Sexualization of Women in Advertising

Source: acu.edu

A research conducted on the covers of Rolling Stone magazines found that 11 percent of men and 44 percent of women on the covers of Rolling Stone were sexualized in the 1960s. There was a huge increase in the figures when it was found that 17 percent of men and 83 percent of women were sexualized in the 2000s (Nauert 2011). There is an increase in the percentage of young men that wanted TV advertisements to be sexy, from 14 percent to 30 percent (Devine 2004). These advertisements focused on breasts, limited attire or hypersexualized images of the women to sell their products. These figures are alarming as the sexualisation of women in advertising hinders the healthy development of young ladies (American Psychological Association 2010). 

The article entitled ‘Sexualisation of women in ads a social norm’ states that ‘women continue to be portrayed as objects of sexual desire in advertisements’. There are high tendency for advertisements to depict women in an unflattering light. I think that these kinds of advertisements are unrealistic, distasteful and disrespectful to women.

The sexualisation of girls in advertisements hinders the healthy development of a young lady in many areas (American Psychological Association 2010). These advertisements can undermine a girl’s confidence and she will not feel satisfied with her own body. When they compare themselves with the impossible cultural standard for attractive and sexy appearances, they may be subjected to feelings of inadequacy and shame (Wolf 1991). This is because these advertisements portray an unrealistic image of an ideal women’s sexual attractiveness.

 

In addition to that, these sexualisation of women in advertisements can generate feelings of disgust towards their physical bodies. These may lead to serious mental health problems in young ladies, such as eating disorders, depression and low confidence.

 

In conclusion, parents and other family members can help girls interpret the advertisements that include sexualization of women in ways that reduce or prevent harm. Results from a field study suggested that parents can play a role in influencing the way their children interpret sexual content on television (Collins et al 2003). Young girls would then be able to understand that the sexualization of women in advertisements is unrealistic and inappropriate. Furthermore, advertisers must understand the negative consequences of the sexualisation of women in advertisements to young girls and stop depicting women in unflattering light in advertisements.

 

References

 

American Psychological Association 2010, ‘Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls’, Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, viewed 7 November 2013, <http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report-full.pdf>

Collins, R.L., Elliot, M., Berry, S., Kanouse, D.E., and Hunter, S 2003, ‘Entertainment television as a healthy sex-educator: The impact of condom-efficacy information in a episode of “Friends”’, Pediatrics, pp.1115-1121

Devine, M 2004, ‘New sexism’, Sunday age: Sunday life, pp. 15-17

Kanyakumari, D 2013, ‘Sexualization of women in ads a social norm’, The Star, posted 19 September, viewed 7 November 2013, <http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/09/19/sexuality-women-in-ads.aspx>

Nauert, R 2011, ‘Media’s growing sexualization of women’, Psych Central, posted 11 August, viewed 7 November 2013, <http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/08/11/medias-growing-sexualization-of-women/28539.html>

Wolf, N 1991, The beauty myth: how images of beauty are used against women, Anchor Books, New York