It is quite evident that gender, sexuality and advertising are all directly linked with one another. The construction of gender, which is where a girl learns to be a girl and where a boy learns to be a boy depending on what society has taught us about each of the genders is concurrent with the construction of the consumer, which is what a female should be wanting to buy to increase her femininity and what a male should be wanting to buy to increase his masculinity. This is one of the main reasons for advertising and gender to be so closely linked to one another. In society there are many ways to identify with being male or female. One way we identify with being part of the two genders is through materialistic items. We buy what society has taught us will make us a man or a woman.
             In advertising they are constantly communicating through gender messages to sell their product. The product can be as feminine as a woman's bra or as masculine as mans underwear or something so neutral (meaning either gender can benefit from the product) like cigarettes or alcohol but the advertisers always use gender messages to identify with their target audience. It is easy to use gender to sell products because for something to be appealing it must appeal to one group or the other and it is easiest and the broadest thing in our society to differentiate between men and women. In Barrie Thornes article she continuously discusses the idea that girls and boys live in two separate spheres. "Differences tend to be exaggerated." (Pg.201) In a recent edition of the magazine Cosmopolitan, I found an advertisement for dish detergent that really caught my eye. Although it is just an ad for dish detergent, I found it quite interesting that it was making an appeal specifically towards females. I felt that it was making an appeal specifically towards females because the only character featured in the advertisement is a woman
             ...