Kristine
The way women are portrayed in the media has undoubtedly improved in recent years. The rise of social media made it incredibly difficult for brands to ignore when people complained of their sexist or downright insulting ads. Several major companies have launched campaigns designed to empower young women, spread body positivity, and address the harmful effects of idolizing airbrushed, picture-perfect models in magazines, movies, and commercials.
However, despite the progress that has been made, it’s important to recognize that the bar wasn’t very high, to begin with. Women have historically been used as “peripheral characters” in ads, according to the CEO of Thinkbox, Lindsey Clay. In early commercials and print advertisements, women faced jaw-dropping amounts of sexism and belittlement, such as this 1969 ad for cigarettes:
Frankly, I could write a dissertation about the negative implications of this single image. It shouldn’t have been difficult for advertisers to create less offensive messages than this. And while none of the other ads we’ll cover today will be as obscene as this late ‘60s example, it will become apparent that we still have a long way to go in regards to gender stereotypes.
The “Superwoman” Trope
The “girl boss” or “superwoman” trope has been a staple of women-focused advertising for decades now. After women were able to get a foothold in the professional workplace, corporations began to sell the idea of a woman who could have the best of both worlds. Unrealistic and glamorized versions of the superwoman pushed the idea that a woman could be the family breadwinner, an attentive mother, and a perfect housewife without breaking a sweat.
“These ads projected the illusion that women had achieved equality when in truth, they still continued [to face] sexism in the workplace and all walks of life,” reported an article from Duke University. Although advertisements began to show women taking on professional roles, their underlying messages told women that their main purpose was to care for children and maintain their beauty.
In other words, telling women that they could “do it all” was a way for advertisers to falsely sell the idea of empowerment and independence. In reality, the depiction of confident superwomen, who could easily breeze through life without needing anyone’s help, only led to feelings of doubt and insecurity in viewers.
Sneaky Sexism
Dr. Jean Kilbourne is a media critic who studies how women are portrayed in ads and how these depictions have real-life impacts. She says that we often underestimate how media depictions of women can disrupt the goals of feminism, such as advocating for equal distribution of care work and reducing domestic violence against women. “As long as we feel superior to ads because we think we’re too smart to be influenced, we are actually much more susceptible to them,” Kilbourne explains.
Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts, authors of Brandsplaining: Why marketing is still sexist and how to fix it, said that today’s ads are sexist in coded, subtle ways. For example, instead of telling women that there’s something inherently wrong with the way they look (such as outdated weight loss ads), many brands have started to tell women to be stronger, bolder, or more outspoken. “It’s the same trick of saying you need to change,” says Roberts. “But it’s moved from physical appearance to behavior and attitude, which is just as damaging.”
Sex(ism) Sells?
Ads portraying women as sex objects can be traced all the way back to 1871 when the Pearl Tobacco company first showed a nude woman on their cigarette packages. After sales rapidly increased, the famous phrase “sex sells” became a standard in the marketing industry.
“People are hardwired to notice sexually relevant information, so ads with sexual content get noticed,” explains Tom Reichert, author of The Erotic History of Advertising. However, in recent years, brands have had to come to terms with sexualized ads that get attention for all the wrong reasons. Fashion companies, like Dolce & Gabbana, have faced criticism from millennial and gen Z viewers who no longer accept ads that portray women as sex objects. The following 2007 ad, for instance, was completely banned in Italy after the Advertising Self Discipline Institute said it “offended the dignity of the woman, in the sense that the feminine figure is shown in a degrading manner.”
After being surrounded by explicit ads from a young age, new generations have a keen eye for ads that depict healthy sexuality versus ads that are overly sexual for nothing more than shock value. “Today, sex alone doesn’t sell,” explains Caroline Limpert, the chief marketing officer at Gelmart. “Sexual confidence, empowerment, positivity, and wellness does. We have changed the narrative to be personal, not about the act of pleasing others.” Now, we just need brands and advertisers to catch up to the times.
