2. Read/Highlight Exemplar Essay -
Bianca's essay - What are the different representations of women in adverts and how are they signified?
The representation of women can be positive: challenging the roles and expectations of women or negative: reinforcing a patriarchal society. This essay questions how and why these representations are constructed in an advert for Gucci Guilty Perfume and Stella Artois beer.
Firstly the Gucci advert is in widescreen which connotes a dramatic cinematic experience to engage its audience. More attention is gained by the female character first seen in the text and her protagonist is signified through this. The protagonist has female dominance which is signified through the use of colour- everything is in black and white while her hair is gold/blonde. This colour connotes gold, power and divinity signifying her importance in the text.
The use of intertextuality in this text will appeal to a particular audience. The film references a great deal to the neo film noir Sin City, with the use of colour and the female dominant femme fatale character. Sin City appeals to a male audience due to the action genre, this trailer could also appeal to the same audience due to the intertextuality. In terms of the Uses and Gratifications theory, a female audience might realise and accept the protagonist in the text is a form of escapism and also a male gaze, by theorist Mulvey, and therefore might aspire, from Young and Rubicam's 4Cs, to be the object of male gaze too.
Though the protagonist is an object of male gaze, it could be suggested that she sexually objectifies herself to tease the audience. The protagonist puts her leg into the frame of the shot. As she puts into the frame, it signifies self objectification, allowing the audience to fetishise her body. Another shot, a high angle, of their sexual activities signifies CCTV and spying which is voyeuristic. The fact she is on top signifies her control of the situation for both the male character and the audience.
Not only does the protagonist exert her feminity through self objectification she also presents herself as an anarchic character signified by adopting male stereotypes. The advert begins with a long shot of an unknown character speeding down the motorway, which stereotypically would be expected to be a male character. However, the audience's expectations are challenged when a medium shot of the driver shows to be a female.
In contrast, women are negatively represented in the Stella Artois text. The most obvious editing technique used in the advert is the split screen: one side shows the female getting dressed and the other side is of the beer getting "prepared". This use of split screen signifies that neither the beer nor the woman know they have been placed side by side. This puts the audience in position of control as they can voyeur the woman, in a socially acceptable way. Audiences may identify this control as patriarchy, and also identify with the unknown male character whose presence is felt within the text. This text then reinforces the idea of a patriarchal society and that women are subordinated by men.
Not only does the female share the screen with the beer, but the screen is split equally between the two "objects" which connotes the woman is equally objectified to the status of beer. It is suggested the audience is male due to the female and beer subject. Though the advert is targeted at men, it also negatively stereotypes men as people who have little respect for women which however is a dominant representation.
A range of close up shots of the female are used to fetishise her body. There is a close up shot of the female's leg slowly and elegantly rising from the bath tub. On one hand this could signify femininity and her control over it which is the oppositional reading. However, the more dominant reading is that her legs are an important part of the female body and connotes a male audience who can voyeur her body.
The text near the beginning of the trailer says "the preparation" which is an enigma code as the audience question "what event is the preparation for?". It is signified through the shots that the woman and beer preparation is for the male through the use of action codes. Action codes of both the preparation of the woman and the glass of beer are the same.
Women are represented as people who prioritise their looks and appearance, and this ad reinforces this ideology. Action codes including close ups of her: brushing her hair, doing her make up and putting on heels strongly represent women as image conscious. It could be said that the advert reinforces this representation, which is always seen in the media. Funnily enough, it could also be said that the media itself is the cause of this representation as this ideal, perfect woman is always represented in the media, and women feel they have to aspire to it.
In conclusion, both texts females are the protagonists and are sexually objectified for male audiences to fetishise and vouyer their bodies. However, while Gucci’s advert’s protagonist controls her sexuality through self objectification, the Stella Artois’ protagonist is objectified by an unknown but present male character.
In the Gucci’s ad, there are many examples in the text that signify the protagonist’s female dominance, but it is arguable whether this could be seen as a positive representation. The dominant reading is that the protagonist exerts her female dominance over the male challenging the historical patriarchal society and even subordinating males as easily manipulated and easily tempted by women and sex and this would favour feminism. However the oppositional reading which would favour the ideologies of the Stella Artois advert, might be that females can control their sexuality, but it is still for the male gaze and male dominant society.
