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Gender Objectification in Advertising

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Gender Objectification in Advertising
Advertising has become an essential part of our life. It can offer a lot of information and bring convenience to the consumers. At the same time, it can benefit the businessmen. Advertising came into being with the advent of the production and exchange of commodities. It has been developing as the economy develops. Whenever we switch on the TV set, leaf through the newspaper or walk down a street, we will be bombarded by advertising. Wherever there are people, there is advertising, no matter in the real life or on the internet. “Objectification is obviously common in mainstream media people see it in advertising, in pin-ups, calendars, "girlie pictures;" in Hollywood movies, in magazines, we see it everywhere (Phyllis, 2008).”

The question of what is gender objectification in advertising? Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) coined the term, objectification theory, which suggests that our culture socializes girls and women to internalize an observer’s perspective on their own bodies. When young girls and women internalize an observer’s perspective of their own bodies, they live much of their life in the third-person. This is called self-objectification. Definition of Objectification in advertising might be: “portrayals of women or men in ways and contexts which suggest that women or men are objects to be looked at, ogled, even touched, or used, anonymous things or commodities perhaps to be purchased, perhaps taken - and once tired of, even discarded, often to be replaced by a newer, younger edition; certainly not treated as full human beings with equal rights and needs (Phyllis, 2008).”
For instance, Lucky You for Women by Lucky Brand is a Floral Fruity fragrance for women. Lucky You for Women was launched in 2000. For this advertising, it showed that if women use Lucky you’s perfume, they can attract male attention through show young models’ long leg and enchanting figure. The man smell and then forget their work. The sexy woman in the perfume ads tells that the

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