The Dangers of Using Stereotypes in Advertising and Marketing - Research Paper Example

?Your F. 9 December Advertising: Breaking and Reinforcing Stereotypes The media constantly reinforces stereotypes of people's appearance whether it be through television shows, advertising including print, online and television commercials, music, news, and other methods. Stereotypes will classify people into the various sectors that “relate to their class, ethinicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation,” according to the Media Awareness Network (Media Awareness Network). It is not a given that advertising is used as a marketing device to make products seem appealing through various methods of propaganda using images and even stereotypes to get people to purchase their products. It is for reasons like this that newspapers are designed around print advertising, having to have a certain ratio of advertising to white space to be filled with copy. It is another reason that certain sponsors want to be associated with certain corporate events, particularly sporting. It is a known fact that the Super Bowl commercials are the most expensive to purchase for the air time due to the amount of people that are viewing. In a way, our media is defined by the advertising that surrounds it. Different forms of advertising are found in different mediums depending on their demographic to make them more effective. For example, you never see women's perfume advertised in a sports magazine. Likewise, there are typically beer commercials on during sporting events and there are toy commercials on during the Saturday morning cartoon time frame. It is all about hitting the target market and determining who the consumers are and presenting the products in some of the most appealing ways to make them sell. Unfortunately, the stereotypes presented in the media, particularly in advertising, create a schema in a person's mind. If you wear Brittney Spears' fragrance, you too may feel hot and sexy. If you wear Axe men's cologne or body spray, a man may have women falling all over them. Many times, these are endorsed by celebrities and that further reinforces the stereotype. This then adds pressure for the rest of society to conform to the stereotype which then may result in social issues. For example anorexia in young girls is becoming prevalent as a result of the reinforced stereotypes that they are exposed to. Their condition may result from the advertising they see in fashion magazines that show tiny women in glamorous outfits giving them an irrational complex of what beautiful really is. Women are not sexual play things such as stereotypes may reinforce in the media. Women do not have to be Paris Hilton, Heidi Klum or Tyra Banks to be considered beautiful. According to Media Awareness Network, stereotypes can be problematic because it “reduces a wide range of differences in people to simplistic categorizations.” Advertising stereotypes can also make people perceive these examples in advertising and group it in according to reality. The stereotypes are used “to justify the position of those in power” and also seems to form prejudice and inequality in society through advertising (Media Awareness Network). According to an article online, “Women Stereotypes in Advertising” on the Adland website, more ads targeted to appeal to women are mostly “cliched and offensive.” An interesting quote found in this article said, “We already understand that women are different from men. Now we need to understand that women are different from one another. They want to be catered to as individuals,” and is referenced to Rebekka Bay, the head of consumer trends at Enterprise IG. According to this article, women typically have the general buying power of products at a whopping 88 percent (Women Stereotypes in Advertising). I chose advertising that I found online to both reinforce and break the stereotypes of women and their appearance. As stated previously, women have the tendency that if they are not skinny, then they are therefore, not glamorous. Not every woman strives to be labeled as “glamorous” but something as simple as an everyday product can make a woman feel a certain insecurity if they do not fit the mold as advertised. That everyday product would be underwear. Upon researching this topic, I wanted to incorporate a giant in advertising that reinforces the definition of “sexy” according to a stereotype. Women wear underwear and bras not only as a daily thing but sometimes to just feel pretty. This media giant in women's underwear would be none other than Victoria's Secret. Currently, Victoria's Secret is splashed everywhere. They have an annual televised fashion show, calling their models, “Angels,” implying that they are heavenly, glamorous and innocent. Also, this is broadcast on network television, not on some pay per view channel. In addition to their annual fashion show, they also have numerous commercials, email blasts, print advertisements and catalogs that come by the dozens in a week alone. This is a constant reminder that yes, they have underwear to sell but they use something as overpriced underwear to also market sexiness. If you do not fit the stereotypical mold, you just are not angel worthy and at this point we could also note that of their products in the latest catalog, there is not a single woman who is not tousled looking, is wearing next to nothing, with her breasts and butt hanging out everywhere. Also, many of their bras are only marketed to smaller sized women as you can hardly find a bra in these catalogs that come in a size over a D cup and the PINK line does not go beyond a C. (PINK is a line of Victoria's Secret that is designed to appeal to older teenagers and younger 20-somethings). This is reinforcing the glamour of tiny underwear and perky breasts and this is the message they are continuing to send (Victoria's Secret Catalog). To further look at the reinforcement of women that are skinny, glamorous, perky and sexy in their underwear is identified in the following two ads by Victoria's Secret. Victoria's Secret Online Spring Summer 2010 Campaign. http://art8amby.