Sexism In Advertising

8 Pages 1910 Words

Abstract:
Sexism is as pervasive in American culture as consumption is. In a society that is media driven, what is the impact of the media’s gendered language, idealized bodies and sexual stereotypes brought forth in an effort to get one to purchase a product? If sexism is truly ingrained into advertisements, what impact does this steady barrage of degradation have on the viewer, the intended audience, and more importantly on the consumption patterns? The hypothesis that sexism in ads leads to greater attention to the ads, as well negative feelings from the objects of the ads holds true. This is likely because males are the center of the advertising community, and women are disenfranchised from being the intended receiver of advertising.

Sexism, defined as “behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex”, is as pervasive in American culture as consumption is. In a society that is media driven, what is the impact of the media’s gendered language, idealized bodies and sexual stereotypes brought forth in an effort to get one to purchase a product? If sexism is truly ingrained into advertisements, what impact does this steady barrage of degradation have on the viewer, the intended audience, and more importantly on the consumption patterns?
Sexism in advertising
This is a culture driven by entertainment and media. The average child in the United States watches over 1095 hours of television a year (Hager, 1997), with over 360 hours of commercial programming included in that figure. In a study of the existing three television networks in 1987, there were over 65,000 sexual references broadcast that year during prime time afternoon and evening hours. This averaged 27 sexual messages per hour (Key, 1989). Of these ads, a large number will feature slogans such as “Kid tested, mother approved”, “Choosy moms choose Jif”, or “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile”. These gendered...