Definition of Sexism
Sexism can be defined as prejudice or discrimination against someone based on their gender, and it usually favors one gender over the other. It involves the mindsets, actions, and views that sustain the cultural, social, and economic disparities between men and women. In general, one field where sexism prevails is advertising. The average American is exposed to 3,000 advertisements per day (Jhally et al., 2014).
Starting from the 20th century, advertisements were used to objectify and stereotype women. One campaign claimed that “feminine odor is everyone’s problem,” emphasizing the stereotype that women must always pay attention to their looks and how they smell (Jhally et al., 2014, 0:40). Another more modern advertisement says, “Meet the artists that create the Designer Faces,” stressing the fact that women need surgeries to fit the beauty standards (Jhally et al., 2014, 11:42). According to the speaker, 91% of cosmetic surgeries are performed on women. From 1997 to 2007, the number of procedures rose by over 400% (Jhally et al., 2014). As a result, advertisements are used to control consumers’ mindsets.
Although much has been done to create an inclusive and equal society, sexism can still be found in modern advertisements. For example, a Swiffer advertisement for a home cleaning product depicts women as the only ones who can do household tasks. The commercial portrays a woman as the primary caretaker and housekeeper, reinforcing conventional gender roles (Swiffer, 2022). Ford also advertised its new model, the Ford Explorer “Men’s Only Edition.” According to the commercial, “it’s missing all the parts needed by women” (FordCanada, 2023, 0:28). Thus, recent commercials are, too, not devoid of sexism.
Sexism Targets in Ads
In general, after examining several advertisements, one can see that the sexism in ads targets predominantly women. According to the speaker, “a woman quite literally moves from being a subject to being an object” (12:51). Even though it is less common than it once was, men’s bodies are still discussed in advertisements (Jhally et al., 2014).
For instance, Calvin Klein Jeans’ advertisement demonstrates a half-naked man who covers his genitalia with a pair of jeans. As the speaker emphasizes, such advertisements are not comparable to those that involve women (Jhally et al., 2014). In the Calvin Klein Jeans advertisement, if the same sexism were applied, the advertisement would focus on the imperfections of male genitalia and how it affects men (Jhally et al., 2014). In general, while aiming to be entertaining, commercials that target women and their looks often convey a clear message: “if you’re not conventionally beautiful, you’re an object of ridicule and contempt, your worth depends on how you look” (Jhally et al., 2014, 16:10). However, men are targeted by sexism in ads; the issue is not as acute for them as compared to women.
Forms of Sexism
When people are depicted in a way that emphasizes power disparities and reinforces gender hierarchies, it is known as hostile sexism. Ads that objectify people, encourage violence or anger towards a specific gender, or spread unfavorable stereotypes are examples of this. As was stressed earlier, women are the most targeted group when it comes to sexism in advertisements, making them subject to hostile forms of sexism primarily.
One way through which one can see the manifestation of such sexism is the objectification of the group. In general, women are objectified in many ways, such as in a commercial by Heineken, where a woman is depicted in the form of a keg of beer, “a frat boy’s dream” (Jhally et al., 2014, 10:00). Here, the audience sees a woman as a source of gratification instead of a human with personality.
Other advertisements can focus solely on the woman’s physical appearance, completely disregarding her personality. For instance, Wonderbra accentuates the fact that larger breasts are more desired by the male gender, launching advertisements with Eva Herzigova as a model (Jhally et al., 2014). In another advertisement, the concept is to demonstrate a model with large breasts with cracks in the glass, alluding to the fact that her breasts are so large they cracked the glass on display (Jhally et al., 2014). Upon analyzing the advertisement, one can see how a woman is generally portrayed as a desired object and, unless she fits modern standards, is unwanted.
Article
Finally, abundant literature exists on sexism and its effects on society, including the 2021 study by Åkestam and colleagues. The purpose of the paper is to examine how gender stereotypes in advertising affect people of different genders. A total of 244 participants participated in the study (Åkestam et al., 2021). Each participant completed one of the four questionnaire versions. Every participant randomly received a booklet containing one stimulus advertisement and a questionnaire. The findings of this study indicate that the adverse effects of gender-stereotypical representations in advertising are felt by people of all genders, including men and women. Ad reactance is caused by men’s presumption that stereotypical representations of women have a detrimental effect on women, both in terms of physical attributes and role conduct.
Regarding gender role behavior, female customers’ responses to stereotypes about men are comparable to those of men (Åkestam et al., 2021). The existing literature on gender stereotypes in advertisements has, to date, primarily focused on women’s responses to female stereotypes. This study adds a much-needed cross-gender viewpoint to the field (Åkestam et al., 2021). The results show that consumers have a negative response to gender stereotypes.
References
Åkestam, N., Rosengren, S., Dahlén, M., Liljedal, K. T., & Berg, H. (2021). Gender stereotypes in advertising have negative cross-gender effects. European Journal of Marketing, 55(13), 63-93.
FordCanada. (2023). Introducing the Ford Explorer® Men’s only edition. YouTube.
Jhally, S., Alper, L., Killoy, A., & Earp, J. (Directors). (2014). Killing Us Softly. Media Education Foundation.
Swiffer. (2022). Renee’s cleaning confession. YouTube.