4. Understanding Post-Feminism -
Clarifying Concepts:
A more positive look at post-feminism:
In raising these questions, I am only at the beginning of figuring out what a more positive kind of post-feminist account of religion and family might look like, and so have no compelling summary to offer, let alone a call to a specific research agenda. In my own work, I do want to take some feminist insights for granted. But I explicitly reject the idea that strong feminist critiques have had their day and must now give way gracefully to approaches that favor a consensual and functional, or even communitarian, interpretation of the good society. I am feeling more combative, or at least constructively critical, about theories that neatly divide society into a “public” and a “private” realm, while systematically devaluing those feminine things (religion, family) assigned to the private (cf., Warner 1999). I am not sure where it will lead, but it feels right to begin pushing back the boundaries of post-feminism by asking a different set of questions.
Post-feminism as backlash to feminism:
What the hell is postfeminism, anyway? I would think it would refer to a time when complete gender equality has been achieved. That hasn’t happened, of course, but we (especially young women) are supposed to think it has. Postfeminism, as a term, suggests that women have made plenty of progress because of feminism, but that feminism is now irrelevant and even undesirable because it has made millions of women unhappy, unfeminine, childless, lonely, and bitter, prompting them to fill their closets with combat boots and really bad India print skirts.
I like this concept because it makes most sense to me. I believe Post Feminists have achieved so much but still have not gained total equality.
Post-feminism as a colloquialism:
It’s about deeply held political convictions, not to mention strategy. If there’s a wad of people out there extolling postfeminism and meaning “I think feminism is flawed and I’d like to see some goal-shifting, fresh tactics, and revisiting of contentious topics,” this isn’t just an issue of what’s going on in a speech group that doesn’t overlap with mine. It’s about defending feminism’s ground. Feminism is already doing the work that these (as I have come to think of them) non-evil postfeminists think comes with their prefix. And it’s beyond obvious that feminism suffers from its terrible reputation and from the vast misunderstandings that stunning numbers of people still have about it (no matter how many times it happens, I will never, ever get used to being asked if I hate men). I can’t help but see even the non-evil usage of “postfeminism” as a rejection of and attack on feminism, and an implication that the movement is finished. And that means I need to challenge it at every turn.
The ambiguity of the prefix “post”:
I’ve come accross the term used in the way Lurker describes, similarly, in academic circles, and for academic reasons I don’t think anyone should use it. The problem lies in the ambiguity of the prefix “post”, because post can mean since something commenced OR since something concluded. So, while technically a “post-feminist society” could mean a society since feminism began to be an influence, there will always be people who think you mean since feminism ended.
5. Post-Feminism Reading/Research
http://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/site/human/women/students/biblio/historiog/McRobbie%20-%20postfeminism.pdf
Bridget Jones’s Diary -
"..she has benefited from those institutions (education) which have loosened the ties of tradition and community for women, making it possible for them to be disembedded and re-located to the city to earn an independent living without shame or danger".
".. gentle denunciations of feminism (as in the film Bridget Jones’s Diary) co-exists however with the shrill championing of young women as a “metaphor for social change” on the pages of the right wing press in the UK, in particular the Daily Mail."
Wonderbra -
"The Wonderbra advert showing the model Eva Herzigova looking down admiringly at her substantial cleavage enhanced by the lacy pyrotechnics of the Wonderbra, was through the mid-1990s positioned in major high street locations in the UK on full size billboards".
Sex and The City -
"...capable of earning their own living, and the degree of suffering or shame they anticipate in the absence of finding a husband is countered by sexual self-confidence. Being without a husband does not mean they will go without men".
"Individuals must now choose the kind of life they want to live. Girls must have a lifeplan. They must become more reflexive in regard to every aspect of their lives, from making the right choice in marriage, to taking responsibility for their own working lives,and not being dependent on a job for life or on the stable and reliable operations of a large-scale bureaucracy which in the past would have allocated its employees specific,and possibly unchanging, roles".
