Women For Sale How advertisers use the media to degrade women… and how we let them.

1. Women For SaleHow advertisers use the media to degrade women…and how we let them.

2. How did it begin?Vintage Ads: 1890-1920s • Many of the earliest ads were focused on the product itself. Women were often used as a target audience as they were the primary caregivers and homemakers. This ad praises the wonders of Jell-O .

3. Classic Vintage Ads Promoting the Product • Some ads seem clearly sexist, but they are more a reflection of the time. Above, one happy homemaker manages to find time for a Coke.

4. Getting Suggestive with the images and the textPost WWII ads suggested more than the benefits of a particular product. Below, an ice skater thrills male onlookers with her “Springmaid” fabric skirt. The women in the “Maidenform” bras wear animal masks. Why?

5. The ideal woman.It is interesting to see how the ideal woman fifty years ago was NOT skinny. These ads offer help in GAINING weight. Skinny women should do all they can to look more full figured. This trend is most likely a “Marilyn Monroe” effect.

6. The Insecure WomanInsecure women began making an appearance in the late 40s and early 50s. The woman on the left has been “locked out” from her husband because she forgot to douche. The woman on the right worries that her husband, who has clearly aged better than she has, will want a younger woman soon.

7. Getting the Message AcrossDuring WWII, many women got a taste of independence by joining the work force since so many men had left the factories to go to war. Ads from the forties and fifties clearly reinforced the idea that a woman’s natural place was in the home.

8. Some interesting messages here

9. And here…

10. Moving Forward?The sixties and seventies were a turbulent time in American history. However, images of women in the media remained limited. There were only a few roles a woman could fill. • First, there was “the mother figure,” which here we see a twisted version of in this American Airlines ad.

11. Moving Forward? • Then, there was “the child-woman,” shown here in this creepy ad that sexualizes a little girl. Notice the shape of the perfume bottle. The seventies saw an increase in phallic imagery in both ads and products.

12. Moving Forward? • Finally, there was “the sexualized woman,” or the “tramp/mistress.” She was often hard to control, but still desirable. She, of course, was not the girl a man would marry. Thus, she was often shown in pieces only. What does the image of a “dismembered” woman imply?

13. Contemporary adsToday, there are several ways advertisers use women in their ads. One popular strategy utilizes women’s sexuality, which is often unrelated to the product. Notice the phallic symbols in these ads.

14. Sex is PowerThese sexual ads clearly target a male audience and readership. The woman on the left “gets chucked” with another male holding a bizarre phallic object nearby. On the right, the woman waits expectantly for whatever violation is in store for her. Read the copy (text) on that ad.

15. More disturbing ads that use sex in a way that dehumanizes women. What are the products here? Read the copy.

16. What are we telling the women of our culture? What do men think of the women in these ads? What do women think of themselves when they see these ads?

17. Violence against WomenIn addition to using sex, advertisers now will often use violence against women to sell products. Notice how the product itself is no longer the focus of the ad. These ads are for jeans.

18. One woman here holds on to the back of a car in a pun on “bass yourself.” On the right, it is clearly cool to wear “wife beater” tee shirts-the product’s name itself is offensive; yet this couple wears their team tees with pride.

19. Sex and Violence Together-How niceSome ads combine sex and violence. Here is an ad for a popular fashion line that is very disturbing. What seems to be happening in this scene?

20. Here, a woman seems to be ripped apart in a perfume ad while the woman on the right is “bound to serve” the customer as mercilessly as the web server does.

21. Still InsecureJust like those ads from the past, ads today still target women’s insecurities. Women can be easily replaced by a mistress or at least a younger version of herself.

22. The Shallow WomanHowever, now there are some new roles for women to fill. There is the shallow woman, who cares only for her man’s money, car, jewelry…

23. The dumb nymphomaniacWomen are also portrayed as brainless bimbos who really just want guys to have sex with them, as seen in these ads. Read the copy.

