Representation of women in advertising

Read these extracts from an academic essay on gender in advertising by Reena Mistry. This was originally published in full in David Gauntlett's book 'Media, Gender and Identity'. Then, answer the following questions:

1) How does Mistry suggest advertising has changed since the mid-1990s?
'Advertising has increasingly employed images in which the gender and sexual orientation of the subject(s) are markedly (and purposefully) ambiguous.'

2) What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940s and 1950s?
Looking at women's magazines in the 1950s, 'Betty Friedan claims this led to the creation of the 'feminine mystique': 'the highest value and the only real commitment for women lies in the fulfilment of their own femininity'.

3) How did the increasing influence of clothes and make-up change representations of women in advertising?
In advertising women seemed to increasingly be seen as a 'decorative objects'.

4) Which theorist came up with the idea of the 'male gaze' and what does it refer to?
'Laura Mulvey's (1975)' was the one that came up with it and it means 'scopophilia (the basic human sexual drive to look at other human beings)'.

5) How did the representation of women change in the 1970s?
Distinct images that became 'labelled as the 'New Woman', and that were seen as representative of the 'changing reality of women's social position and of the influence of the women's movement' (van Zoonen)'.

6) Why does van Zoonen suggest the 'new' representations of women in the 1970s and 1980s were only marginally different from the sexist representations of earlier years?
'Roles that women take on in these advertisements appear to be progressive (the employee, the active woman)'.

7) What does Barthel suggest regarding advertising and male power?
That there is no real threat to male power.

8) What does Richard Dyer suggest about the 'femme fatale' representation of women in adverts such as Christian Dior make-up?
That there is a 'misrepresentation of women's liberation'.

Media Magazine: Beach Bodies v Real Women (MM54)

Now go to our Media Magazine archive and read the feature on Protein World's controversial 'Beach Bodies' marketing campaign in 2015. Read the feature and answer the questions below in the same blogpost as the questions above.

1) What was the Protein World 'Beach Bodies' campaign?
To advertise their protein so there is more awareness of the product.

2) Why was it controversial?
The advert had a tanned blond girl and the business was suggesting that, that body is an ideal beach body.

3) What did the adverts suggest to audiences?
That body was an ideal beach body.

4) How did some audiences react?
It made the females feel shameful of their body as it wasn't the 'perfect' beach body.

5) What was the Dove Real Beauty campaign?
To have random all size and colours women shown in their advert to show there is no difference between women.

6) How has social media changed the way audiences can interact with advertising campaigns? 
Social media changed the way audiences can interact with advertising campaigns as it makes it an easier process for them to call out an advert they do not like.

7) How can we apply van Zoonen's feminist theory and Stuart Hall's reception theory to these case studies? 

8) Through studying the social and historical context of women in advertising, do you think representations of women in advertising have changed in the last 60 years?
I think there are a lot of changes from the last 60 years but it is not exactly the best the women are being shown in some of the advertisements. In some advertisements women are still being objectified.

MIGRAIN Final index

1) Introduction to Media: 10 questions

2) Media consumption audit

3) Language: Reading an image - advert analyses

4) Reception theory

5) Semiotics: icons, indexes and symbols

6) Genre: Factsheets and genre study questions

7) Narrative: Factsheet questions

8) Audience: classification - psychographics presentation notes

9) October assessment learner response

10) Audience theory 1 - Hypodermic needle/Two-step flow/U&G

11) Audience theory 2 - Bandura and Cohen - moral panic

12) Audience theory: Media Effects factsheet

13) Industries: Ownership and Control

14) Industries: Hesmondhalgh - The Cultural Industries

15) Industries: Public Service Broadcasting

16) Industries: Regulation

17) Industries: Brand Values and Lines of Appeal

18) Representation: Introduction - Taken trailer analysis

19) Representation: Theory - MM article and application of theory

20) Representation: Feminism - Everyday Sexism & Fourth Wave MM article 

21) Representation: Feminist theory

22) January assessment learner response

23) Representing ourselves: Identity in the online age - MM article & Factsheet

24) Ideology: BBC Question Time analysis and binary opposition

25) Ideology: MM reading on ideology and the wider media

Ideology: MM reading on ideology and the wider media

Ideology - final tasks (MM52 reading)