6. Laura Mulvey -
Mulvey suggested that women in film are represented as ‘objects’, images with visual and erotic impact, which she termed their ‘to-be-looked-at-ness’. According to Mulvey the look could be ‘voyeuristic’ (women are viewed as virtuous and beautiful) or ‘fetishistic’ (women are viewed as excessively sexual beings).
Scratchy - Girls
The main and only woman in this music video is a key example of attracting the "Male Gaze". The popular saying about blondes is that "all blondes are bimbos", this is becoming an increasingly more common stereotyping associated with blonde haired women. The notion of the "blond bimbo" is generally determined by age - to most people they associate them as a young, sexy girl with long blonde hair, large breasts, long legs who is stupid and seemingly fake'. The stereotype has been very heavily built up and shaped by the media today. A key example of this is the women shown in this music video.
The way her body and clothing is fetishized through the use of close ups and long shots. Her gestures and facial expressions bring a sense of blank and inviting implications, showing her as a sexual character that men will fall for.
The way she walks around the house ansd street in nothing but a bra and knickers definatly shows the audience how she self objectifies herself and allows men to gaze at her.
The woman is making breakfast in her underwear. Her expressions and movements seem quite "bimbo" like and allow the audience to watch her with ease, as if she is a passive character. She is very sexualized as the camera close ups along her body from head to toe.
As she follows "Scratchy" down the street, she is seen as a helpless and week female who needs a man to "rescue" her. The "male gaze" enables the audience to watch her as she yelps helplessly down the road, making huge gestures and showing her body off.
She also cleans the house in her red underwear. The broom she holds in her hand could be used as a phallic symbol and could suggest some kind of sexual refrence.
Thursday 14 October 2010
Monday 11 October 2010
#5 Post - Gender and Advertising
1. What sort of images of women and men dominated advertising pre-1970s? Why was this the case?
Pre 1970’s commercials stereotyped women as household figures who stayed at home and looked after the children. Women were mostly shown in commercials for bathroom and kitchen products. Men were shown to be the powerful figure that also controlled the voice over. Also when shown in paid work environment men were shown dominant in suits and top hats whereas women were always seen as subordinate to men. Authority roles were dominated my males.
2. How did the advertising of the 1970’s continue to perpetuate the stereotype of women, despite depicting women in a greater range of roles?
Women were still shown weaker and less important than men as they were only shown in beauty, cleanliness, family adverts.
3. Can Gaye Tuchman’s quote regarding under-representation and the ‘symbolic annihilation of women’ still be applied in 21st Century advertising? If so how?
Yes this can still be applied in the 21st century; women are still being “symbolically annihilated” an example for this day and age is the way women are shown as the “sex object”.
4. Do you agree that adverts, such as those for the 1990’s Boots No. 7, ‘It’s not make-up. It’s ammunition.’ campaign, are post-feminist (thereby representing women as better than men?). Explain your answer
The words “It’s not make-up. Its ammunition” gives as sense of power towards the advert. The word “ammunition” sounds like a manly word denoting guns and bullets. This shows that women have decided to show men they can also become powerful and confident with them and not always be subordinated by the male sex. Women in this advert are shown to be controlling and dominant. On the other hand women could be seen as surrendering themselves to men and trying to be like them when talking about “ammunition”.
5. Is the representation of women by the media accountable for the results of a survey in which ‘women were up to ten times more likely than men to be unhappy with their body image’?
Yes the media is accountable for these results. Now a day’s women in the media are shown as beautiful, toned, glamorous people covered from head to toe in cosmetics. This creates a negative impact on women in society as they look at women on the tv and are drawn in by their good looks. Women become depressed and try so hard to achieve “the perfect” look. Women aspire and feel the need to look like these women and feel ashamed with the looks they have already.
6. Is the contemporary representation of men in advertising perhaps also a negative one where they too are treated as sex objects?
There is a rise in males being depicted as sex objects in advertising commonly in perfume adverts; this is a negative representation because males are supposed to be strong and connote power and dominance.
Pre 1970’s commercials stereotyped women as household figures who stayed at home and looked after the children. Women were mostly shown in commercials for bathroom and kitchen products. Men were shown to be the powerful figure that also controlled the voice over. Also when shown in paid work environment men were shown dominant in suits and top hats whereas women were always seen as subordinate to men. Authority roles were dominated my males.
