Gender Stereotypes Vs. Women In Advertising

Men vs Women
What are you buying when you purchase a magazine? Are you buying the articles, the tips, or newest gossip? Unfortunately, you're buying the advertisements embedded in the magazines. Every magazine has hundreds of advertisements that are woven in between editorials and fashion layouts. And it seems as though ads are also included within the editorials and fashion layouts as well: branding the perfect cologne/perfume, clothes, or shoes. But what messages do these advertisements insinuate?
It's funny how magazines are filled more with advertisements than with written articles from its writers. Not to mention the repetitiveness of the ad in other similar genre magazines. If you've flipped through a couple of fashion magazines, then
you can claim that you've probably seen the rest because you've seen the ads. But gender associated magazine's ads are targeted to that sex through their own lifestyle, appearance, and money. The ads not only instill an unconscious standard of how a female or male should act or look like but also implant brand names into their memories. These ads use what appeals the most to each sex: women care about fashion, hair, makeup, shoes, staying toned, having a great tan; basically the upcoming trend. While men care about cologne, shoes, cars, alcohol, and clothes. But this is what you would think after flipping through the hundreds, or thousands of ads in magazines. Sex is a main intention behind many ads.
Sex appeals to both gender; women want to look sexy so men would believe that she is sexy, vice versa. There are many cologne and perfume ads that have sexual innuendo slogans with a man and a woman in very sexual positions. So it basically implies that if you buy this product, then you will get the woman or man of your dreams. But ads are more degrading towards women more often than men. Women are passive, innocent, and the object of desire. In a Nivea body lotion there is a woman closing her eyes, leaning back, with a passionate look on her face while her man kisses her neck. And its phrase reads "the difference between going out and staying in. Nivea. Touch and be touched." This ad has the woman as a definite desirable person, tempting the man; and even the phrase blatantly explains the picture. It implies that this lotion will make your skin so smooth that your man will not want to go out but stay inside with you and do "things" with you such as softly kissing your neck. In another DKNY ad for a perfume, there is a woman eating an apple while the man is placing his forehead on the side of her head. And the catchphrase says "Be Delicious" implying that this fragrance will make women more "delicious" and tempting; basically degrading her as only something to be eaten. Another woman's fragrance ad has a seductive woman as the center point and the man is off to the side gazing at her while she faces the reader. And it reads "Armani Code. The secret ode of women." As if the perfume will suddenly make you more seductive and have men flocking and gazing at you. These two ads seem to tap into the secret fantasies and wishes of women: being desirable and sexy to
men. Money is another factor behind ads. It imprints brands into the reader's mind and portrays the clothing line or product in a way that it looks hip or cool. So that once the reader is shopping, they will have to make a decision which product to buy from a line of similar products. They will obviously buy the product that gives them the biggest impression. Many times readers are also attracted to brands just because the name is expensive. So if they buy that product with the brand, then that means they are rich enough to buy the product. In the world of purse, there are many brands and price ranges. But purses all accomplish one purpose: to hold a woman's necessities. Nonetheless it is more likely for someone to buy the name branded purse over a cheap, on sale purse. This is also very true with cars; sure the quality is better with the more money the car costs. But when we compare a Toyota Camry with a Lexus, there is not that much of a difference except Lexus has a different logo, some more advanced modifications, and different body. But essentially you're paying for the same thing: the engine. And for a fact, Lexus has the same engine as Camry's. So you're basically paying the extra ten thousand, twenty thousand dollars for a logo. There are also stereotypes that pressure readers to follow. In women's magazines there are many ads that picture happy and smiling women, always expecting them to be happy-go-lucky. But that isn't always the case in reality. Women are also usually pictured with a girlfriend or a group of friends having the time of their life: just being a social butterfly. Women are also shown with flawless skin, toned body, and with the perfect tan. But in reality these women are models who also have flaws which can be erased by airbrushing and computer enhancement tools. These ads bring women's self esteem down and force women to reevaluate themselves and uniform the definition of beautiful to fit what the magazine ads show. Men are also depicted as good in handling their alcohol, athletic, fit, and smell good. And men can also struggle with their self image and try to change in order to mirror what they see in the ads as well.