Page 34: The World Of Mockingjay: Ideology, Dystopia And Propaganda

1) Read the article and summarise it in one sentence.
In this they analyse the dystopian representation of capitalist society in the latest Hunger Games film and the series as whole, drawing attention to elements where media theory can be most usefully applied.

2) What view of capitalist ideology is presented in the Hunger Games films?
Capitalist ideology presented as the poor are kept under surveillance and the upper can punish them if they defy them.

3) What do the Hunger Games films suggest about the power of the media to shape and influence ideological beliefs?
Is caught under the dictatorship of President Snow, using constant repeats of previous ‘Hunger Games’ and airing the current ones live on TV to distract the masses from organising a revolution.

Page 48: They Live - Understanding Ideology

1) Read the article and summarise it in one sentence.
Sean Richardson illustrates the ways in which we are controlled and manipulated by the ideology of consumption.

2) What are the four accepted ideological beliefs in western societies highlighted by the article?
People should put their families first.
People should work hard for their money.
Women should behave in feminine ways
Look after their appearance.

3) What does Gramsci's theory of hegemony suggest about power and ideology in society?
Gransci defined hegemony as an important way in which those in power maintain their control through consent, rather than the use of force.

4) What does French theorist Louis Althusser suggest about ideology and consumerism?
He believes in two key forms of control:

• Repressive State Control, also known as ‘Repressive State Apparatuses’ (RSAs) through the major institutions of society. 
• ‘Ideological State Apparatuses’ (ISAs), such as the Church, the media, educational institutions, the family unit etc.

5) Do YOU agree with the idea behind They Live - that we are unthinkingly controlled by the media which is run in the interests of the economic elite? These are the big questions of A Level Media!
I think that the upper class do have a more wider control of what is broadcasted for people to see. I feel like we are influenced by the media but we have the control of what type of things we want to be influenced by now.

Representing ourselves: Identity in the online age - MM article & Factsheet

Read the Media Magazine article on collective identity: Self-image and the Media (MM41 - page 6). Our Media Magazine archive is here.

Complete the following tasks on your blog:

1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence, starting with the section 'Who are you?'
'We all involved in constructing an image to communicate our identity.' There is a difference between the person we 'think' we are the person we 'want' to be and the person we 'want' to be seen as.

2) List five brands you are happy to be associated with and explain how they reflect your sense of identity.
Apple-Modern
Micheal Kors- Classy
Instagram- Normal
Disney- Young
Adidas- Comfortable

3) Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean?

I agree that the modern media is all about style over substance. Such as celebrities they show/share a lot of their life out in the media most of them are positive as they want to maintain their reputation and image they have. Not always what they show is true.

4) Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' in one paragraph. You may need to research it online to find out more.
Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' is how the media covers the true reality of a story.
This is how Baudrillard presented his theory. Media changes up the narrative to make it more fun and interesting for the audience to watch. This would attract them making the show very popular and get them a lot of awareness.


5) Is your presence on social media an accurate reflection of who you are? Have you ever added or removed a picture from a social media site purely because of what it says about the type of person you are?
Yes I think my social media accounts are an accurate reflection of who I am and I have added and removed pictures from social media to represent what type of person I am.

6) What is your opinion on 'data mining'? Are you happy for companies to sell you products based on your social media presence and online search terms? Is this an invasion of privacy?
I feel like that is a good idea as it will give me an easier way of purchasing the product as I may not have to do much research about the product. This is an invasion of privacy but I feel like it can help the businesses reach their target market easier.
Media Magazine cartoon

Now read the cartoon in MM62 (p36) that summarises David Gauntlett’s theories of identity. Write five bullet points summarising what you have learned from the cartoon.

