The Image of Women in Advertising - Essay Example

ADVERTISEMENT GONE TOO FAR By Location Advertisement Gone Too Far Introduction Since the twentieth century, advertisements have featured women. Over the years, advertisers have sexualized women and portrayed them as sexual objects. It is evident that different media forms have exploited women as they have been represented in highly sexual contexts. Such depiction of women was unacceptable and highly criticized in the early days. However, the society has slowly accommodated the sexualisation and the objectification of women. It is unfortunate that most of the women posing nude for advertisements do not recognize the message they are sending to the audience. Many young girls are negatively affected by the increased sexualisation and objectification of women a factor that makes them try to imitate the models that appear in advertisements. Many companies have relied on highly sexualised advertisements to promote their products. For example, the American Apparel has a long history of sexualizing women in their advertisements. This paper will carry out a critical analysis of how women have been sexualized and objectified and how the American Apparel notoriously represented sexualized women as they promoted their products. History of the Depiction of Women in Advertisements The globe has witnessed an entire century of women depicted in the advertisement. The first depiction of a woman in the advertisement was in 1912 during the suffrage movement. During that era, many women activists advocated for their rights to vote. Marketers and advertisers sought to use the campaigns to their advantage. Therefore, they depicted women in the promotion of the Nebo cigarettes. The advertisements targeted men who were commonly disgusted or offended by the “sass” of a suffragette. The same advertisement was also appealing to women who wanted to indulge in smoking for the first time. Therefore, the advertisement supported the push for women to have equal rights. In 1923, Listerine launched an advertisement that featured a model named Edna. In its bid to promote the mouthwash, the advertisement emphasized that all women wanted to get married. However, factors, factors such as bad breath prevented them from becoming the bride. In 1925, women promoted the lucky cigarettes. Notably, smoking was still viewed as a habit for men and women who smoked were viewed negatively (Yan, Ogle, & Hyllegard 2010, p. 213). However, the Lucky Company focused on developing cigarettes that specifically targeted women. 1936 marked the emergence of the first nude woman in an advertisement for the Woodbury Soap. The Woodbury advert marked a new beginning that would see more and more companies depicting naked women in different advertisements. In 1942, women appeared in advertisements that urged other women to form part of the workforce during the second World War. The war period introduced numerous changes as it saw women take up careers outside the home. The depiction of women in advertisements sought to urge all the women folks to gladly accept the new challenge of diversifying their career options. In 1948, a company named Lysol promoted a feminine hygiene product by portraying a woman who had lost her feminine appeal because of using the wrong hygiene product. Evidently, the advert marked the beginning of the sexualised content in advertising. In 1968, a more expressive cigarette advertisement titled “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby” by Virginia Slims created a buzz in the media (Vizard 2014, p. 1). The company had specifically launched thinner cigarettes targeting women. During this time, many women had embraced smoking and it was becoming slowly acceptable in the society. In the 1970s, airline companies launched sexist advertisements that depicted flight attendants as sex objects. In one of the advertisement, titled Fly Me by National Airlines that featured a flight attendant attracted a measure of criticism because it promoted sexual context. The AT&T Company depicted women in a different perspective by representing a female phone installer. In 1978, the depiction of women in advertisements promoted the ideology of a super woman. Companies such as Calvin Klein promoted sexist adverts in the 1980s and the 1990s. In the twenty-first century, the depiction of women in adverts has been hypersexual. Companies such as Nike, American Apparel, and others have represented women as sexual objects that can easily be exploited. In the United Kingdom, the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) serves as the regulatory body, ensuring that inappropriate advertisements do not end up misleading the public. The history of the body dates back to the 1950s up to date. The ASA has been keen on banning advertisements that prove to be inappropriate, especially those that depict highly sexualized content. For example, the ASA has banned American Apparel adverts that depict young girls. In one of the adverts, the American Apparel used a model aged twenty years who exposed a great percentage of her body. The ASA had the conviction that the advert would have negative effects on the society as it would lead to the sexualisation of young teenagers (Yan, Ogle, & Hyllegard 2010, p. 220). Despite the stringent standards established by the ASA, some companies have continued to depict sexual content by featuring nude women. The society has had double standards because advertisers use women who are nude to promote different products. However, when male models are hired to promote similar products, they are well dressed and covered. Inequalities between men and women are also evident in modern workplaces with men having the privileges of holding higher offices and receiving remarkable salary packages. American Apparel and its Sexualized Advertisements The American Apparel is a clothing company founded by Dov Charney. The company has received a negative reputation because it has continuously depicted sexualised women in numerous advertisements. Notably, the founder of the company is described as having a questionable character because of claims filed against him. The company is a remarkable manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of basic apparel as well as accessories that target women, men, and children. The company has penetrated the United States market, Canada, as well as the international market. The America Apparel brand provides clothing for the edgy people in the society (Vizard 2014, p. 1). To promote the brand, Charney sought to use objectified and sexualized women. Since the company’s foundation, it has been criticized for its commitment to sexualise young women while it claims that its products are unisex. Available at http://blog.soton.ac.uk/rcs/2014/12/01/ethical-issues-american-apparel-advert/ The image presented above is one of the examples of the extremely sexualised and objectified women in American Apparel advertisements. The advert featured a young female model instructed to pose on a white duvet and in an extremely provocative and sexual position. A close analysis of the model reveals that she has hardly any clothing. The graphic block that bears the “American Apparel” brand name is