Media Depictions of Women: Sexist Ads Through the Years

The barbeque article really caused me to reflect on gender roles in the media, specifically in marketing. While it is easy to have an appalled laugh at sexist ads of the first half of the twentieth century, so heavily insinuating the lack of intelligence in women and, later, objectifying them, it is necessary to acknowledge the continuation of this tactic in today's marketing.

Here are some of the wildly deplorable examples from the earlier half of the 20th century:

Both are kitchen-related, and obviously insinuating a woman's place is doing the cooking. The second one also heavily hints at females as being simple minded, promising the thermometer is easy to read and wash.


The problems with these ads are clear, and we laugh at how outlandish they are compared to the world today. Yet, here are a couple examples from the last couple years:

While these ads aren't placing women in the kitchen, they are highly sexualizing them, and showing them in submissive situations and positions. While the first two are overtly objectifying, I find the title of the perfume in the third paired with the picture of her being physically dominated equally bothersome.

I have no solution to this issue, nor do I think it will change anytime soon. However, by acknowledging what the media is doing, and drawing attention to it with students in a middle years classroom, it is possible to create awareness from a young age and challenge the views which are being put forth.

Hegemony

“normal” English

power decides what is 

        Normal

colonialism- Power

ideologies produce discourses, hegemony: 

        what is Common Sense?

language.