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

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Recommended: Objectification of Women in Advertisement

Advertising is one of the most popular ways to promote a product. Through advertisement the creators of these products can make millions of dollars, depending on how successful their advertisements are. But are the advertisement selling a product that will help them or are they selling violence and sex? Many ads can influence people in different ways. One of these ways is to show women as objects of rape and sexual abuse. In, “Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt” Kilbourne talks about how many ads use women and portray them only as sexual beings. Some of these ads can influence violence against women. Kilbourne described violence in ads, “as in pornography, usually power over another, either by physical dominance.” (269). The Dolce & Gabbana advertisement used sexuality to sell their product not taking in consideration what consequences it will have on the person that observes it as sexual abuse, violence or rape towards women.

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.

Advertisements are a way to bring attention to a product that need to be sell, but what kind of effect do they unconsciously have? Kilbourne said that “we believe we are not affected by these images, but most of us experience visceral shock when we pay consc...

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...nt, and fashionable. Nautica did not have the necessity of have a women in short provocative clothing to sale their clothes. They did not have to use sexual images to sell and stay in the market. In conclusion many advertisement do not use necessary language to portray violence against women. Dolce & Gabbana use suggestive body positions to appeal not only to the selling of their clothes, but also appears to sell violence and sexual abuse against women.

Works Cited

“Get To The Water” by Nautica. Advertisement. People Magazine March 2014: 117. Print

Kilbourne, Jean. ‘“Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt’: Violence in Advertisement.”

Language Matters 3rd Ed. Debra Frank Dew. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press, 2010. 269 - 283. Print.

“The Objectification Of Woman In Advertisement” Dolce & Gabbana. Advertisement. Littleton Wordpress.com. N.D. Web. 10 July 2011.

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