Source Analysis

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

Advertisers exploit human desires for connection, calming-ness, respect, and excitement. Every emotion is manipulated to sell something. Alcohol and tobacco companies target young children as consumers thorough ads that feature cartoon figures ( Joe Camel, Budweiser frog). Advertisers also exploit adolescents’ social anxiety and need for approval and independence thorough unhealthy diets and fashion. The main message of advertising companies is that happiness comes from products. The media does not cause all the problems in our society but they contribute by creating an atmosphere in which bad decisions are constantly reinforced.

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

The relation between the marketing of cosmetics/fashions and the oppression of women. The right of working-class women to seek for beauty in their lives is manipulated by big cosmetic companies by using insecurities and fears in women to sell their product and make massive profits. In the competitive sex market today, women are obligated to compete with other women for economic security, whether is in the form of jobs or husbands. The use of cosmetics is almost necessary to build confidence on a woman and make her feel beautiful. This journal provides the reader with valuable information on how big industries manipulate women’s minds to make profits. Even though the book is not completely up to date, it provides the reader with accurate information about the close relationship between women and the cosmetic industry.

The strength to Resist: Beyond Killing Us Softly

Cambridge Documentary Films, Inc. 2000.

This video explains how girls view themselves through television, pop stars, and most of all magazine ads. Cosmopolitan, Britney Spears, and magazine ads for clothing put on the worst images for women. If it weren’t for make-up, tons of money, plastic surgery, and a physical trainer, these women would never be able to look this way. Most girls that are young look at Barbie as the ideal role model on how a woman should look when they get older. Only to know the real truth that Barbie isn’t very proportionate for her own body. The definition of beauty to magazines and selling ads is being white, 5’10 at 110 pounds. African American women aren’t included unless they have white characteristics for example being light skinned or having long hair. Looking at these images makes it difficult for about 80% of women to wake up and not cut their own image up in the mirror.

Internet Resource Sit Critiques

Bonet, Gregory. Submissive Housewife or Sex Object. 06 Nov. 2003

http://www.wacc.org.uk.

This article is based in Bolivia. It discusses how women are portrayed to be the housewife or are used for a sex object in advertisements. It goes on to mention how these advertisements are mostly based to please men and not the women viewing these ads. It says that a woman’s happiness is through her husband’s happiness. Even though a woman is allowed to work she is not to forget her duties as a housewife when off of work. Most of the ads contain women 21-30 to achieve the normal housewife to feel good about herself and want to purchase the products that these women use to feel beautiful.

Images of women in the media. 9 Nov. 2003

http://www.childrensmediaproject.org.

This website has a lot of different information on it. One topic found on the website is dealing with women and the media. It goes into detail about how women are used as sex symbols for the media to sell their products yet regardless of the complaints or how unhealthy these women look on the ads, people are still purchasing their products. It also mentions that an ad can be sexiest even if the females used in the ad aren’t extremely thin. They talk about how using females body parts that are on the “perfect” female body are used for advertising magic crèmes or perfumes and such. At then end of the article it lists sites to go to for places against media ads like the ones mention above and in the essay.