Throughout this essay I plan to discuss stereotypes within advertising and the effect these stereotypes have on both men and women and to what extent.
Sheekan, K. (2004) discusses in the Controversies in Contemporary Advertising, how men and women react very differently to advertising due to the way they think as men think linearly and respond to the primary message whereas women see multiple clues within a message to build up further meaning based on music, tone of voice and text used within advertising. Consequently men and women’s adverts often feature very different stimulus usually based on the stereotypes of men and women however women also respond to masculinity in adverts aimed towards them however men don’t respond to femininity in the same way. However despite this many adverts feature gender stereotypes based on old fashioned believes that women should be home keepers despite societies developments meaning that around 50% of the workforce are women. This can be linked to the to Bartsch et al (2000) study conducted in 1998 which looked at 750 tv adverts which indicated women where twice as more tinkly to appear in adverts featuring domestic goods than men. According to Sheekan this is all based on the way men and women are portrayed in advertising as the current representation of men and women doest necessary accurately represent societal developments since the 1940’s which is where many of the common stereotypes of men and women stem from.
Sexist stereotypes as discussed by Gauntlett (2008) in Media, Gender and Identity indicated that stereotypes are still prevalent in advertising today, however this is not always the case as advertisers have realised some stereotypes can offend their target audience by using stereotypes so have attempted to address the use of stereotypes within their adverts. However this isn't necessarily a reflection of advertisers taking note of social issues but more trying to attract the most consumers to their product and not damage a brand image. Throughout many adverts aimed at both men and women it can be said that the ideal representation of women is that women must be slim and beautiful in order to be accepted. This can be seen specifically in the beauty industry which teaches women at a young age that they need to rely on makeup and skincare to be beautiful in order to be accepted. Consequently this is further highlighted by the increase in plastic surgery so women can become a mediated ideal as discussed by Gauntlett (2008). In recent years it’s no longer accepted to just be beautiful women now have to be toned and heathy in order to be desirable, however this can also be said for the ‘ideal’ man as well but arguably not to as greater extent.
Walters (1998) discusses the stereotypes surrounding the ‘ideal’ woman and the pressure that comes with it is not isolated to women as many men feel the pressure arguable more than women, to live up to the own ideals the media sets out for them. This can be seen in the study published in Mens Health in July 1996 stating that only 4% of men thought they where physically attractive and 13% would consider cosmetic surgery. Consequently indicating men may feel more pressure to live up to stereotypes than women as another study discussed by Walter (1998) found that 80% of women where happy when they looked in the mirror which when compared with the statistic that only 4% of men believe they are attractive seems to indicate men are more effect by physical stereotypes than women. As a result showing the wide spread nature of physical culture and how it effects both men and women of all ages as the pressure set out by the media is not limited to older men and women as a survey conducted of girls aged 12-14 discussed by Walter (1998) found that younger boys felt more pressure and anxiety in relation to fashion when compared to young girls, as boys felt the need to have the right football strip, the right trainers causing significant pressure and anxiety.
It can be said that both men and women react differently to advertising due to the way they think as discussed by Sheekan, K. (2004) as both women and men react to femininity within adverts potentially resulting in the widespread use of young attractive women in adverts targeted toward both men and women. However it can be said that men don’t react as well to femininity within adverts solely aimed towards them Sheeekan (2004) as they are denied feminim object at a young age as discussed by Walter (1998 p101-105). Consequently the use of young attractive females across advertising could be the reason for the increase in plastic surgery among women as discussed by Gauntlet (2008) as women feel the pressure to live up to an ideal stereotype portrayed by the media through advertising. In contrast however Walter (1998) discusses the effect of the medias portrayal of the ideal man which seems to have a greater impact on men with only 4% of men believing they are attractive whereas 80% of women are happy when they look in the mirror indicating that men are more heavily effected by stereotypes within advertising than indicated by Gauntlet (2008). Consequently indicating that the pressure to live up to ideals is no longer isolated to women as men feel the same pressure if not more so as they are supposed to be in-effected by such stereotypes due to the stereotypes of men portrayed in the media.
In conclusion, in relation to the effect of stereotypes on men and women today its hard to draw a definitive conclusion from these sources as they discuss information from different time periods. Despite this it can be said that stereotypes within advertising effect both men and women with men arguably being more greatly effect as despite supporting evidence being potential out of date thee pints discussed and research conducted have been with the last 20 years which is relatively modern as points discussed by Walter (1998( link to those discussed by Sheekan (2004) indicating the information is still relevant as it related.
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