Amy and Marlin

Hum 210, Introduction to Women’s Studies

Collaborative Essay

Professor: M. Marits

April 27, 2004

Women as an Object for the Media

The Image of Women in the media has changed over the past few decades, while in the 80’s women weighed 8% less than the average women; today they weigh 23% less. Beauty and figure plays an important role in women; however, cosmetics are a prize example of the special discrimination that women are subject to. The image of women in the media has created “sex competition” among women for attention from men. Through a study of the science of biology and anthropology, “it was discovered that sex competition among women does not exist in nature and did not exist in primitive society. Sex competition among women is exclusively the product of class society and did not exist before class society came to existence, which means for almost a million years of human evolution” (Hansen-Reed 61). While images of women seem to affect men most strikingly by influencing how they judge the real women in their lives, women are especially vulnerable to become an object for the media because our bodies have been objectified and commodified.

Even though many people find images of women disturbing and not appealing, women in advertising are not suppose to look like normal people. Advertisers use sex to sell their product; therefore, they associate women with sex.

Whether it’s dish detergent, cars, or a new line of perfume, advertisers use female models to persuade the public in a sexual way. The glossy images of flawlessly beauty and extremely thin women that surround us would not have the impact they do if we did not live in a culture that encourages us to believe we can and should remake our bodies into perfect commodities. The image of women in the media is destructive for the average women, which get the message that it is possible, that, “with enough effort and sacrifice, they can achieve this ideal of beauty” (Kilbourne 132). Many girls spend a lot of time and energy trying to achieve something that is completely unattainable. Take Calvin Klein for example, a famous designer that advertises one of its perfumes "Obsession" by showing the image of a naked model lying on a couch. The model: Kate Moss, weighted just 100 pounds when this Calvin Klein’s "Obsession" campaign made her famous in 1990's. At 5'8 height, Kate Moss meets the diagnostic weight criterion for anorexia. “Cultivating a thinner body offers some hope of control and success to a young woman with poor self-image and overwhelming personal problems that have no easy solution” (Kilbourne 133). Adolescent girls are especially vulnerable to the obsession with thinness because they are self-conscious and they fear shame and humiliation from their peers. Just as boys are shamed because they are too small or “weak”, too sensitive or too soft; girls are shamed for being too sexual, too loud, too boisterous, too big.

The emphasis in the ads is always on the women’s sexuality, which is exploited to sell them makeup, clothes, and shoes. Many advertising companies sell their product by giving women the image of a bad girl. Some ads feature women who seem really angry and rebellious but at the end the message remains the same: sex. Young people are the ones to suffer most of the consequences because they are constantly surrounded by messages urging them to be sexually active. Sex talk starts in preschool as our children are exposed to sexual information through advertising, television, shows, and music. The average age for sexual intercourse is about sixteen for girls and fifteen for boys. It is important to make a point that the media is not solely to blame for the statistics, but is the leading source of sex education in the nation.

Eating disorders and addictions are the most fatal of all mental illness caused by the media, yet magazines; commercials, television, and other media continue to promote such a destructive image. “Women are often depicted as objects to look at, not humans to be respected” (Hansen-Reed 41). Advertising does promote abusive and abnormal attitudes about eating and smoking. The cigarette advertisers for example are aware of the suppressed anger among women. They try to advertise their product by reflecting freedom and power for women. Perhaps the women most susceptible to addiction are the ones who are really least though, most vulnerable, feeling most in need of a tougher image for protection. In many ways, cigarette ads offer smoking to girls and young women as a way to control their emotion (Kilbourne 203). Advertisers often associate alcohol with sex or relationships. Once again advertising reminds us that the relationships among human beings are fragile but with the help of their addictive products we are sure to have a successful and more enjoyable life. The reality is that alcohol destroys all possibilities of real intimacy. Alcohol is the perfect drug for someone both seeking and fearing connection, because it gives the illusion of intimacy, while making real intimacy impossible.

In recent studies, “70% of the cases of advertisements women are portrayed as housewives or sexual symbols, as opposed to men who are portrayed as talented young executives enjoying success and sense of security” (Bonet 1). These stereotypes of women are used to create the ideal that the perfect woman aims to please men and not her. If we pay attention to this portray, advertising industries portray a woman’s happiness through maternity and the working woman's portray must not forget her duties as a housewife.

Age plays an important role in advertising as more than 50% of the ads are targeted to women between the age of 21 and 30. Most of these ads tend to help the subordinate housewife to feel good about them though products that will make her feel more beautiful and give her a sense of achievement. Most of these ads ignore ethnic and indigenous women because the ideal female beauty is portrayed as a white, thin, tall model with European features. For women between the age of 31 and 40 years, advertising focuses mainly on physical beauty by offering cosmetics and “tips” to make them feel beautiful. Promotion of plastic surgery and painful (or even dangerous) cosmetics procedures are also targeted to women in this age group. Once again we notice how the media uses body parts to promote their product.

The damaging effects of unrealistic images on future generations of women will worsen as time goes on. The perpetuation of such dangerous standards through generations will only strengthen them. Young women should not be consumed by anxiety, over weight or looks, but instead deserve a worry-free childhood and the confidence to persuade goals in more valuable aspects of life. It is time to fight back against this “portray of beauty” and accept ourselves when we are as healthy as possible in body and soul.

Works Cited

Kilbourne, Jean. Deadly Persuasion: Why women and girls must fight the addicting power of advertising. New York: NY, 1999

Hansen, Joseph, and Evelyn Reed. Cosmetics, Fashion and the Exploitation of Women. New York: NY, 1987

The strength to Resist: Beyond Killing Us Softly

Cambridge Documentary Films, Inc. 2000.

Bonet, Gregory. Submissive Housewife or Sex Object. 06 Nov. 2003 http://www.wacc.org.uk.html.

Images of women in the media. 9 Nov. 2003 http://www.childrensmediaproject.org.html.