The effects of objectivization and sexism in advertisements on society

Creativity is forming meaningful new ideas and expressing originality. The marketing industry is filled with creativity, but it can be characterized as confusing or complex. The main goal of marketing is to promote a product and try to attract a potential customers interest. Different companies compete to construct ads they believe will stand out among all others. A Jimmy Choo advertisement depicts a woman unconscious in the trunk of a car while an African American man prepares to dig a hole. The ad supplies no caption and no clarity as to what product was being promoted. It seems as if this Jimmy Choo ad was selling violence against woman or murder along with their clothing and perfume. The marketing industry has become more sexualized and dramatized to the extent that people are put into a position that challenges their rights to gender equality. Hidden messages embedded within visual text eradicate society’s capability to view themselves as equal, restrict them to certain gender roles, and can lead to objectification. When viewing a photograph in advertisements, women are often seen in passive position while being overshadowed by her male counterpart.

From a young age man are taught that they need to be strong to be a real man and women are taught how to please others and not themselves, this people in society to struggle with their individuality later in life. Due to certain gender identities in ads men believe that they must be dominating to be masculine and women must be passive or submissive to be feminine. Aaron H. Devor author of “ Becoming Members of Society: Learning the Social Meaning of Gender” explains that “ Very young children learn their culture’s social definitions of gender and gender identity at the same time that they learn what gender behaviors are appropriate for them. (473). Ads showing men not being overshadowing are rarely seen because they contradict with the notion that all men must be strong. Michael Kimmel author of “ Bros Before Hos”: The Guy Code states that “ Masculinity is a constant test always up for grabs, always needing to be proved. And the testing starts early.” (547). Children’s psychological development play a big role in how they will find themselves and others. Moreover, advertisement companies use woman and men as objects to entice consumers and many advertising industries use stereotypes.

Media plays a big role in how society determines their views of certain areas. Since advertisers use the media to display their product they can create stereotypes that can affect both men and women. Advertisers purposely add subliminal messages to sell the happiness they believe the product will bring. Women endure portrayals of violence and discrimination in ads that cause them to face more objectification than men. According to Jean Kilbourne author of “ Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt: Advertising and Violence,” “ It is this link with violence that makes the objectification of women a more serious issue that the objectification of men.” (500). This quote signifies the dangerous power that advertisers have and how it can be used to objectify women. Kilbourne also says, “ Sex in advertising is pornographic because it dehumanizes and objectifies people, especially women.” (488). Advertising affects people’s attitude by simplifying reality and using stereotypes to interpret how reality should be. Gender equality focuses on the opportunities and rights given to men and woman regardless of race. Advertising is one of the leading influencers of gender inequality. They make the gender differences seem normal.

The Jimmy Choo ad reflects similar motives because it shows a woman being abused as if it is something normal to see. Using an African American as the aggressor follows stereotypes that black men are violent. Contributions to racial bias and stereotypes negatively affect what people think because it makes them think that everyone within a certain group shares the same tendencies. The continuous spread of false information about gender can lead to one gender believing that they are superior to the other. Embedded messages about gender in ads are often seen and provoke what viewers think. Kilbourne explains that “ Ads don’t directly cause violence, of course. But the violent images contribute to the state of terror, and objectification and disconnection.” (499) Within this text the author expresses some of the effects of seeing violent images. To summarize, some visual text includes embedded messages or ideas about gender or race. It is not simply a matter of hidden messages to sell a product, it is embedded messages that aim to change standard conception and turn it into a special meaning. The “ Jimmy Choo” ad featuring a woman unconscious and an African American male preparing to dig a grave for her burial shows the advertisers are sending a message about race and gender. Viewers of the ad assign ideologies based on their participation in social categories which form stereotypes. In their effort to display their product Jimmy Choo created gender roles making the woman appear as weak while the man was strong. Ads like these send a message that say gender bias is ok. It is up to the people in society to better interpret these ads and change the way the system works.