2. How did the advertising of the 1970’s continue to perpetuate the stereotype of women, despite depicting women in a greater range of roles?
Women were still shown weaker and less important than men as they were only shown in beauty, cleanliness, family adverts.
3. Can Gaye Tuchman’s quote regarding under-representation and the ‘symbolic annihilation of women’ still be applied in 21st Century advertising? If so how?
Yes this can still be applied in the 21st century; women are still being “symbolically annihilated” an example for this day and age is the way women are shown as the “sex object”.
4. Do you agree that adverts, such as those for the 1990’s Boots No. 7, ‘It’s not make-up. It’s ammunition.’ campaign, are post-feminist (thereby representing women as better than men?). Explain your answer
The words “It’s not make-up. Its ammunition” gives as sense of power towards the advert. The word “ammunition” sounds like a manly word denoting guns and bullets. This shows that women have decided to show men they can also become powerful and confident with them and not always be subordinated by the male sex. Women in this advert are shown to be controlling and dominant. On the other hand women could be seen as surrendering themselves to men and trying to be like them when talking about “ammunition”.
5. Is the representation of women by the media accountable for the results of a survey in which ‘women were up to ten times more likely than men to be unhappy with their body image’?
Yes the media is accountable for these results. Now a day’s women in the media are shown as beautiful, toned, glamorous people covered from head to toe in cosmetics. This creates a negative impact on women in society as they look at women on the tv and are drawn in by their good looks. Women become depressed and try so hard to achieve “the perfect” look. Women aspire and feel the need to look like these women and feel ashamed with the looks they have already.
6. Is the contemporary representation of men in advertising perhaps also a negative one where they too are treated as sex objects?
There is a rise in males being depicted as sex objects in advertising commonly in perfume adverts; this is a negative representation because males are supposed to be strong and connote power and dominance.
Monday 4 October 2010
#4 Post - TV Advert Analysis
Lynx -
Negative representation of women -
Firstly as we take a look at the Primary target audience we see it manily targets boys aged 13 to 18. Young men whose life experiences and relationships with girls or women were reasonably narrow. We also assume the Secondary target audience has expanded ranging from 16-24 year old males that are increasingly difficult to influence through traditional advertising channels. Knowing the target audience allows us to understand the reason why women are presented the way they are in this advert.
In this particular advertisement for Lynx, the narrative revolves around a men who apply Lynx and begins to realise they are attracting beautiful air hostesses by their scent. Women in this advertisement are represented as the subordinate sex who are self objectifing themseleves by the use of clothing and gestures.
The use of the voiceover reinforces the role of the dominant man. His tone of voice comes across as mesmorising and hypnotic reinstating the dominace of male power. As well as this, the advertisment signifies naturalisation, as the deodrant is a product which is focused at men, and the use of the airplane and hotesses add a sense of realism.
The soft music of piano and drums is quite slow and seductive in order to signifiy a more subtle mood. Through the use of close ups and long shots connote how the close women can get to the men. Though the use of a close up of the female body parts it seems to offer sexual gratifications to a male audience, as it is fetishised and show women as sex objects.
The uniform for each woman is very sexy and revealing this emphasises the role of women in this advert to be sexual and seductive. And to only fill a role of pleasure. The scene of the two women playing together on the bed seem like the perfect fantasy for a man and allow the men to really be attracted by the women.
Dove - Pro Age Campaign
Positive representation of women -
This particular advertisement for Dove Pro-age, which was said to have shown too much flesh on television, represents women in a new light they aren’t usually shown in. The narrative of the advert revolves around 4 women who have supposedly used Dove products and believe the merchandise actually makes them feel and look younger. The women in this advertisement are represented as the dominant sex who are self objectified but not in a way to appeal or attract men but to inform women about this product.
The use of a woman voiceover emphasises the fact “Dove” is for women and makes skin looking younger which offers women a chance to look attractive and confident, whatever age they are. The use of close up shots on different parts of the body fetishises the women and makes them seem appealing to a womanly audience who may be thinking of using the product. In many ways, the women are encouraged to buy the product as it seems to add a sense of reality towards the advert as the women who are shown are not really the “model” type and seem like ordinary people.
