The Negative Effects of Advertisements on Men and Women

2676 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender images presented in advertisements and how the advertisements reflect gender roles

The idea that advertising directly effects how individuals look at each other and themselves is not a new one. The idea has been around almost as long as advertising has. The idea that it creates a negative body image is a good theory, and is highly supported by public opinion. Advertisers use all sorts of ploys to get a person to buy their product, but in their message can be detrimental to the goals of society. Television is the easiest medium to transmit the advertisers message. It can go deeper than a print ad, and can give more of a storyline to the ad. The goal of this survey was to gauge how men and women perceived advertisements and if it had an effect on the way they thought.

Questions asked included the amount of time the respondent watched television, how often they saw ads using sexual images and family-oriented images, and the use of the opposite or same sex to sell a product. The questions that were asked are presented below, in order:

1. Rate the level at which you see an advertisement that makes you wish to change something about your spouse/significant other.

2. Rate the level at which you see an advertisement that makes you feel like you need to change something about yourself (clothing, hair, etc.).

3. Rate the level at which you see an advertisement that makes you feel uncomfortable.

4. Rate the level at which you see an advertisement using family friendly images to sell a product (fully dressed women, families, etc.).

5. Rate the level at which you see an advertisement using inappropriate images to sell a product (sex, minimal clothing, etc.).

6. Rate the level at which you see an advertisement geared towards men featuring men.

7. Rate the level at which you see an advertisement geared towards men...

... middle of paper ...

...keting.

Horovitz, B. (2004). Risqué may be too risky for ads. USA Today.

Pettersson, G. (2004). Why are you all so interested in sex? New Statesman.

Pollay, R. W. (1986). The distorted mirror: Reflections on the unintended consequences of advertising. Adverting in society.

Stamps, Jennifer F. (2013). Woman as Product Stand-in: Branding Straight Metrosexuality in Men’s Magazine Fashion Advertising. Journal of Research on Women and Gender.

Thura (2007). Must we offend large women to sell them yogurt? Newsvine.com

Velazquez, Cayley. (2013). Youth Attention to Food and Beverage Advertising: Differences by Age, Gender and Susceptibility to Advertising. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

Wilson, E. (2006). When is thin too thin? The New York Times.

York, E. B. (2008). Carl’s Jr. CEO is more than happy that sex sells. Advertising Age.

Show More
Related

  • Jean Killbourne Two Ways A Woman Can Get Hurt Summary

    875 Words  | 2 Pages

    This thought has been held on for far too long. In a consumer-driven society, advertisements invade the minds of every person who owns any piece of technology that can connect to the internet. Killbourne observes that “sex in advertising is pornographic because it dehumanizes and objectifies people, especially women,” (271). Advertising takes the societal ideology of women and stereotypes most kids grow up learning and play on the nerves of everyone trying to evoke a reaction out of potential customers, one that results in them buying products.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of an Advertisement

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    Advertisements are all over the place. Whether they are on TV, radio, or in a magazine, there is no way that you can escape them. They all have their target audience who they have specifically designed the ad for. And of course they are selling their product. This is a multi billion dollar industry and the advertiser’s study all the ways that they can attract the person’s attention. One way that is used the most and is in some ways very controversial is use of sex to sell products. For me to analyze this advertisement I used the rhetorical triangle, as well as ethos, pathos, and logos.

    Read More

  • Gender Differences In Moving Up And Taking Charge

    121 Words  | 1 Pages

    Katharina Linder. 2004. “Images of Women in General Interest and Fashion Magazine Advertisements from 1955 to 2002.” Sex Roles 51:409-421.

    Read More

  • Overt Sexualization in American Apparel’s Advertising

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    American Apparel’s advertisement is highly suggestive and sexualized and one that stirs up a lot of controversy. Some of the strategies used in creating this advertisement are beneficial, but they are overshadowed by the sexualization of the advertisement. There is so much going on in this advertisement that could be related to soft-core pornography. Even if the audience did not know who the girl in the advertisement was, the sexualized advertisement would still be the same. American Apparel is known for the models used in their advertisements. Not only do they use models, but sometimes they use their own employers.

    Read More

  • Sexual Material in the Media: Parents and Children

    859 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sex is one of the most controversial and enticing subjects in today’s media. No wonder it has become a dominant marketing strategy, it appeals to a basic human interest in sex and uses it to persuade an audience. Sex, as a marketing tool, has become extremely pervasive in the United States today. An individual living in America will certainly be exposed to this marketing tool. Music industries, television commercials, magazines and other advertising media have given in to this marketing technique. The fact that companies use people’s natural interest in sex to sell their products is upsetting. The way advertisers use sex appeal to sell their products reflects poorly on and undermines our society’s morals.

    Read More

  • Violence in Advertising: Are They Selling Rape and Violence Against Women?

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    Some individuals look at magazines, television commercials, internet ads, and sometimes they do not consider what is presented through them. As Kilbourne said, “Ads don’t directly cause violence of course, but creates a climate in which there is a widespread and increasing violence.” (273). For some people it is just an ad; however for others there is a concern in which way these ads will influence young adults. Advertisements can provoke people to abuse others physically, like sexual assault, by the impression its’ perceived by these ads or commercials.

