Advertising is all about the first expression on a brand and also the appearance on the outside of a product because that is how companies are exposing on certain product to the consumers and publics by displaying and providing a basic information and attractive illustration in the advertisement. Barthel (1998, p.1) stated that ‘Advertising is not mainly about appearance of the object but its more on the personal appearance such as how do we look to others and how do we think of ourselves’. In today’s advertising, one of the major aspects that have been portrayed is gender. Genders are basically a definition of female and male and also often interpreted as a variety characteristic which determine a femininity and masculinity.
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Advertisement nowadays can be found everywhere and anywhere in all types of media and medium. Print media are one of the main forms of advertising. As time flies and years goes by, the advertising industry has created a stereotype for female and male which involves the femininity and masculinity aspect. Baumeister & Tice (2001, p.8) somehow has mentioned that ‘for over the past of decades, the advertising industries has emerged a more radical line of feminist thought that has decided to rejected similarity in gender and sought instead to depict women as a unique and special psychological abilities and having different abilities’.
They also stated that ‘The feminist movement has done lots of work and research towards reducing the inequality between female and male. If we look at in centuries before, the female are not allowed to vote in any elections, to obtain a higher education and for some cases, they are not allow to study at all. For some country, women are not allowed to own their own property neither manages their own money, to preach, to be a professional in certain career, and also to be in court suing someone. Therefore, this essay will analyze in details and specifically on how the gender are presented in advertising especially in print media which evolved over the decades and focusing on female gender.
Sexism Way Back
‘The power flux which involved in female and male connection and the extent to which of the most liberated women that will relinquish her anatomy to men is horrendously complex’ as been stressed by Devine (2004, p.1). Women are the symbol of the weaker gender compared to men back in the older days. Female or women are portrayed as a housewife, sex-slave and also as a house-slave because for them, women is the type to be sitting at home doing all the house work like a slave while the men will be doing the professional work and definitely are always above the women.
Different types of stereotypes have been created during the olden days especially for women. Back in the olden days, women are prohibited to pursue their study for a higher level neither to go to college or universities because that is the only place for them to look for their life partner so called husband. Men are afraid to women because they considered women as inferior to them in various forms of advertising especially on a printed advertisement. Lee (2000, p.46) has mention that ‘a newspaper and a television as a source of stereotypes that have a sort of bad influences on people’s attitudes towards the group of people that are being stereotyped even though the influences are smalls’. Nevertheless, the pattern of stereotyping are actually can be seen a lot in the printed advertisement especially form the early 20th century and middle of 20th century.
Stereotyped of Women in Advertising for the 20th Century
As been mentioned earlier, most of the printed advertisement back in the 20th century is portraying women as a weaker creature compared to men with their senses carefulness in handling a household. Madden (1995, p.82) somehow stated that ‘the householders are the primary target audience for a specific public information disseminate in promoting some of the environmental messages’.
Kenwood Chef Advertisement
Kenwood advertisement is a vintage advertisement that advertises the Kenwood Chef, and it’s clearly shown that the woman is happy to by her husband. Why is she’s so happy? She is so happy because her husband got her the Kenwood Chef as a gift.
Basically the Kenwood Chef is a food mixer, a single machine with multiple numbers which allow it to perform a different function. Well actually the advertisement are saying ‘The Chef does everything but cook, and that’s what wives are for!’ therefore ‘I am giving this Kenwood Chef to my wife’ so she will never forget her role as a woman in the family and her relationship is only in the kitchen. In the advertisement, we can see clearly the discrimination from the photo illustrations and the copy of it which has shown the husband is dressed up in office attire while the wife dressed up in kitchen attire along with the chef hat.
Datacomp Advertisement
Apart from the vintage Kenwood Chef advertisement, another example of women’s discrimination can clearly be seen in the Datacomp advertisement. The advertisement is about a hi-technology typewriter and computer which referring to the Telex keyboard way back in the olden days. Again, they are using a very attractive young woman is using the Telex keyboard with the main copy says ‘This is a computer?’ placing next to her pretty face. The first mistake they did is by placing the copy of the advertising next to the woman’s face because it will give a negative impact towards the female gender to the society and public. They portrayed women as if she does not know anything about the typewriter especially on how to operate the typewriter and the functions of the Telex keyboard. Indirectly they are describing women as unintelligent.
Janine (2003, p. 143) stated, ‘The editors attempt to win over the readers with a combination of giving men on what they believe they want – images of women using a humorous, down-to-earth editorial voice – and appealing to the male readers as consumers’. Over the past century, the opposite gender, men have always been described and portray as the leader in every places and aspect especially in a relationship and office to home. The men are the superior when it comes to a family and work place.