Also the advertisement signifies naturalisation, as the lotion is a beauty product which intends to be focused at the female audience, as it is a moisturiser which focuses mainly on women. Naturalisation is a key effect in this advert as it makes the audience feel relaxed and comfortable with what they are watching.
The use of non digitic music of the guitar is soft, in order to signify a more subtle and mature mood. Though, the use of continual close ups and fades connote how the lotion can be applied to all areas of the body and is a way of rejuvenating the skin.
The women shown in this advert are all of a mature age and don’t really seem to be “model” type. This highlights that women don’t have to be shown as sex objects to attract an audience. This also represents women in a positive light by the way each woman if showing of their bodies but hiding parts they do not want to show with their hands. This may show that they have power over the audience, allowing the women to be in control and not be interpreted as sexual gratifications.
The Dove advert uses encouraging values, as the use of the “beauty has no age limit”. These words make the audience feel happy with themselves no matter what age they are and how they look. The advert brings confidence to women.
Negative representation of women -
Firstly as we take a look at the Primary target audience we see it manily targets boys aged 13 to 18. Young men whose life experiences and relationships with girls or women were reasonably narrow. We also assume the Secondary target audience has expanded ranging from 16-24 year old males that are increasingly difficult to influence through traditional advertising channels. Knowing the target audience allows us to understand the reason why women are presented the way they are in this advert.
In this particular advertisement for Lynx, the narrative revolves around a men who apply Lynx and begins to realise they are attracting beautiful air hostesses by their scent. Women in this advertisement are represented as the subordinate sex who are self objectifing themseleves by the use of clothing and gestures.
The use of the voiceover reinforces the role of the dominant man. His tone of voice comes across as mesmorising and hypnotic reinstating the dominace of male power. As well as this, the advertisment signifies naturalisation, as the deodrant is a product which is focused at men, and the use of the airplane and hotesses add a sense of realism.
The soft music of piano and drums is quite slow and seductive in order to signifiy a more subtle mood. Through the use of close ups and long shots connote how the close women can get to the men. Though the use of a close up of the female body parts it seems to offer sexual gratifications to a male audience, as it is fetishised and show women as sex objects.
The uniform for each woman is very sexy and revealing this emphasises the role of women in this advert to be sexual and seductive. And to only fill a role of pleasure. The scene of the two women playing together on the bed seem like the perfect fantasy for a man and allow the men to really be attracted by the women.
Dove - Pro Age Campaign
Positive representation of women -
This particular advertisement for Dove Pro-age, which was said to have shown too much flesh on television, represents women in a new light they aren’t usually shown in. The narrative of the advert revolves around 4 women who have supposedly used Dove products and believe the merchandise actually makes them feel and look younger. The women in this advertisement are represented as the dominant sex who are self objectified but not in a way to appeal or attract men but to inform women about this product.
The use of a woman voiceover emphasises the fact “Dove” is for women and makes skin looking younger which offers women a chance to look attractive and confident, whatever age they are. The use of close up shots on different parts of the body fetishises the women and makes them seem appealing to a womanly audience who may be thinking of using the product. In many ways, the women are encouraged to buy the product as it seems to add a sense of reality towards the advert as the women who are shown are not really the “model” type and seem like ordinary people.
Also the advertisement signifies naturalisation, as the lotion is a beauty product which intends to be focused at the female audience, as it is a moisturiser which focuses mainly on women. Naturalisation is a key effect in this advert as it makes the audience feel relaxed and comfortable with what they are watching.
The use of non digitic music of the guitar is soft, in order to signify a more subtle and mature mood. Though, the use of continual close ups and fades connote how the lotion can be applied to all areas of the body and is a way of rejuvenating the skin.
The women shown in this advert are all of a mature age and don’t really seem to be “model” type. This highlights that women don’t have to be shown as sex objects to attract an audience. This also represents women in a positive light by the way each woman if showing of their bodies but hiding parts they do not want to show with their hands. This may show that they have power over the audience, allowing the women to be in control and not be interpreted as sexual gratifications.
The Dove advert uses encouraging values, as the use of the “beauty has no age limit”. These words make the audience feel happy with themselves no matter what age they are and how they look. The advert brings confidence to women.
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