Critical Resource Response #1: Connor
- connor bailey
- Aug 27, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 18, 2020
544 words by Connor
How often are you exposed to ads for something such as chocolate or perfume, which exhibit a woman in revealing clothing? Or posing seductively? Where frankly the woman has nothing to do with the product at all? The topic I will be discussing is about women being oversexualized in advertising. The multimedia essay I have chosen talks about how advertising agencies, more specifically in the chocolate industry, and media have a responsibility to portray positive images and situations in order for society to be beneficially impacted. Women in our times are consistently exploited for their physical appearance in order to draw in profits for others who do not have to reap the societal, physical and psychological consequences.
Many companies jump at the chance to use women as a prominent asset when trying to draw a consumer’s attention. The essay I chose states “..arguably the most common ploy seen in today’s marketing campaigns is to sexualize women.” This is because it is easy to draw from the plethora of models that are in the world. All women want to look and feel good, and many may overlook the fact that the ad they are posing for aims to use them more as an object rather than a representative figure.
The objectification of women, specifically in ads, leads to a poor social representation of women as a gender and sets unrealistic standards for those who identify as women. In the essay chosen, the author writes “Instead of advertising based on the benefits of the product, promoters try to sell items based on social beliefs and misleading representations.” I agree with this as it sets expectations for not only women but young girls as well, as to how they should look and/or act. This is detrimental to any child because it does not allow them the room to explore who they truly are, it rather limits them to what they see being portrayed in the world around them.
Most of the time women are the people who have to bear the brunt of these sexualized ads in their everyday lives, often in the form of sexual assault and degradation as people. I agree with the author when regarding hypersexual ads they say, “This, is deleterious to society in how it undermines women and trivializes who they are as people.” Objectification can lead to a lack of respect, which in turn leads to lower self esteem and even bad feelings toward other women. With repeated exposure to such advertising, making women out to be mere objects to be used at one’s disposal places this idea in one’s mind, which will ultimately surface within their everyday lives through actions and conversations.
Modern advertising is full of women who are idolized for their bodies, in an attempt to lure in the consumer. But what companies may not consider is how these ads will and do affect those who see them, on a deeper level. Issues like this are important today with the ever spreading connection we have to the world, as well as ensuring those who come after us do not make the same mistakes we have. Standing up for the abolishment of hypersexualized ads is a powerful form of resistance that gains more power with every new generation.
Comentarios