• 'Gauntlett argues that mass media texts offer us a more diverse range of representations than ever before, enabling sophisticates modern audiences to "pick and mix".'
• 'For Gauntlett, audiences actively process by media texts regarding lifestyle and self identity.
• For example the women's magazines they are there for the 'entertainment value whilst recognising their representation as flawed or unrealistic'.
• For 'Gauntlett, Mulvey's theories are influential but "rested on a monolithic view of male and female roles"'.
• 'Gauntlett also considers Foucault's ideas regarding "technologies of the self"'.

Representation & Identity: Factsheet blog task

Finally, use our brilliant Media Factsheet archive on the M: drive Media Shared (M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets) to find Media Factsheet #72 on Collective Identity. Save it to USB or email it to yourself so you have access to the reading for homework. Read the whole of Factsheet and answer the following questions to complete our introductory work on collective identity:

1) What is collective identity? Write your own definition in as close to 50 words as possible.

Collective identity is A ‘collective’ identity is one that is primarily based around a collection of individuals who share a set of traditions, values and a similar understanding of the world that surrounds them.

2) Complete the task on the factsheet (page 1) - write a list of as many things as you can that represent Britain. What do they have in common? Have you represented the whole of Britain or just one aspect/viewpoint?

• Food
• Houses
• Tubes
• Buses

3) How does James May's Top Toys offer a nostalgic representation of Britain?

The programme also dwells upon and explores aspects of British history: the history of the race track, the history of Scalextric and wider British issues such as the decline of manufacturing jobs in northern Britain and a sense of regret that many of these toys are now manufactured abroad, such as Meccano in France, for instance.

4) How has new technology changed collective identity?

Technology has enabled people to actively engage with the content of the culture around them and then go on to use it as resources for their own cultural productions.

5) What phrase does David Gauntlett (2008) use to describe this new focus on identity?

‘Make and Connect Agenda' Gauntlett argues that there is a shift from a ‘sit-back-and-be-told culture’ to a ‘making and- doing culture’, and that harnessing creativity in both the internet and in other everyday creative activities will play a role in changing how a collective identity is created.

6) What does Gauntlett suggest about creativity and identity?

7) How does the Shaun of the Dead Facebook group provide an example of Henry Jenkins' theory of interpretive communities online?

Fantypes became out of openings or abundances inside the content that were based on and extended, and that it was not as though fans and messages were self-governing from each another; fans made their own, new messages, yet components inside the beginning content characterized, somewhat, what they could do.

Persuasive Techniques

Create a new blog post called 'Advertising: Persuasive techniques'. Read ‘Marketing Marmite in the Postmodern age’ in MM54  (p62). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here.

Answer the following questions on your blog:

1) What does John Berger suggest about advertising in ‘Ways of Seeing’?

John Berger suggest about advertising in 'ways of seeing' is the 'advertisers must keep finding new ways to sell if consumers are to continue wanting to buy the products'.

2) What is it psychologists refer to as referencing? Which persuasive techniques could you link this idea to?

Psychologists in the field call this referencing. We refer, either knowingly or subconsciously, to lifestyles represented to us that we find attractive.

3) How was Marmite discovered?

'Marmite was invented in the late 19th century when German scientist Justus von Liebig discovered that brewer’s yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten.'

4) Who owns the Marmite brand now?

The Marmite brand is now 'trademark owned by Unilever'.

5) How has Marmite marketing used intertextuality? Which of the persuasive techniques we’ve learned can this be linked to?

These adverts continued the ‘love it or hate it’ theme, but also incorporated nostalgic elements that appeal to the family member with responsibility for getting the grocery shopping done. Paddington Bear is shown trading his well-known marmalade sandwiches for Marmite sandwiches. He is shown enjoying the taste, while others are repelled by it.

