An analysis of infantilization of women In Advertising and their effects on children
Advertisements shape our society through images we see in our every day lives. Feminist scholar and activist Jean Kilbourne argues, “Advertising is an over 100 billion dollar a year industry and affects all of us throughout our lives. We are each exposed to over 2000 ads a day, constituting perhaps the most powerful educational force in society. The average American will spend one and one half years of his or her life watching television commercials" ("Beauty...And the Beast of Advertising").
These advertisements although some our quite bizarre become our normality in how we view and perceive situations and other people in our everyday lives. There are many different facets to see into the lens of advertisements, but in this case I will just look at one gender rule in advertising that shapes our cultural ideals for the perfect masculine and feminine ideals. |
In this look at gender rules in society I am going to look into the advertising world of infantilization. This is a problem in our society and can lead to serious issues. Some of which I will bring out in this analysis. Particularly how this process is used on women, and how it is used to sexualize both women and girls, and how that plays a part in our society and our everyday lives. In his documentary, The Codes of Gender, Sut Jhally argues that "our ability to recognize someone as either male or female is absolutely fundamental to our ability to interact with them".(The Codes of Gender)
He draws on the work of Erving Goffman in saying that"Boys have to prove themselves in some rite of passage to signify that they have left childhood behind,women-even adult women-never leave girlhood behind"(The Codes of Gender) One way this idea can be used, is if the "ideal" woman is a child then she falls between the cracks of childhood and womenhood, meaning that if the ideal women is a child then like a child she does not need to be taken as seriously, because she is equated with childhood.
He draws on the work of Erving Goffman in saying that"Boys have to prove themselves in some rite of passage to signify that they have left childhood behind,women-even adult women-never leave girlhood behind"(The Codes of Gender) One way this idea can be used, is if the "ideal" woman is a child then she falls between the cracks of childhood and womenhood, meaning that if the ideal women is a child then like a child she does not need to be taken as seriously, because she is equated with childhood.
This creates a vicious cycle where women and children try to lose weight to gain beauty and perfection, also a introduction to sexualized images at a young age has a major effect on those who view it. Kilbourne pulls from the American Phychological Association who in 2007 released a report concluding that girls exposed to sexulized images from a young age are more prone to depression,eating disorders,and low self esteem (Killing Us Softly 4).
Sources
The Codes of Gender: Identity and Performance in Pop Culture. Dir. Sut Jhally. Per. Sut Jhally. Rocklin, CA: Media Education Foundation, 2009. DVD.
Kilbourne, Jean. "Beauty...and the Beast of Advertising." Media & Values 49 (1990). Center for Media Literacy. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/beautyand-beast-advertising>.
Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women. Dir. Sut Jhally. Perf. Jean Kilbourne. Rocklin, CA: Media Education Foundation, 2010. DVD.
Wolf, Naomi. "(From) The Beauty Myth." Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. 5th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. 486-94. Print.
The Codes of Gender: Identity and Performance in Pop Culture. Dir. Sut Jhally. Per. Sut Jhally. Rocklin, CA: Media Education Foundation, 2009. DVD.
Kilbourne, Jean. "Beauty...and the Beast of Advertising." Media & Values 49 (1990). Center for Media Literacy. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. <http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/beautyand-beast-advertising>.
Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women. Dir. Sut Jhally. Perf. Jean Kilbourne. Rocklin, CA: Media Education Foundation, 2010. DVD.
Wolf, Naomi. "(From) The Beauty Myth." Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. 5th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. 486-94. Print.