The Role Of Gender And Racial Stereotypes In Advertising

One of the most prevalent forms of invisible social control is the creation and perpetuation of stereotypes. Today’s society is filled with stereotypes and the media has proven to be an excellent breeding ground. Research in the stereotype domain indicates that the media can prime stereotypes, and these primed stereotypes do influence how people are later perceived. Also the research on media priming of stereotypes generally increases confidence in the generality of the media as a prime. Television, movies, newspapers and magazines contain millions of images that feature individuals portrayed in stereotypical ways. This paper will examine the February issue of Marie Claire and the gender and racial stereotypes that are evident within the advertisements

For centuries men have been perceived to be dominant and aggressive, while women have been seen as passive and submissive. The thought of being masculine conjures up images of muscles, power, and influence, while feminine qualities by and large are associated with childbearing and vulnerability. According to Nancy Chodorow, femininity includes being involved in a continued relationship with a man and having the ability to work productively in specific occupations reserved for females, such as childcare and secretarial work. People who speak loudly and interrupt conversations are generally perceived as having masculine attributes, while people who minimize their spatial use by crossing their arms or pointing their toes inward are seen as feminine. The contents of Marie Claire emphasize gender roles because the majority of its pages are concerned with making a woman look her best so that she can find a man who will eventually be the father of her children. Solomon and Massik discuss the fact that women are beginning to transform roles and change tradition by introducing programs such as Sex and the City; the discussion continues on emphasizing the fact that although these women tell themselves that they are independent and empowered they all still become entwined and hurt by men and obsess over who will provide them with a

Many ads are primarily based on how one can make themselves sexually desirable to men, while there remains to be no hint of homosexual behavior throughout the magazine. Rather than discuss childrearing options Marie Claire generally features articles and advertisements concerning birth control, which is where this magazine bends the gender role a bit. Traditionally women were not given the power to influence their reproductive cycles because their primary goal was to procreate. Nowadays as gender roles bend, women are becoming more educated and successful and do not feel the pressure to solely be at home with children. The dominance that men hold over women is emphasized on almost every page of this magazine. Women claim in advertisements that the use of the product will make them more desirable to males and that if one wears a certain brand name or style they will be perceived as more professional. The men that are featured throughout the magazine seem less aggressive and have more of a feminine ambiance, which makes women feel less threatened. Throughout the entire magazine I was only able to find one ad that featured only one male model. The man is promoting L’Oreal Mega Gel with a headline that reads: Fierce Hold for Extreme Displays of Emotion. This ad goes against societal norms because having emotions is considered to be a