    Read More

  • The Effect of Advertising on Women's Body Image

    1387 Words  | 3 Pages

    To sum up, it is often said that advertising is shaping women gender identity, and some have been argued that the statement is true, because of the higher amount of sexual references of women that advertisement show and the damages that occur on women’s personality and the public negative opinions of those women. As well, the negative effects that those kinds of advertisements cause to young generations and make them feel like they should simulate such things and are proud of what they are doing because famous actors are posting their pictures that way. Others deem this case as a personal freedom and absolutely unrelated to shaping women gender identity. On the contrast, they believe that, those sorts of advertisements are seriously teaching women how to stay healthy and be attractive, so they might have self-satisfaction after all.

    Read More

  • The Objectification of Women in Advertisements

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    The objectification of women is a huge issue in society and is often led by advertising. However many men still believe that the adverts depicting women in a sexual and often passive posture are not very offensive but rather very funny or sexy. However how would they feel if it were their daughter or sister being advertised throughout the world as a sex object?

    Read More

  • Tom Ford Sex Ads Analysis

    406 Words  | 1 Pages

    Even though advertisements can advertise new products, sex-appeal strategies attract customers in ways where the media exploits and objectifies women and gives women unrealistic looks of what beauty is. Like the renowned fashion designer Tom Ford, known for his variety of fashion styles and collections, he is a great example to consider when taking a look at gender representation. In one of his particular advertisements for a 2012 fall collection, it appeals to the need for sex, the need for attention and the need to satisfy curiosity.

    Read More

  • Advertising: Modern Day Brainwashing

    3188 Words  | 7 Pages

    O’Sullivan, Geremiah. “The Social and Cultural Effects of Advertising.” N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Sound in Advertising

    3204 Words  | 7 Pages

    Technological advancements have changed our culture in many ways, even having it’s personal effect on advertising. With the invention...

    Read More

  • Women and Advertisements

    2559 Words  | 6 Pages

    The average American is exposed to hundreds of advertisements per day. Advertisements targeted toward females have an enormous effect on women's thoughts, attitudes, perceptions, and actions. Most of the time, women don't even realize these advertisements are formulating self-image issues. These ideals surround them daily and they become naturalized to the ads. Advertising creates an entire worldview persuading women to emulate the images they see all around them. In order to create a market for their products, companies constantly prey upon women's self esteem, to feel like they aren't good enough just the way they are. This makes women constantly feel stressed out about their appearance (Moore). Advertising has a negative effect on women's body image, health, and self-esteem.

    Read More

  • Magazine Analysis Of Livingetc Magazine

    1825 Words  | 4 Pages

    Of the people shown in the February issue of Livingetc, including the advertisements, less than ten are males. Additionally, every person is white, except for a colored couple featured in a “Bensons for Beds” advertisement (74). Similarly, a smiley couple is shown sitting on a couch in a Crown Paint advertisement (67). Every one of the magazine’s advertisements with a man in it also has a woman. Even though Bensons and Crown are outwardly selling beds and paint, they are both indirectly selling romance through the use of couples. The incorporation of romance is extremely appealing to women in particular, which was probably Livingetc’s motivation for including those two advertisements. In an advertisement for Baxab, a coating for walls and floors, a woman is shown crouching in a short black dress, holding a knife to the floor (50). When first looking at the advertisement, it is unclear what it is for. A reader’s eye would most likely notice the attractive woman before realizing what is being sold. This is an example of the sexual objectification of women in advertising to sell products. Sadly, advertisers know the best way to arouse excitement about something as boring as wall and floor coating is to incorporate an good looking woman. Although using female models is a common tactic used to advertise products, “advertising messages can gender products as masculine or feminine whether human beings are present or not”(Arend 56). Like most home magazines, not many people are found within the pages of Livingetc, but there is still a prominent sense of femininity that accompanies a majority of the products being sold and

    Read More

  • Sex And Advertising: The Influence Of Sex In Advertising

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    “We are sexual beings,” and therefore, marketers use consumers’ sexual impulses to their advantage (Raszl). Sex has traditionally been a topic not talked about or openly discussed, but today it is rarely taken as a surprise (“Does Sex Really Sell?”). It can be concluded that although sex doesn’t always sell, it definitely draws some form of attention (Kalb).

    Read More

  • Advertisement Project Essay

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    The advertisement project was a great learning experience on learning what it takes to produce a print ad, and getting harsh feed back from the consumer. The project exposed how hard it is to actually produce a good advertisement that will pop to the consumers eye and reel them in to have interest in buying the product your trying to sell them. In my groups jean print advertisement we used a method from Arthur Asa Berger’s book Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture. We in particular used chapter four, “Running it up a flagpole to see if anyone salutes”, in this chapter Berger says choose a way you want to do an advertisement and do it. The consumer will either like it or not it’s a 50/50 gamble. All you can do is what you think will work and run with it. And that’s basically the approach we had from the minute we were posed with the project. Since we didn’t feel like playing the sex sells card, the group and I felt that chapter four of Berger’s book was the best to use to produce our advertisement. While we learned a lot from this project in understanding advertising and consumer culture, the aspects of the project ranged from the original concept to the survey results of the responses from consumers.

    Read More

More about The Negative Effects of Advertisements on Men and Women

Open Document