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/ Victoria's Secret Behind-the-Scenes ad from online source, Photo courtesy of Victoria's Secret, (http://main.stylelist.com/2010/08/04/rosie-huntington-whitely-victorias-secret-incredible-bra/). In the first ad, you can see that it at does at least show women of all different races and ethnicities. However, all of the models are approximately the same height, same body type and have almost a universal appearance. They all look a little bit tousled and have a complete set of abdominal muscles, making them appear sexy. The second ad reinforces the same concept but uses doubles of the same woman who is about the same in appearance to the women in the first ad with the words “INCREDIBLE!” emblazoned across her perfect stature and tan body. These advertisements reinforce that women should be flawless, tall, and thin to be gorgeous. That is why they show these “perfect” women to market their products. If a woman looks at this advertisement, she will think to herself, 'I bet that bra makes my breasts look like that,' when in fact, they will never look like that of those airbrushed models. Women's bodies are all different, not of universal shape and height. The only thing that they nailed to make it appear that their products appeal to all women is the fact that one of the models is a woman of color but no where is there an Asian woman, just for example. They all have sassy looks on their faces almost as if the underwear gives them the confidence they need to take on the world. This indicates that if a woman wears Victoria's Secret underwear, they will feel sexy, confident, beautiful and glamorous. Putting on their underwear is not a magic wand though it seems that using this stereotypical set of advertisements makes it appear to be so. Now in an attempt to show women of all shapes, this set of campaigns is from Lane Bryant which is a store that sells plus-sized women's clothing. This does not necessarily hint that you must be plus sized to be a customer of their store but it does appeal to the plus-size stereotype. In retrospect, however, its advertising campaigns say similar things but without the stereotype implication. In general, Lane Bryant uses their advertising dollars to market their entire clothing line but without the saturation that Victoria's Secret does, even though Victoria's Secret carries clothing too. Lane Bryant though does have its own line of intimates including bras and underwear. The following image is an example of Lane Bryant's advertisement for some of their jeans that have “tighter tummy technology.” Lane Bryant advertisement. 3 Sept. 2011. Online at http://antof9.livejournal.com/251018.html. If you look closely, the models are obviously marketing the jeans line. However, due to the fact that they are topless, you can see their curves and “fat rolls” that imply that they are real, plus size women, whatever the definiton of a plus size woman is according to Lane Bryant. They still have sexy and sassy appearance but yet, they break the stereotype that all models are of a universal size. They are all curvaceous and yet appear confident and comfortable with their appearance. It is still an attractive picture, they are women embracing their curves but for some reason, people thought that this ad was inappropriate due to its 'soft-core porn' appeal (Ant-ness). But did they say that about the Victoria's Secret network runway show? To further discuss Lane Bryant's approach to advertising in correlation with their intimates collection, which is called Cacique, and there is a video that can be found at http://www.care2.com/causes/lane-bryants-plus-size-lingerie-commercial-gets-censored-by-networks.html among other locations it can be found online (even YouTube). This commercial shows a curvy woman getting dressed and putting on a red bra in front of the dressing table and shows her in her underwear. The voice over says, “Mom always said beauty is only skin deep. A smile is the best make up and it's what's underneath that counts but I don't think this is what mom had in mind...nobody fits you like the new Lane Bryant.” This indicates that they acknowledge that their intimates are sexy but also implies without any offensive content that it is designed to fit the average woman, particularly women who require fuller coverage in their underclothing. Both of the Lane Bryant commercials and advertisements indicate that sexy and well-fitting clothing can be found for women of all shapes and sizes. It still shows women half dressed but the Lane Bryant images are almost classier and more tactful. Others have not seen it in the same light, considering the Lane Bryant advertisements offensive. It does not matter what size a woman is to feel sexy or wear lingerie. According to the same website that shows the video, Fox and ABC wanted to censor the advertisement. Only when Lane Bryant threatened to pull their entire media buy did Fox finally agree to run the ad at the end of the network's popular “Dancing with the Stars” and “American Idol” television shows (Ramirez). So if the networks will promote one advertisers' lingerie line making an entire runway show out of it, why did they create such a fuss over one commercial that shows full figured women wearing basically the same type of clothing? Perhaps it is not just the advertisements that are reinforcing the stereotypes but it could be the media conglomerated networks themselves as well. Only when Lane Bryant released information about ABC and Fox's denial of airing the commercial did the issue come into light. “Ample cleavage” is the terminology used for refusing to air the commercial without editing. Women of fuller size are deemed “inappropriate, unintelligent” and are shunned on a daily basis states a comment from an online article discussing the issue (Mcclellan). One website made a statement in regards to the Lane Bryant vs. Victoria's Secret standard and they have a point: “Victoria's Secret models are ridiculously skinny, and the