Sexism and objectification of women is a very current and harmful issue, but it is still widely used in advertising. Paul Suggett and his article called The Objectification of Women in Advertising: How Advertising Often Treats Women As a Commodity explain that the Barbie Doll became a new prototype of perfect woman thanks to advertising.
(genderdisplays, n.d.)
The author argues that “at an early age, men are programmed to desire the Barbie Doll woman. […] They [women] should aim to have long legs, perfect skin, beautiful hair, and an impossible body,” (Suggett, 2019). But we need to realize that this woman is not real, she does not exist. The author has applied the fact that woman is just a human being. “Every woman has imperfections because every woman is human,” (Suggett, 2019). Consequences might be currently perceived in a real world in a form of sexual harassment at work place.
(Granja-Sierra, 2015)
Definitely, the number of advertising campaigns using sexism is still higher than the number of ones that do not sexualized their advertisements. At the same time, there might be seen a progress from the past.
“Several brands, including Dove and Aerie, have moved away from the images of perfection of the past. They claim to be “Photoshop-free” and celebrate real, diverse women. Beer brands are moving away from semi-naked models. The craft beer movement is on the rise, and they do not need Playboy bunnies to help them sell inventory – although, sadly, the majority of men will still be attracted to cliched sexy images,” (Suggett, 2019).
At the end, the author has also encouraged readers working in advertising agencies to try moving their clients away from “Photoshopped images of Barbie Doll women,” (Suggett, 2019).
Reference:
Granja-Sierra, V. (2015, April 5). How Ingrained Are The Unrealistic Standards Barbie Has Inflicted On Young Girls?. [digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.girltalkhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Screen-Shot-2015-03-09-at-1.35.57-PM-e1425933479408.png
genderdisplays. (n.d.). Theory: Sexual Objectification. [digital image]. Retrieved from https://genderdisplays.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/front-page1.png?w=300&h=249&zoom=2
Suggett, P. (2019, January 28). The Objectification of Women in Advertising
How Advertising Often Treats Women As a Commodity. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/advertising-women-and-objectification-38754
Thank you for the informative article about objectifying and sexualising women. I liked how you gave the examples of companies which make women appear as sexual objects as well as the companies which are concerned about the real feminine beauty with certain imperfections which make us, females, humans.