Images of women in both men and women advertisements, portray women in atypical roles-sex objects. These ads focus moreso on female sexuality, and uses this as a bait to reel consumers into buying the products advertised. For example, the products advertised above consist of (from left to right): Chanel perfume, Tom Ford cologne, Tom Ford sunglasses, women's Nike sneakers, Ugg Boots, Budweiser beer, Francesco Biasia purses, Miller Lite beer, and men's Nike sneakers. In each of these ads, advertisers used beautiful, scantily-clad women to bait the audience into buying these products. Some of these ads portray the idea that women will be sexy if they use the products, and other ads portray the idea that men would be desired by women if they bought the products. Advertisers use what we like, what we desire to persuade us to consume their products. They know that long hair, big butts, and tight, firm butts are what many men are attracted to; therefore they do what they can to appeal to this audience. This is how sex is sold. Sexual attraction makes advertisers rich. They do whatever they can to draw an audience to their t.v. screens, mesmerize them, and get them to buy their products.
Kilbourne states that, "The sex object is a mannequin, a shell. Conventional beauty is her only attribute. She has no lines or wrinkles...no scars or blemishes. She is thin, generally tall and long-legged, and above all, she is young. All 'beautiful' women in advertisements (including minority women), regardless of product or audience, conform to this norm." (Kilbourne, 122). This idea paints a very real and vivid image of how women are seen as something to be wanted, something to be desired. Women are to be seen and not heard. Kilbourne's analysis shows us how women should be, what would should look like, in order to be attractive to men. This analysis shows us an 'ideal beauty' that women should reach in order to be attractive.
Wolf's article, "The Beauty Myth" supports Kilbourne's analysis. In her article, Wolf contends that, "The beauty myth tells a story: The quality called 'beauty' objectively and universally exists. Women must want to embody it and men must want to possess women who embody it. (Wolf, 121). The 'beauty myth' claims that the 'ideal beauty' is a goal that all women should want to reach. Women who do not desire to reach this goal are not considered beautiful, not attractive. They are not desired by men. Women should want to be appealing to men.
Both Kilbourne and Wolf's article give in-depth looks into how society really views women, and the positions or roles that they believe women should play or fulfill.
Both Kilbourne and Wolf's article give in-depth looks into how society really views women, and the positions or roles that they believe women should play or fulfill.
WORKS CITED
1) Kilbourne, Jean. Beauty and the Beast of Advertising. Los Angeles: 1989.
2) Wolf, Naomi. "The Beauty Myth." Gender and Women's Bodies (1991): 120-125.
