Gender Differences in Advertising Media - Essay Example

College Gender Differences in Advertising Media Society is a mirror. Social media is one of the most powerful sourcesof information, ideas and even notions for many people. Advertising is a great way in which so much is put across. Advertising is a powerful tool that enables different companies and social websites to reach people. However, there are many different gender issues that are portrayed in advertising today in the media. Children let alone grown-ups are exposed to more harmful gender based differences which have been reinforced mainly through commercials on television and on radio and on newspapers among other sources. Body It is important to note that commercials are the means through which, most if not all forms of media acquire money. Advertising is done on programmes, films, jobs, products, services and so on. The more the commercials, the better any social media service gets. It is also evident that the growing boys and girls today cannot avoid media because it is a technology village that provides so much through media (Dines 2011). However, the increasing gender biased differences reflected in advertising is alarming. First, more advertisements are sexist. They portray the girls to be more of victims and tools than they actually are. In most film advertisements, the thrill of murder, assault, harassment and sex is portrayed through women (Armstrong 2013). Girls are the ones who are victims mostly. They are also used to show sexual harassment and rape. It is a common way that involves the use of girls in a wrong way in advertising. It stems down even more in the films. However, these commercials are gender biased because viewers more so get an image that is wrongly portrayed not only for girls but for women. Secondly, the images portrayed display great use of generalization and stereotyping (Hetsroni 2012). This is more so true for boys. The men portrayed in advertisements have power, money, and independence. They are mostly in most cases portrayed to having a perfect lifestyle. This is a stereotype that places so much pressure on boys that they desire that only in life because that is what seems acceptable in society. Also, commercials on films portray boys to be more aggressive and violent than the girls. This is also a stereotype that rubs off on the students today. The more they watch television, the more their ideas are directed toward one focus. Third, there is great use of perfection for women. The appearance of girls who are in commercials seems to be that of slim models who have perfect language and a great desire for fancy clothing and they seem well able. These commercials however are gender biased because they reflect women as dolls who love gadgets and the image of beauty is tarnished. The girls have big hips, small waists, and flat tummies and so on. They also portray a certain view of beautiful women that rubs off well in boys. They begin to believe only slender girls are beautiful and it also places pressure on girls to lose weight, to want a fancy lifestyle and so on. Fourth, the commercials today are full of nudity for women. Especially music video advertisements. They portray girls as sex tools who are only interested in men’s power, money and wealth. Even in film commercials, these nudity for women mostly is meant to attract watchers. However, it makes girls seem as objects rather than people. They no longer are on an equal platform with the boys due to the nudity exposed on advertisements even on newspapers and magazines today. Exposing women as nude or with less clothing than men and making it seem okay is gender biased. Another form of gender bias in the advertising world of media is the excessive use of sexism in occupations. In the business world more so, an advertisement on jobs always portray the man as having a higher occupation, well-paying than the woman (Miller 2003). The woman is more dependent on the man, she has more time for the house and so on. Although this may be true in day to day age, it is wrong to stereotype boys and girls like that. It makes them believe that they are not equal. That boys deserve better occupations than girls which is rather untrue. Certain arguments may be presented against the issue of gender bias in advertising. Some people may say that the advertisements only display a fantasy world and not the real one. Especially for films. However, this is not true because these advertisements give a certain reflection of boys and girls that more often than not is untrue. Also, against these argument, others may say that advertisements sell more when girls are portrayed as tools. The use especially of nudity and fully dressed men in advertisements is seen to reach more audience (Dasgupta 2012). However, it is not only biased but also sexist to use girls as a way of attracting viewership. More advertisements should be created that place women and men on a similar platform. This will enable children to grow in a safer environment without having the wrong notions. Moreover, it is proven that the more young adults watch commercials on television, the more violent and aggressive they become. Both boys and girls have clearly deteriorated socially due to the negative energy portrayed in commercials. They may desire to have these perfect bodies for girls, boys may desire more because they are seen as competitive and independent in advertisements. This shows clearly that gender differences that are used in advertising today are creating a greater loss than good in the boys and girls today. Discussions made by boys and girls about how they feel on the advertisements today reveal a lot about the ongoing gender issues in media. More boys believe that commercials lie about their identities. They also mention that the adverts place a lot of pressure on them to develop financially. The video game advertisements are mostly of violent games and they display a lot of aggressive tendencies. All these observations reveal that boys are not comfortable with what they are on commercials (Luther 2012). Also, they believe that sex is mainly commercialized through the girls on newspapers and television. The form of dressing exposing so much is evident and it makes women seem shallow. Girls on the other hand reveal that the view of perfection in girls on advertisements is rather embarrassing. They believe an overweight woman should once be used in a commercial to see how it goes. They also believe that they are more determined in life to achieve more goals than just clothes, sex and dependence on men. They also reveal that the nudity and fashion trends displayed in commercials place more pressure on them to reveal more to be accepted socially. All these information shows clearly that there is a great need to change the gender differences portrayed in advertising in the media today. Arguments against these notion are rather weak. If they stand, they will lead to more sexism and stereotyping which will only cause bigger problems for the boys and girls today and the growing children who cannot avoid television or media. There are so many images and videos all over that are clearly reinforcing gender differences in a way that is biased. Conclusion It is important for media in advertising and even different firms when creating an advertisement, to consider equality in the commercial. They should also avoid portraying both boys and girls to have certain characters consistently. This consistence in use of girls as tools and men as violent aggressive beings tarnishes the true agenda to create a balanced world for both genders. Stereotyping and sexism are clearly the main issues represented in advertisements among others. However, it is important to change all these gender biased reflections in order for children to grow up in a better world. Work Cited Armstrong, C. L. (2013). Media disparity: A gender battleground. Dasgupta, S., Sinha, D., & Cakrabartī, S. (2012). Media, gender, and popular culture in India: Tracking change and continuity. New Delhi, India: SAGE Publications. Dines, G., & Humez, J. M. M. (2011). Gender, race, and class in media: A critical reader. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications. Hetsroni, A. (2012). Advertising and reality: A global study of representation and content. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. Luther, C. A., Lepre, C. R., & Clark, N. (2012). Diversity in U.S. mass media. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. Miller, T. (2003). Television: Critical concepts in media and cultural studies. London: Routledge. Read More