message sent out by the company's ads, shows and catalogues is that this is how normal women should strive to look. It's sickening! And the fact that networks are willing to allow Victoria's Secret ads on the air but not Lane Bryant's lingerie offerings is a completely unacceptable double standard.” This issue has some fuel behind it. What exactly is a normal size woman and why do we let the media interpret this definition for women? (Loud). It seems the Victoria's Secret advertisements indicate that women should be all of one size, they should be sexy, they should be tall and skinny, they should be seductive, and they should be confident. Lane Bryant also indicates through their marketing schemes that a woman should also be sexy, seductive and confident, however, they break the stereotype that a woman must be of all one size or height. Yes, Lane Bryant does appeal to a fuller figured woman as their target client; however, there is no negative pressure from being splashed throughout the media to become a fat woman or else you will not be sexy, seductive and confident. The Lane Bryant advertisements smash the concept and stereotype that women of beauty are all of one size. One thing about the two advertisement groups is that you have to have pretty underwear to feel sexy and appeal to others. That stereotype is clearly not true, but that is how they sell their products. Full-bottomed panties that go above the waistline are not something any of these intimate designers are going to advertise. It does not mean women cannot wear them, but they do not appeal to women as much as the luxury of lace, rhinestones, bold colors and perkiness. Consumer habits do not necessarily reflect on these stereotypes. It is obvious that all consumers are individuals and if these individuals did not have needs, there would be no need to conduct business. If there were no need for business, there would be no commercials and if there were no commercials, there would be no target demographic. However, there is a difference in a target demographic and a stereotype. Perhaps a woman is more athletic and has no desire to purchase either types of these undergarments. She may opt for something designed by Reebok or Nike for athletic support instead. Women cannot be categorized into mass impersonal groupings based on their gender nor their size, weight, height, curvaceousness or whatever factors are taken into account in these advertising groups. Many corporations still try to capitalize on stereotypes, using them as an easy indicator of what their target market is (Wolfe). Women are not all house bunnies, grannies, prudes, sports fiends, empowered businesswomen, sex objects or whatever category the media and advertising and marketing executives want to heap them into. Every one of them is an individual and the stereotypes unfortunately are present. As they are broadcast on networks, in magazines, on the radio, or on billboards, stereotypes were probably not created intentionally. However, stereotypes are constantly reinforced with advertising that is similar to appeal to that certain demographic. However, when it comes to women's intimates, what is the demographic? Shouldn't the products appeal to all women no matter what their interest, occupation, height, size, weight, sexuality, race, etc.? Unfortunately, these stereotypes and how these products are portrayed through advertising are pretty hurtful on the general society. Why does a woman have to look like an anorexic supermodel to feel beautiful? That is what Victoria's Secret's push is and due to their saturation, people are starting to believe it. Look at the influence it has on people that are vulnerable. Young girls are starving themselves to death and getting breast implants and going tanning and feeling insecure about themselves if they do not hold up the stereotype that Victoria's Secret continues to promote. There are very few young girls that strive to be Lane Bryant beautiful. They are scared to be plus sized, full figured women and do not recognize that the weight of a woman and her voluptuousness is okay to define her. It is to the misfortune of these young, vulnerable girls that the media as a whole are also reinforcing these same stereotypes. Whether or not these advertisements are correct, the brands that market these products are trying to fit the needs of these consumers and some of these consumers have the need to be identified and usually that is of thin and glamorous rather than just normal and beautiful just the way they are. Works Cited Ant-ness (article), Lane Bryant (image). “Oh, Lane Bryant...” 3 Sept. 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. Loud, Katie. “Revisiting the Fat vs. Thin Debate.” Zelda Lily: Feminism in a Bra. Zeldalily.com 13 Aug. 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. Mcclellan, Steve. “Lane Bryant Says Fox, ABC Censored Spot.” Adweek. 20 April 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. Media Awareness Network. “Media Stereotyping-Introduction.” Media Awareness Network, MNA, n.d., Web. 8 Dec. 2011. Ramirez, Ximena (article), Lane Bryant (video). “Lane Bryant's Plus-Size Lingerie Commercial Gets Censored by Networks.” 21 April, 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. Video link: http://www.care2.com/causes/lane-bryants-plus-size-lingerie-commercial -gets-censored-by-networks.html. Victoria's Secret Catalog. Fall Casual 2011, Victoria's Secret: Columbus, Ohio. (2011) 1.1. Catalog. Victoria's Secret. Victoria's Secret Online Spring Summer 2010 Ad Campaign. 2010 March 18. Art8Amby. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. Wolfe, Lahle. “The Dangers of Using Stereotypes in Advertising and Marketing.” About.com. n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. “Women's Stereotypes in Advertising.” Adland. 30 Sept. 2004. Web. Zambrano, Katie-Hintz (article), Victoria's Secret (photo). “Rosie Hunting-Whiteley on Victoria's Secret Incredible Bra-Plus, Behind-the-Scenes Look at New Ad.” Stylelist.com. 4 Aug. 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. Read More