the only thing that prevents the model from, being entirely nude. The American Apparel sought to use the shock factor in this advert. The company seems to have noted an increasing preference for sexual content in the society. Therefore, the company relies on sexualizing women in a bid to increase profitability. After the launching of the highly sexualized advert, the company registered increased sales, indicating that the society was receptive to such advertising (Vizard 2014, p. 1). The American Apparel relies on hypersexual and young looking models in many of the advertisements. The company has developed techniques of using raw imagery with the models having no make up a factor that may serve to deceive the audience that they are much younger. The strategy of using less glamorous models who pose in their natural way yet in a hypersexual manner has been the focus of the American Apparel. Charney argued that the adverts only represented a natural woman who is the target for the company’s clothing. Despite the numerous criticisms, the company remained reluctant to alter its advertising strategies. Terry Richards, the photographer in many of the advertisements also has a negative reputation for being a sexual pervert. Therefore, American Apparel has two leaders, namely the chief executive officer and the leading photographer of people obsessed with sexual content (Geier 2015, n.p). The recognition that the two were obsessed with sexual content explains why the company’s advertisements strongly sexualised women. More specifically, Charney faced numerous sexual harassment lawsuits. On the other hand, Terry Richards, who worked closely with Charney in developing a unique brand or the American Apparel has been criticized for his highly sexualized women in his photography. Many employees working for the company have admitted that Terry Richards prefers soft pornographic photography that served to make some viewers uncomfortable. Terry Richards has been credited for some of the highly explicit images representing nude women. Many of the models that he has worked with have claimed that he compelled them to pose in an explicit manner. The American Apparel focuses on unisex clothing. For example, men and women model Denim and Checked shirts differently. Women who model the shirts are less likely to button it and wear no pants. On the contrary, men appear in the expected casual look with the shirt well buttoned up and matching pants. Examples of such representation of men and women in advertising serve as evidence that women have been sexualized and objectified. The company has double standards for depicting men and women. Young girls are compelled to either pose without pants or topless. Despite the action taken against some of the adverts by ASA, the company continued to launch explicit advertisements until 2014 when the chief executive officer was fired. The new chief executive officer, Paula Schneider has highlighted that she will change the image of the company (New American Apparel CEO aims to bring order, culture shift 2015, n.p). With a new CEO, it is expected that the company will avoid explicit advertisements and rely on more decent ways of advertising. Schneider has specifically highlighted that the company will stay clear of racy advertisements initiated and promoted by Charney. How Sexualized Advertisements Affect Youth Culture and Women Many psychologists have sought to determine the effects of advertisements on people of different ages. There is evidence that the depiction of explicit images in advertising and by many celebrities has contributed to the development of undesirable attitudes in many teenage girls. A close analysis of all the American Apparel female models reveals that they are extremely slim. Many of the celebrities such as Rihanna also promote slim bodies as being sexy. Therefore, many teenage girls have the conviction that only the slim people prove to be more attractive. Teenagers with fuller bodies face self-rejection because they do not feel as attractive as their thinner counterparts do (Geier 2015, n.p). The effects of advertising on young girls have been deeper than the media depicts. In many cases, girls with fuller bodies are likely to starve themselves or adopt dietary regimens that are unhealthy to imitate the thin models. Many studies have revealed that young girls feel pressurized because the thin models have redefined the perception of beauty in the society. In many societies, people with fuller bodies are likely to be ridiculed while those with thin bodies receive the appraisal. The new definition of beauty developed by the popular culture and promoted in different advertisements ha had adverse effects on the society. Many music videos have focused on sexualising women from the lyrics to the dance moves. Many young people want to imitate the video vixens featured in different music videos. It is unfortunate that the media has focused on the objectification of women instead of giving them the power they deserve. Explicit images are available in different media forms in the modern day (Geier 2015, n.p). Paula Schneider, the new CEO of the American Apparel has highlighted that she is willing to transform the image of the company by launching edgy advertisements that are not racy. It is possible for the brand to avoid sexual imagery and use decent models to promote their products. The brand can depict modern tastes and lifestyles without the reliance on explicit images. Conclusion Without a doubt, the twenty-first century represents an era that has seen an increased sexualisation and objectification of women in advertising. Women have been depicted in different advertisements since 1912. Over the years, advertisers and marketers have focused on depicting highly explicit content by compelling the female model to pose nude in highly provocative positions. The American Apparel Company has been identified as one of the companies relying entirely on explicit advertisements to promote its products. Although the former CEO Carney viewed the approach as more appropriate, it led to a negative reputation of the company. The current CEO is trying to rebuild the company’s image by avoiding explicit images in its campaigns. Worth noting is the fact that explicit content depicted in advertisements has the potential to have negative impacts on the youth culture. Bibliography Geier, B 2015, New American Apparel ad banned for being too racy, Fortune.Com, p. N.P, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 May 2015. New American Apparel CEO aims to bring order, culture shift, 2015, Record, The (Kitchener/Cambridge/Waterloo, ON), 31 March, Points of View Reference Center, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 May 2015. Vizard, S 2014, American Apparel ads banned for normalising predatory sexual behaviour, Marketing Week (Online Edition), p. 1, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 May 2015. Yan, R, Ogle, J, & Hyllegard, K 2010, The impact of message appeal and message source on Gen Y consumers attitudes and purchase intentions toward American Apparel, Journal of Marketing Communications, 16, 4, pp. 203-224, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 30 May 2015. Read More