The Gaze: The Role Of Gender In Advertising
The role of gender within advertising has always been a questionable aspect of how we as viewers connect to these visual images, as well as how they connect to our society. Representations of male and female within these adverts are traditionally coded for our society to read and understand. Since Images are central to invoke meaning into the products, the use of these gender codes has brought forth the debate of empowering vs. disempowering. This analysis will discuss and bring into question how these powerful gender dynamics should be understood as spectators and participants. Through the use of the Gaze, I will be analyzing how females are actually empowered by changing the traditional structure of the gaze, and the ways we make meaning.
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In 19th century Paris, the marketing of newly introduced department stores, cafes, and night clubs helped bring about a new cultural shift that offered a development for traditional gender roles and especially for women. France’s new working class (the middle class) was booming due to Industrial expansion – which meant an increase of new mechanized production methods (Gerhardus). The French middle-class were the integral members to the ever-growing urban city, and the booming economy for this middle-class meant a significant amount of leisure time and income to spare at the shops, department stores, and trade fairs within France (Greiff). This new need for consumption brought the ever-growing population a variety of new products and a need for to educate consumers about these products (Megg). New French law lifted restriction on where posters could be placed in 1881. The placement and visibility of these posters was a key element in achieving the Public’s attention, although promotion could still suffer if they were of poor design. The graphic posters of Art Nouveau that hoarded the streets of France, and Paris especially, was a clear demonstration of the growing mass availability of consumer goods and entertainment. This new drive to promote products led to mass advertising, which meant a new way to promote ideas and convey messages to a wider audience. For Paris, it was the poster of Art Nouveau that blended the world of fine arts and consumer culture to make statements about products (Megg). The way we perceive is tied to our ideologies and the understood and accepted norms of society. Prior to these cultural developments, there was dichotomous division in advertising, and lifestyle options for woman were limiting (Megg). Woman seen in advertising at the time were either depicted in the Victorian era stereotype of the ‘proper lady’ or as prostitutes, in a sexualized manner (Gertz). However, These stereotypes and socially constructed female gender roles would take a turn within advertising.
Art Nouveau artist, Jules Cheret, challenged the norm by depicting a reversal of traditional gender code that invoked new meaning into the female archetype.
One critic of his time even referred to Cheret as “the father of woman’s liberation” (Megg) for his new female characterizations, which in turn were dubbed as ‘Cherettes’. They were idealized representations of cheerful, playful and glamorous girls that broke the old Victorian stereotypes. They were liberating images that depicted woman as independent, strong, elegant and sophisticated in the mass media. These girls were shown engaging in a lifestyle and behavior in places once only thought to be a man’s territory. Not only was the females shown actually taking part, but setting a new standard for the “modern woman” (Nathaniel). The Cherettes inclusion and participation in this new cultural lifestyle broke many taboos in society at the time such as women smoking in public, drinking wine, wearing low-cut dresses, and living life to its fullest …show more content…
potential.
The Cherettes own gaze outward is prevalent in some of the campaign’s images, while in others, are oblivious to the spectators. The reversal of the gaze shows the pleasure of looking at men for once as objects of desire, as well as woman’s empowerment through self-determination (Surken). Jules Cheret worked a series of alluring visual images for the Wine Company ‘QuinQuina DuBonnet’ and their campaign that featured these new idealized woman. His influence with these representations dramatically altered the way femininity was perceived and presented in consumer culture (Megg). In the campaigns images, we see the emblematic redheaded Cherette girls enjoying their leisure time and partaking in drinking wine (holding the bottles and glasses high in the air, as if to toast their own independence). A male gaze is still at work within the images in which the Cherettes are oblivious to our gaze, in the way we are still invited to examine their appearances by looking, however they oppose the traditional power of the gaze through their independence and own integration within this new lifestyle. French Critic, Albert Aurier, notes how uniquely and successful the poster was in expressing ideologies in its decorative manner, by stating, “The object is not considered a thing, but as a sign apprehended by viewers”. Thus, these ads not only are selling the Wine itself, but also self-empowerment (independence, control over how she spends her time and leisure) and self-determination (breaking out of the traditional stereotypes of Woman). What this means is that woman are shown as both positively feminine and as objects of the gaze, as they are stationed in welcoming poses. However this does not read as disempowering, but rather a change within the power of the codes and gaze. Given the cultural shift in Paris before the turn of the 20th Century, it makes sense that Campaigns would use Cheret’s play on gender roles, power relations and sexuality to be seen as innovative (Sturken). In Jules Cheret’s archetype, these women relax before the spectator’s gaze, we are meant to observe them, but they have not lost their femininity or power.
