Advertising

Advertising throughout the years, as it relates to gender and race, has been very similar to our previous discussions on stereotypes unfortunately. Women in ads early on were portrayed as unemployed, incapable of decision making, passive, weak, emotional and dependent of men. They also slowly became more and more thin and were portrayed more in the home than outside.

Ads over time have shown us what to wear, how to look (thin), women are objects, sex sells, female subordinate to male, violence is ok and female dismemberment. By female dismemberment, I mean showing only parts of the female body - not the whole - to sell products, largely using women as sex objects without a brain or personality. Females are also shown as being there only for male gaze, and photoshopped to death to make images appear even more unattainable.

The effects of this are deep-reaching in society for women and young girls. These types of ads directly result in eating disorders, lack of self esteem, violence against women and little girls/women being seen as sex objects or body parts.

When discussing ethnicity and minority groups, the results are similar. Stereotypes are used heavily: Unlce Ben’s Rice, Aunt Jamima syrup, Frito Bandido, Red Man Chew, Asian laundry-doers, Taco Bell Chihuahua, Native American car and team names, Asians and marital arts and portrayals of lazy shiftless Mexicans.

Sadly, learning of these details and stereotypes in ads didn't really surprise me for the most part. We are all kind of aware of them on a certain level, and crazy enough, we all seem to live with it.