24. Imagine these ads with men or male parts in them. How would your perception or reaction change if two scantily dressed men, one holding an obvious phallic symbol, were in the left ad? What male body part would be pressed together to sell a car in the right ad? Would male versions of these kinds of ads ever exist?

25. Disposable WomenWomen can also be replaced by objects such as dolls that, apparently, can give men what they really want. The ad on the left is for jeans while the ad on the right is for an energy pill-consider the message there! What is suggested here?

26. How far is too Far?

27. What would a sexist ad that objectifies men look like? Since I could not actually find ANY ads that degrade and dehumanize men in a sexual way, these “ads” were created for effect.

28. Here are some superheroes who are clearly objectified-again these pictures were created-they are not real ads.

29. Notice that when we do see men’s bodies objectified in ads today, they are rarely dismembered, beaten, humiliated, gang raped, or emaciated. What would be the focus of such ads, if they existed?

30. Rather, they look like this. Compare the way GQ presents two issue covers, one with a female on the front and one with a male. Notice the headlines as well…

31. Rather, this ad shows the model using the product in a way that appears natural and comfortable. The male model here is happy-not emaciated, bruised, drugged out, or frightened like we see in so many ads with female models. This is sexy. This underwear ad is a typical example of a man’s body being used to sell a product. This ad does not objectify Mark Wahlberg in any dehumanizing or violent way.

32. Compare this to the perfume and jeans ads we saw with women. Why does our society violate our women and worship our men? This ad is one the most suggestive, sexualizedmale ads I could find. This ad objectifies the model more than most male ads do, but notice he is not threatened or dehumanized in any way.

33. Equal Rights?Rather than objectify both the sexes through advertising, ideally corporations should use their media power to equalize the sexes. However, what we more often see is a distorted view of equal rights. This ad claims to support women’s rights, but the ad copy suggests just the opposite.

34. This ad is for a professional woman’s journal. What is the message here?

35. Equal Power or White Power? When minorities are in ads, they are often positioned beneath that of the white person. Here a sexualized white woman is shown above a black male. Reflect on the image and text.

36. The truly bizarre Can the media dehumanize, dismember, or degrade women anymore than it already has? The magic of technology now allows advertisers to manipulate photos into women who do not exist.

37. Get Wired!This ad is for a cyber server which claims to double your power. Notice where a woman’s power is.

38. Then why do we continue to allow such disturbing images of women? Like the ad here, it should not be any less disturbing when the person in the picture is a female… If it is so disturbing to see men in sexual, violent, or even manipulated images such as this one…

39. …or an African-American…or an Asian…or any other nationality.

40. Would any newspaper allow this personal ad to run in its paper? • WANTED: SWF. Dead or alive. Body parts ok, no brains. Must be Big Breasted, long-legged bone jarringly thin. Shallow = good. Seeking nymphos who love S&M, bondage, whips, chains, and other devices. The younger the better. Over 30 need not apply.

41. So why is it acceptable to imply that very same message without all the text? Here, this woman is “beautifully executed.”

42. What are we saying to the women of our society? What are we saying to the women we love? What do we say to ourselves?

43. What should I say to these girls when they ask what it means to be a woman today?

44. This ad spurred so much controversy a few years ago that it was actually pulled from some shows and magazines. All it shows is normal women in their underwear-un-“photoshopped,” un- “airbrushed.” Why was this ad so upsetting? Are normal women considered freakish while ads with four-breasted women are totally acceptable? What’s Normal?Can we change our culture’s ideal of sexy?

45. Can we take the dismembered images we have of our women and reshape our interpretation of it through the copy? Zoom in to read the text.

46. Or can we start celebrating the women we are, the women we were, and the women we want to be?

47. We’ll never know until we try. • Being a feminist means wanting these things for women. It means demanding that women and men are accepted and treated equally in all areas: politically, socially, financially…

48. It does not mean being anti-male. Are you a feminist? If people were to ask if you were a feminist, what would you say?

49. When we study civilizations of the past, we consider not only the written texts and the unearthed artifacts, but we study the art, the images, the reflections the people had of themselves.

50. What will future generations say about us?