Women have often been seen as passive objects of the male gaze, but not all practices of consumption and advertising are disempowering.
In theory to advertising, the definition of the gaze can be used to “describe the relationship of looking in which the subject is caught up in the dynamics of desire through trajectories of looking and being looked at among objects and other people” (Cartwright). Many ads we see use the traditional gender codes understood within the gaze, which have typically read woman as seductive for the dominating male gaze. However, a reversal of the gaze (i.e. woman as active, powerful, and “looking back”), such as in the DuBonnet campaign, have proven to be successful in changing the dynamic of the gaze. To further understand why these images are successful, we can look to what author Robert Goldman, calls “commodity feminism” in which these traits of empowerment communicate that consumption of such products is comparable to being in control of one’s life (Goldman). French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, focused on the gaze as to how we achieve, or represent our desires we establish within the gaze. He notes how often it takes the form of pursuing other people we desire to be to achieve a state of wholeness (Cartwright). The Dubonnet Wine Campaign gives us next to nothing in terms of detailing their product to us, but instead focuses on the Cherettes holding the product along with a French slogan which translates to “in all cafes”. Rather than detailing
the actual product, the series of images associates with the newly presented gender identities in order to reach out to the growing number of female shoppers. These advertisements are not asking us to necessarily consume their products, but rather the sign (in its semiotic meaning). Thus in the case of the Dubonnet advertisement, it’s selling the Cherettes (the sign), and it’s signified meaning (self-empowerment). Despite the intention to still sell these products and their connotative meanings, it nonetheless helps to re-define and development new female archetypes of empowerment.
Images have proven to be integral in constructing the way we engage and define gendered power roles. The booming marketplace in 19th Century Paris became a platform for artists to recreate traditional gender norms as with Jules Cheret and his empowered ‘Cherette’ Girls. In Cheret’s play with gender and power he helped produce new gender codes that held positive connotations for woman of the 19th Century. For these women, the new model offered a new way break free of the limiting stereootype of the old female archetype. These new changes within the power structure of codes, along with power of relationship created by the gaze didn’t read as disempowering in these cases.
Works Cited
Collins, Bradford. "The Poster as Art; Jules Cheret and the Struggle for the Equality of the Arts in Late Nineteenth-Century France." Design Issues, 2.1 (1985): 41-50. Web. 15 Mar 2010.
Fern, Alan. "Review: [untitled] ." Art Bulletin. 52.2 (1970): 221-222. Print.
Greenhalgh, Paul. Art Nouveau 1890-1914. 1st. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000. 149-62. Print.
Gerhardus, Dietfried. Symbolism and Art Nouveau. 2nd. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1979. 49-55. Print.
Greiff, Constance. Art Nouveau. 1st. New york: Abbeville Press, 1995. 19-20. Print.
Harris, Nathaniel. Art Nouveau. 1st. New York: Exeter Books, 1987. 44-46. Print.
Henri De Toulouse Lautrec. 1st. New York: The Museum Of Modern Art, 1985. 9-73. Print.
Institute for the Arts, Rice University. Art Nouveau Belgium/France. 2nd. Houston, Texas: 1976. 94-97. Print.
Jean-Paul, Bouillon. Art Nouveau 1870-1914. 1st. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 1985. 53-55. Print.