6) What is the difference between popular culture and high culture? How does Marmite play on this?

Royal Warrants of Appointment are acknowledgements to those companies that provide goods or services to the British royal family; since 1840, this approval has been used to promote products, with a warrant entitling them to use the strapline ‘By appointment to Her Majesty the Queen’ alongside the royal crest.

7) Why does Marmite position the audience as ‘enlightened, superior, knowing insiders’?

Postmodern audiences know the inside joke they themselves may become promotional
agents of the product through word-of mouth.

8) What examples does the writer provide of why Marmite advertising is a good example of postmodernism?

Postmodern advertising plays with this notion, too. The '#Marmiteneglect campaign is rooted in the ‘reality’ that jars of Marmite often remain unused in the backs of cupboards'.

Representation: Feminist theory

Media Magazine reading

Read Playing With The Past: Post-feminism and the Media (MM40, page 64 - our Media Magazine archive is here).

1) What are the two texts the article focuses on?

The two texts the article focuses on is Pan Am and Beyoncé.

2) What examples are provided from the two texts of the 'male gaze' (Mulvey)?

In Pan Am the women in the series use their looks and their bodies to attract the male gaze.

The text for Beyoncé while singing her song 'Why don't you love me?' "Beyoncé reinforces her 'credentials' by openly rubbing her chest and body, whilst playfully looking down the camera, clearly submitting herself to sexual objectification and openly acknowledging the 'male gaze'".

3) Do texts such as these show there is no longer a need for feminism or are they simply sexism in a different form?

Texts such as these show that there is need for feminism because she is objectifying herself and a women should not be objectified in any way.

4) Choose three words/phrases from the glossary of the article and write their definitions on your blog.

Patriarchy – An ideology that places men in a dominant position over women.
Nostalgia – A sentimental longing for the past, often only remembering the positives of the time.
Third wave feminism – Was a movement that redefined and encouraged women to be dominant and sexually assertive.

Music video analysis

Watch the Beyonce video for ‘Why Don’t You Love Me?’: 

 

1) How might this video contribute to Butler’s idea that gender roles are a ‘performance’?

Judith Butler has said that gender roles are a 'performance' and the different gender behaviour is socially constructed. In this video which from the warm colours and the costume looks to be in the 1950s and Beyoncé reinforces the idea of women only being housewives. Their job is to clean and cook and women do not know how to fix cars as seen in the beginning.

2) Does this video reinforce or challenge the view that women should perform certain roles in society?

The video reinforce the role of a women at that period of time in one of the shot beyoncé says "I gave you everything you want, everything you need" and then holds her chest she objectifies herself by doing that as this connotes that women are here for male pleasure and that is how to keep a man with you. this reinforces that idea of the 1950s.

3) Would McRobbie view Beyonce as an empowering role model for women? Why?

No because she is reinforcing the 1950s roles of a women staying home and cleaning as seen by the video.

4) What are your OWN views on this debate – does Beyonce empower women or reinforce the traditional ‘male gaze’ (Mulvey)?

Beyoncé I think in this video does reinforce the ideas of what the females had to do in the 1950s as clearly shown in the video. She also challenges that idea in one of the scene as she is seen smoking and female smoking is not seen as a good thing at that period of time.

Watch Will Jay's video for ‘Gangsta’:

 

1) How does the video suggest representations of masculinity have changed in recent years?

That you don't need to be strong and masculine to be a man in 21st century as in one of the song lyric is "I don't need to be a gangsta to be a man". Strong and masculine is one of the characteristics that are stereotyped for a gangsta.

2) What does David Gauntlett suggest about representations of men in the media over the last 20 years?

David Gauntlett suggest about the representations of men in the media over the last 20 years is that men and women are still constructed within some of their stereotypical ideas in the media.

3) What is YOUR view on the representation of men and masculinity? Are young men still under pressure from the media to act or behave in a certain way?