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Mr. Leggs Advertisement
Besides the two advertisements that we’ve talked earlier regarding women discrimination, we can see clearly on this advertisement. This is another example towards the women discrimination in the 20th century thru Mr. Leggs slacks advertisement. It’s so rude to show such picture because the media are describing women are very weak. Why are women so weak? Women are not weak but the media wants the public to believe that that women are weak thus they are portraying women as a very weak creature. And again, the main copy of the advertisement says ‘It’s nice to have a girl in the house’ and it is clearly shown how rude a male gender towards female gender because a men can easily stepped on her head. This advertisement are persuading the audiences especially the men, that if they get themselves a pair of Mr. Leggs slacks, they can take control of a women and women are willingly to be stepped on. All these three advertisement are clearly shown on how female gender has been portray and prejudiced against the male gender over the past of the century.
Women Conquer the 21st Century Advertising
As time flies, it is affirm that women around the world has traded in their oven mitts, feminine necessities and also their cook books for a new start in working and education industry. Fowles ( 1996, p.199) stressed that ‘ It is common to think about a gender constitution as a distinct from a sexual constitution , whereby the female and male sexes are biologically given and yet the femininity and masculinity of gender is culturally determined and that distinction is preserved here’. Women today have gone through metamorphosis and they have gone through decades of changes in order to transform and transpired into what a society called and labels them as a career woman. The education that the women get, has directly evolved from providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills which allowing the female gender to develop a family and to handle a household to a wider range and broader knowledge of education that will benefit them when they step into a career diversity thus allow them to obtain a higher level of social status in the society apart from becoming a educated members. Nowadays, the advertisement in the 21st century are definitely a different and showing a progress by showing a clearer and bold statements which consists a wider range of diversity regarding women in this new century.
Empowerment of Women in the New Era
Jones New York Advertisement
Most of the advertisements are no longer portraying women as the weaker creature compared to male gender. In these days, print advertisements are found globally and focusing on women empowering. An advertisement by Jones New York a trusted brand for successful women through a classic fashion that is timeless and always appropriate. is a good example to show the women empowerment. The advertisement is portraying women in a very professional manner despite as a modern and career women. With this kind of image, it is automatically shown that women have become more mature and they’ve take a step forward to take over the world and left the men behind. Sama (2004) mentions that ‘The modern career women are equipped with higher education and rich cultural together with a powerful drive to boast a multi layer of image than the female predecessors’.
Gucci Advertisement
Gucci, one of the world famous brands with its renowned fashion brand has also created a huge impact via it’s advertisement in telling the society how powerful the female gender in today’s society. A few of Gucci advertisement is clearly to show the women accessory matter the most and not the men. It is her fashion accessories are more important. Referring to the Gucci advertisement, there’s a male model in all the advertisement but it has been camouflaged and the women images with the product are clearer and compared the male model. Again, it shows how important women in this era. ‘Self-esteem has profound and belief to be a consequences in every aspect of our existences’ as what self-esteem guru, Branden (1994, p.5) stressed.
Dolce & Gabbana Advertisement
Dolce & Gabbana is one of the famous brands and also considered as a celebrity favourite brands because it uses a famous icon like Madonna, Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bundchen and Claudia Schiffer as their faces for their advertising campaign. Just look at the Madonna’s advertisement, she’s been portrayed as the one who take control over the relationship because the man are holding the groceries instead of her. Advertisement before are completely different from current situation because the roles of female and male are now reversed. In addition, Restall ( 1997, p.231) mentioned that ‘She does not out her life in a centre especially around men and she’s expecting her partner to be a traditional and fairly type which means many does not want to relate to a particular opposite gender but men are just there’. The great example to show that male are practically useless and nothing and become unseen in the presence of female. Female genders are no longer being depicted as one of the weakest creature on earth compared in the olden days.
Conclusion
Women has evolved a lot in the 20th century and it was also mentioned by Sama (2004) that ‘The desire that beneath in women has put themselves in advance towards their career which requires them to commit to years of competition and effortless work in establishing a stable and convenient working environment. In order to achieve all this, means stay late nights at the office and frequent business trip which result less time to maintain a relationship or to develop a family’. Women today’s are very much highly motivated and idealistic towards their ambitions compared to the olden days because women in the new millennium are no longer allowing themselves to be stepped on by the society especially by the opposite gender.
In today’s globalisation, women lives have changed drastically over past hundred years and believe it, it will continue evolve in the future. Women are beginning to be as busy and competitive as men while trying their very best to be at the same level as the men. Despite from the current office works, women are venturing into new sectors in the industry and they are most likely to be noticeable and outshine compared to men in these new careers. Therefore, women are changing the roles of gender in the society and last but not least, it is safer for the media and the advertising industries to play a major role and to open their eyes in order to help the society and to shape the way on how the public should adhere to one another, regardless of their sexes and gender.
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