we are bombarded with gender
stereotyping in advertising that is thrusted at us every single day. Because of
the volume of these advertisements and the impressionable viewers, it can be
extremely damaging to our society.
Gender stereotyping, according to Psychology Dictionary (no date) is ‘overgeneralised’
behaviours and attitudes considered normal for a person based on their gender.
Already, it is obvious that trying to assume all of one group of individuals
should act in a certain way based purely on their gender is never going to lead
to a happy ending, only more concerns and problems.
Considering the male stereotype portrayed in advertisers,
for example image A (shown below), viewers are told that, as a male, you should
be muscular, powerful and showing no emotion. These unrealistic expectations
shown are only going to lead the viewer’s unhappiness and ever-lasting
disappointment when they themselves cannot be this seemingly ultra-masculine
ideal. Vawter (2015) mirrors this view, with results finding that stereotypes
that males feel they have to live up to, such as not crying and being able to
financially provide for others, are often bearing down on them.
 |
| Image A |
Unerman (2015) finds that the advertising industry is still
focused on the gender stereotype of a weak woman focused on serving her man,
who is intelligent and powerful. Image A supports Unerman’s findings; the
advertisement shows a woman that is attractive but ultimately an object to be
overpowered by a male, furthering their ‘powerful’ image. Another example of
this is shown with Image B (shown below) where the male is shown blank-faced
with his arm around his trophy, a naked woman.
 |
| Image B |
Advertisers may argue that sex appeal sells, which is their
main concern, but they are not considering how demeaning this is to women and
the way in which it restricts how men feel they can interact with the opposite
gender whilst still striving to maintain their masculine image. Wilson (2011)
draws on how males are shown to be self-sufficient, without needing to rely on
anybody else. Showing a lack of need for a support network can lead to the male
viewer feeling isolated when trying to imitate these ideals. When influenced as
heavily as we are by the advertising, it can lead to feelings of being abnormal
and wrong to act in a more individual way that deviates from the gender
stereotype shown. A common source of humour in adverts is through showing an
unexpected trait of the gender stereotype, such as when a male shows emotion,
like crying. This is because it is deemed to be ‘feminine’ trait; as an
audience, we might find this amusing but it only furthers the gender stereotypes
and results in the viewer’s feeling that in day to day life, a male showing
emotion is inappropriate.
Adverts such as Image C (shown below), often use gender
stereotypes in order to be humorous. Whilst some may argue that these gender
based advertisements are simply harmless fun and that it shouldn’t be read too
much into, a study conducted by Vawter (2015) found that 91% of both males and
females believed gender stereotyping can be harmful, deconstructing that we
perhaps shouldn’t read too much into advertisements as it is clear that we are
influenced by what we see.
 |
| Image C |
For example, image C promotes a view that females
are not very intelligent and would rather talk about fashion than a serious
discussion. According to the Focus News Agency (2015), women on average are
still paid 16.4% less than men for the same job; is this equality, based purely
on gender, a result of gender stereotypes in advertising? Sutherland and
Sylvester (2000) state that advertisers play to the consumer, effectively
arguing that it is down to the viewer what gender stereotypes are shown. Based
on this, it could be deemed that advertisers are only using what is considered
an acceptable stereotype in order to communicate better with the audience. This
is in contrast to Odekerken‐Schröder (2002), who certainly believes that the
perception of women in society is created and supported through that society’s
advertisement. Maybe it is time to consider the social implications of
advertisements that portray woman as only being able to do household chores and
that only the male can make any meaningful decisions, such as buying a car.
Undermining females in this way would appear to lead to inequality but could
also be restricting males into a rigid mould resulting in disillusionment.
Shah (2012) argues in the defence of advertisers, drawing
attention to the core value of advertising which is giving the consumer what
they are wanting; image A is only like that because it perhaps is what the
viewer wants to see. Djs Research (no date) supports this by discussing how
important market research is before any advertising takes place, again
furthering that viewers are themselves dictating what gender stereotypes are
acceptable. Whilst these points may seem reasonable, they are not. The
perceived gender stereotypes are mostly down to advertisers brainwashing the
audience as to what is acceptable, advertisers are not giving the consumer what
they want but instead what they want the consumer to want.
As Odekerken‐Schröder (2002) concludes, to reduce and
eliminate gender stereotyping, we first need to change the roles portrayed in
mass media and advertising. Nixon (2003)
draws on experiences of females in the advertising industry, one seemingly
dominated by these masculine men that are not welcoming to new gender
expectations, rather sticking with the same worn stereotypes we see every day.
Based on this, it would seem that the industry must first be more accepting of
individuals rather than gender and perhaps, it should fall to the viewer to not
accept these outdated stereotypes, in order to combat this social issue which
fundamentally is perpetuated by advertisements.
References
Djs Research (no date) Media and PR Market Research [online]
available from:
http://www.djsresearch.co.uk/subLevels/subLevel/10/Media,+Advertising+and+PR
[accessed 13/04/2015]
Focus News Agency (2015) Women earn 16.4 percent less than
men in EU [online] available from:
http://www.focus-fen.net/news/2015/03/05/365164/women-earn-164-percent-less-than-men-in-eu.html
[accessed 13/04/2015]
Image A: Spargo, C (2015) [online] available from:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2999045/Dolce-Gabbana-fire-just-days-referring-children-born-IVF-synthetic-critics-discover-ad-depicts-woman-gang-raped.html
[accessed 13/04/2015]
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http://davelackie.com/charlie-hunnam-for-klein/ [accessed 13/04/2015]
Image C: Creative Ads (2014) [online] available from:
http://creative-ads.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/talking-about-shoes-sexist-ad.jpg
[accessed 13/04/2015]
Lukas, S (2012) roles [online] available from:
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Nixon, S (2003) Advertising Cultures Gateshead, UK. Sage
Publications
Odekerken‐Schröder, G.
De Wulf, K. Hofstee, N. (2002)
"Is gender stereotyping in advertising more prevalent in masculine
countries?: A cross‐national analysis", International Marketing Review, [online]
Vol. 19 Iss: 4,408 - 419 available from:
(http://www.emeraldinsight.com.proxy.worc.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1108/02651330210435690
[accessed 13/04/2015]
Psychology Dictionary (no date) What is GENDER STEREOTYPES?
[online] available from: http://psychologydictionary.org/gender-stereotypes/
[accessed 13/04/2015]
Shah, A (2012) Media and Advertising [online] available
from: http://www.globalissues.org/article/160/media-and-advertising [accessed
13/04/2015]
Sutherland, M. Sylvester, A. (2000)Advertising and the mind
of the consumer. 2nd Edition. South Australia, Allen & Unwin
Unerman, S (2015) Is adland's gender politics dated?
[online] available from: http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/opinion/1341490/
[accessed 13/04/2015]
Vawter, E (2015) Statistics prove media stereotypes are
harmful to boys too [online] available
from:
http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1078956/how-media-affects-boys-self-esteem
[accessed 13/04/2015]
Wilson, K (2011) Gender And Media Representation [online]
available from: http://mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=gender
[accessed 13/04/2015]
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