Media plays a crucial role in the way men and women view themselves. Gatekeepers, or CEOs of corporate media companies decide what is socially acceptable by choosing to portray women in television shows, movies, and of course: advertisements. For women to be seen in a positive light, people must exert the necessary cognitive effort to realize there is a problem that exists, and needs fixing in the media.
The most prominent issue that exists is the way women are falsely shown in advertisements. Whether it be for a food, clothes, or even a kitchen appliance, models are continually shown in explicit positions, acting as submissive sex objects. Worse, Photoshop is then used to nip, tuck, and contort these models to the point that they do not even look like their original selves. When young girls are exposed to the advertisements, they start to believe this is the correct way to look and act in order to succeed in life.
Although these advertisements exist, the effects of Photoshop are better known, and people are becoming better educated in seeing that what is seen in the media is not always realistic. An ad campaign run by the clothing brand American Eagle, shows girls and women looking like everyday girls: they are not tanned, glamorized, and most importantly, they are not stick skinny. The purpose of this campaign is to show young women that you do not have to try and exceed unrealistic ideas of beauty in order to be seen as beautiful. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and women should be happy and confident, just for being themselves.
Another area that needs improvement is the way rape incidences are recapped in the media. When news anchors give a summary of the incident, words are used that do not show the real brutality of the event; words like corral and conflict will be used in place of harassment or crime (Wood 2013). In order for rape to be properly exposed as the offense it is, media needs to reveal the act, and not focus on what the victim was wearing, or side issues that have no effect on the actual event.
Additionally, women and men can bind together in pointing out the absurdity that continues to exist in advertising. The first step to fixing the problem is educating people of the readjustment that goes into advertisements, and the way women are seen in them. Campaigns such as Dove Real Women, and The Representation Project are seeking to provide this education. The Representation Project currently has an assignment on their website where people use the Twitter hash tag “not buying it” along with a farce representation of a woman in an advertisement or a news cast.
Although these organizations and others like them are successful, the main way that people can make an impact of the false portrayal of women in advertising is to simply be more aware and open-minded to the way women are viewed, or are not even seen in the media. Awareness is the first step in taking action, and changing this traumatic problem in society today.
The most prominent issue that exists is the way women are falsely shown in advertisements. Whether it be for a food, clothes, or even a kitchen appliance, models are continually shown in explicit positions, acting as submissive sex objects. Worse, Photoshop is then used to nip, tuck, and contort these models to the point that they do not even look like their original selves. When young girls are exposed to the advertisements, they start to believe this is the correct way to look and act in order to succeed in life.
Although these advertisements exist, the effects of Photoshop are better known, and people are becoming better educated in seeing that what is seen in the media is not always realistic. An ad campaign run by the clothing brand American Eagle, shows girls and women looking like everyday girls: they are not tanned, glamorized, and most importantly, they are not stick skinny. The purpose of this campaign is to show young women that you do not have to try and exceed unrealistic ideas of beauty in order to be seen as beautiful. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and women should be happy and confident, just for being themselves.
Another area that needs improvement is the way rape incidences are recapped in the media. When news anchors give a summary of the incident, words are used that do not show the real brutality of the event; words like corral and conflict will be used in place of harassment or crime (Wood 2013). In order for rape to be properly exposed as the offense it is, media needs to reveal the act, and not focus on what the victim was wearing, or side issues that have no effect on the actual event.
Additionally, women and men can bind together in pointing out the absurdity that continues to exist in advertising. The first step to fixing the problem is educating people of the readjustment that goes into advertisements, and the way women are seen in them. Campaigns such as Dove Real Women, and The Representation Project are seeking to provide this education. The Representation Project currently has an assignment on their website where people use the Twitter hash tag “not buying it” along with a farce representation of a woman in an advertisement or a news cast.
Although these organizations and others like them are successful, the main way that people can make an impact of the false portrayal of women in advertising is to simply be more aware and open-minded to the way women are viewed, or are not even seen in the media. Awareness is the first step in taking action, and changing this traumatic problem in society today.