the objectification of women in advertising By Sydney Redigan
Jan 14, 2016
the objectification of women in advertising
By Sydney Redigan
what is objectification?
“objectification is making into an object one who is not an object but a person. this is done by conferring the properties of an object onto a person.
making someone into something.” – Sam Hawkins, University of Illinois at Chicago
why we’re focusing on advertising
media, such as ads, shape the way we think and behave, individually
and as a society
an average American sees 3,000 ads per day
advertising’s influence isn’t always obvious; it mostly affects us on a
subconscious level and over years of exposure
body as object
body compared to object
dismemberment as objectification
objectified as food
objectified as animals
objectification of men
“what affects us is not our experience of any one ad, but of
the totality which represents certain kinds of messages again
and again.” – Stuart Ewen, historian and media culture critic
how women see themselves
women internalize the idea that they are an object to be looked at and may begin to view themselves
in a similarly detached, critical way
extensive research shows that once they begin self-objectifying, many young women fall prey to
depression, appearance anxiety, body shame, sexual dysfunction and eating disorders
dismemberment ads leave many women feeling that their entire body is “spoiled” on account of
one less-than-perfect feature. they view themselves as “works in progress” or something in
need of constant alteration
how men view women
media images of women influence everyone. they influence how women feel about
themselves and influence how men feel about the real women in their lives
the negative and distorted image of women in advertising affects not only how men feel about women, but also how men feel about anything
labeled “feminine” in themselves
for example, a recent study by Princeton found that images of scantily clad women activated men’s brain regions associated with objects or
“things you manipulate with your hands”
societal effects
so much of our reality is shaped by media images such as ads that these portrayals of
women have potentially serious societal effects
because images of objectified women are so prevalent and influential, they suggest that
advertising’s portrayal of women is an accurate reflection of reality
they legitimate such violent acts as domestic abuse and rape through their dehumanizing
power
how to be media literate
recognize how media messages have the ability to influence and persuade us
think critically about media messages to uncover underlying messages and values
understand how things we see and hear can lead to stereotyping, desensitization and
objectification