Lorenz, Otto. Art Nouveau Graphic Art. 2nd. Bartley & Jensen , 1986. 22-26. Print.
Meggs, Philip. Meggs ' History Of Graphic Design. 4th. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons INC, 2006. 194-205. Print.
Sturken, Marita, and Lisa Cartwright. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. 123-287. Print.
In 19th century Paris, the marketing of newly introduced department stores, cafes, and night clubs helped bring about a new cultural shift that offered a development for traditional gender roles and especially for women. France’s new working class (the middle class) was booming due to Industrial expansion – which meant an increase of new mechanized production methods (Gerhardus). The French middle-class were the integral members to the ever-growing urban city, and the booming economy for this middle-class meant a significant amount of leisure time and income to spare at the shops, department stores, and trade fairs within France (Greiff). This new need for consumption brought the ever-growing population a variety of new products and a need for to educate consumers about these products (Megg). New French law lifted restriction on where posters could be placed in 1881. The placement and visibility of these posters was a key element in achieving the Public’s attention, although promotion could still suffer if they were of poor design. The graphic posters of Art Nouveau that hoarded the streets of France, and Paris especially, was a clear demonstration of the growing mass availability of consumer goods and entertainment. This new drive to promote products led to mass advertising, which meant a new way to promote ideas and convey messages to a wider audience. For Paris, it was the poster of Art Nouveau that blended the world of fine arts and consumer culture to make statements about products (Megg). The way we perceive is tied to our ideologies and the understood and accepted norms of society. Prior to these cultural developments, there was dichotomous division in advertising, and lifestyle options for woman were limiting (Megg). Woman seen in advertising at the time were either depicted in the Victorian era stereotype of the ‘proper lady’ or as prostitutes, in a sexualized manner (Gertz). However, These stereotypes and socially constructed female gender roles would take a turn within advertising.
Art Nouveau artist, Jules Cheret, challenged the norm by depicting a reversal of traditional gender code that invoked new meaning into the female archetype.
One critic of his time even referred to Cheret as “the father of woman’s liberation” (Megg) for his new female characterizations, which in turn were dubbed as ‘Cherettes’. They were idealized representations of cheerful, playful and glamorous girls that broke the old Victorian stereotypes. They were liberating images that depicted woman as independent, strong, elegant and sophisticated in the mass media. These girls were shown engaging in a lifestyle and behavior in places once only thought to be a man’s territory. Not only was the females shown actually taking part, but setting a new standard for the “modern woman” (Nathaniel). The Cherettes inclusion and participation in this new cultural lifestyle broke many taboos in society at the time such as women smoking in public, drinking wine, wearing low-cut dresses, and living life to its fullest …show more content…
potential.
The Cherettes own gaze outward is prevalent in some of the campaign’s images, while in others, are oblivious to the spectators. The reversal of the gaze shows the pleasure of looking at men for once as objects of desire, as well as woman’s empowerment through self-determination (Surken). Jules Cheret worked a series of alluring visual images for the Wine Company ‘QuinQuina DuBonnet’ and their campaign that featured these new idealized woman. His influence with these representations dramatically altered the way femininity was perceived and presented in consumer culture (Megg). In the campaigns images, we see the emblematic redheaded Cherette girls enjoying their leisure time and partaking in drinking wine (holding the bottles and glasses high in the air, as if to toast their own independence). A male gaze is still at work within the images in which the Cherettes are oblivious to our gaze, in the way we are still invited to examine their appearances by looking, however they oppose the traditional power of the gaze through their independence and own integration within this new lifestyle. French Critic, Albert Aurier, notes how uniquely and successful the poster was in expressing ideologies in its decorative manner, by stating, “The object is not considered a thing, but as a sign apprehended by viewers”. Thus, these ads not only are selling the Wine itself, but also self-empowerment (independence, control over how she spends her time and leisure) and self-determination (breaking out of the traditional stereotypes of Woman). What this means is that woman are shown as both positively feminine and as objects of the gaze, as they are stationed in welcoming poses. However this does not read as disempowering, but rather a change within the power of the codes and gaze. Given the cultural shift in Paris before the turn of the 20th Century, it makes sense that Campaigns would use Cheret’s play on gender roles, power relations and sexuality to be seen as innovative (Sturken). In Jules Cheret’s archetype, these women relax before the spectator’s gaze, we are meant to observe them, but they have not lost their femininity or power.
