Sexism In Advertising

8 Pages 1910 Words

language ads connote a level of sexism that promotes gender roles, abilities differentiated by sex and discrimination (Artz, Munger, Purdy, 1999). Darker still are the ads using blatant objectification of women as simple objects to sell a product. From the beer commercials featuring women clad in bathing suits during snowstorms to dressing women to look like bottles of beer, finding examples of sexism is just a few clicks on the remote away.
A question of responsibility arises from this constant barrage of sexism in advertising. If there is such an abundance of sexism on television, what effect does that have on children? According to F. Buttle, cognitive development, attitude formation and change, and socialization are influenced at least in part by the exposure to media sources, which further influences gender role identity (1989). With such strong charges levied against them, the advertisers and corporations paying for the products advertised would have a considerable amount to say on the subject of the sexism, both object oriented and linguistic.
The American Advertising Federation calls itself the “unifying voice for advertising”. This special interest lobby group considers itself a mouthpiece for the advertising industry as well as the corporate sponsors of the ads. They have even gone so far to publish “Principles and Recommended Practices for Effective Advertising in the American Multicultural Marketplace”, a guideline for ethical and effective marketing. Throughout the entire document, there is no mention on sexism in advertising, nor is there anything regarding sexist practices in the industry (www.aaf.o...