Men are represented as same way as women in the media now they are also objectified and now the pressure of media is influencing young men to behave in a certain way.

Advertising: Persuasive techniques

Advertising: Persuasive techniques blog task

Create a new blog post called 'Advertising: Persuasive techniques'. Read ‘Marketing Marmite in the Postmodern age’ in MM54  (p62). You'll find our Media Magazine archive here.

Answer the following questions on your blog:

1) What does John Berger suggest about advertising in ‘Ways of Seeing’?
John Berger suggests that 'all publicity works on anxiety'.

2) What is it psychologists refer to as referencing? Which persuasive techniques could you link this idea to?
Psychologists in the field call this referencing. We refer, either knowingly or subconsciously, to lifestyles represented to us that we find attractive.

3) How was Marmite discovered?
Marmite was discovered in the late 19th century 'when German scientist Justus von Liebig discovered that brewer’s yeast could be concentrated, bottled and eaten'.

4) Who owns the Marmite brand now?
Marmite is 'trademark owned by Unilever'.

5) How has Marmite marketing used intertextuality? Which of the persuasive techniques we’ve learned can this be linked to?

A common tendency in postmodern advertising is to refer to other media products. These adverts continued the ‘love it or hate it’ theme, but also incorporated nostalgic elements that appeal to the family member with responsibility for getting the grocery shopping done. 'Paddington Bear' is shown trading his well-known marmalade sandwiches for Marmite sandwiches. He is shown enjoying the taste, while others are repelled by it.

6) What is the difference between popular culture and high culture? How does Marmite play on this?

Royal Warrants of Appointment are acknowledgements to those companies that provide goods or services to the British royal family; since 1840, this approval has been used to promote products, with a warrant entitling them to use the strapline ‘By appointment to Her Majesty the Queen’ alongside the royal crest.

7) Why does Marmite position the audience as ‘enlightened, superior, knowing insiders’?

Postmodern audience understand what the media is trying to do they understand the joke which makes them 'enlightened, superior, knowing insiders'. They themselves may become promotional

agents of the product through word-of mouth.

8) What examples does the writer provide of why Marmite advertising is a good example of postmodernism?

'Hyperreality is seen as a condition in which reality and fiction are seamlessly blended together so that there is no clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins. Postmodern advertising plays with this notion, too. The #Marmiteneglect campaign is rooted in the ‘reality’ that jars of Marmite often remain unused in the backs of cupboards'.

Narrative in advertising

Nike has received critical acclaim for its February 2018 advert ‘Nothing beats a Londoner’. Embed the advert in your blog and answer the following questions: 
 


1) How does the advert use narrative? Apply at least three narrative theories to the text, making specific reference to specific shots or key scenes in the advert.
The three narrative theories that have been used is Levi-Strauss the binary opposition, Todorov theory and Barthes- Enigma and action codes.

2) Read this BBC feature on some of the people in the advert. How does the advert use celebrities and less well-known people to create stories in the advert?
The advert uses celebrities and less well-known people to create stories in advertising as this gives the less well known people to stand out so this helps them to stand out and make them more known in a 'world of media noise and clamour'.

3) Read this AdWeek feature and interview on the Nike London advert. [Note: this may now be behind a paywall - you can find the text from the article here]. How did the advert use technical codes (camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing etc.) to help create narratives that could connect with the audience?
There is mise-en-scene when the ball is in between the two male and then the camera work of where the camera shot is a close up. This suggest the significance of the tackling that was done when the ball was tackled of the guy. This gives the story a more of a smooth narrative so it can go along.

4) What representation of London does the advert offer?
London is a seen as a very multicultural society as there is a lot of people in there that come from diverse cultures. This clearly shows that London is a very diversified place to live in as people that live there are from around the world.

5) Why might this advert appeal to an audience?
This advert may appeal to an audience as their celebrity or youtuber might be in it so they find this advert appealing.