Women have often been seen as passive objects of the male gaze, but not all practices of consumption and advertising are disempowering.
In theory to advertising, the definition of the gaze can be used to “describe the relationship of looking in which the subject is caught up in the dynamics of desire through trajectories of looking and being looked at among objects and other people” (Cartwright). Many ads we see use the traditional gender codes understood within the gaze, which have typically read woman as seductive for the dominating male gaze. However, a reversal of the gaze (i.e. woman as active, powerful, and “looking back”), such as in the DuBonnet campaign, have proven to be successful in changing the dynamic of the gaze. To further understand why these images are successful, we can look to what author Robert Goldman, calls “commodity feminism” in which these traits of empowerment communicate that consumption of such products is comparable to being in control of one’s life (Goldman). French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan, focused on the gaze as to how we achieve, or represent our desires we establish within the gaze. He notes how often it takes the form of pursuing other people we desire to be to achieve a state of wholeness (Cartwright). The Dubonnet Wine Campaign gives us next to nothing in terms of detailing their product to us, but instead focuses on the Cherettes holding the product along with a French slogan which translates to “in all cafes”. Rather than detailing
the actual product, the series of images associates with the newly presented gender identities in order to reach out to the growing number of female shoppers. These advertisements are not asking us to necessarily consume their products, but rather the sign (in its semiotic meaning). Thus in the case of the Dubonnet advertisement, it’s selling the Cherettes (the sign), and it’s signified meaning (self-empowerment). Despite the intention to still sell these products and their connotative meanings, it nonetheless helps to re-define and development new female archetypes of empowerment.
Images have proven to be integral in constructing the way we engage and define gendered power roles. The booming marketplace in 19th Century Paris became a platform for artists to recreate traditional gender norms as with Jules Cheret and his empowered ‘Cherette’ Girls. In Cheret’s play with gender and power he helped produce new gender codes that held positive connotations for woman of the 19th Century. For these women, the new model offered a new way break free of the limiting stereootype of the old female archetype. These new changes within the power structure of codes, along with power of relationship created by the gaze didn’t read as disempowering in these cases.
Works Cited
Collins, Bradford. "The Poster as Art; Jules Cheret and the Struggle for the Equality of the Arts in Late Nineteenth-Century France." Design Issues, 2.1 (1985): 41-50. Web. 15 Mar 2010.
Fern, Alan. "Review: [untitled] ." Art Bulletin. 52.2 (1970): 221-222. Print.
Greenhalgh, Paul. Art Nouveau 1890-1914. 1st. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000. 149-62. Print.
Gerhardus, Dietfried. Symbolism and Art Nouveau. 2nd. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1979. 49-55. Print.
Greiff, Constance. Art Nouveau. 1st. New york: Abbeville Press, 1995. 19-20. Print.
Harris, Nathaniel. Art Nouveau. 1st. New York: Exeter Books, 1987. 44-46. Print.
Henri De Toulouse Lautrec. 1st. New York: The Museum Of Modern Art, 1985. 9-73. Print.
Institute for the Arts, Rice University. Art Nouveau Belgium/France. 2nd. Houston, Texas: 1976. 94-97. Print.
Jean-Paul, Bouillon. Art Nouveau 1870-1914. 1st. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 1985. 53-55. Print.
Lorenz, Otto. Art Nouveau Graphic Art. 2nd. Bartley & Jensen , 1986. 22-26. Print.
Meggs, Philip. Meggs ' History Of Graphic Design. 4th. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons INC, 2006. 194-205. Print.
Sturken, Marita, and Lisa Cartwright. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. 123-287. Print.