Advertising and Female Gender Identity
Introduction - The Evolution of Modern Advertising: Commercial advertising in one form or another probably dates back to the earliest days of trading that predate recorded human history, but the advent of modern communications and mass media generated a much more powerful form of advertising. The printing press was the first major mass communication mechanism because it enabled merchants to publish advertisements in daily newspapers and to produce catalogs of their merchandise. In many respects, the printed catalog enabled the commercial successes of some of the earliest retail giants like the Sears and Roebuck Company in the The introduction of radio and television in the early and mid 20th century dramatically increased the reach of commercial advertisement to such a large extent that communications intended to sell products and services eventually became powerful and influential enough to play an important role in the development of the individual. The incorporation of social psychology into advertising media enabled advertisers to maximize the value of high-priced commercials but it also increased the potential harms
The Impact of Sexual Themes in Media and Commercial Advertising on Females:As a result of the power of advertising and the natural concern of females for their attractiveness, American women spend more on clothing, beauty-related products and services, and on weight loss products than on any other personal expense, by far (Howard, 2005). In this regard, the combination of advertising themes suggesting a connection between their products and sexual desirability are particularly insidious because they coincide with the social insecurities and the preoccupation with attractiveness and popularity that already dominate adolescent psychology (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2005) throughout adolescence and even early adulthood, in many cases. The Impact of Advertising on Female Self Esteem: In the most general sense, product advertising works through one of two mechanisms: either it generates consumer awareness of the existence of a product or it motivates consumers to purchase products by emphasizing a specific feature or claim associated with the product (Howard, 2005). By way of evidence, one need look no further than the impact of popular cultural icons on pre-adolescent and adolescent behavior, clothing styles, and preferences, such as in the case of the emulation on the part of young girls of Miley Cirus, Brittany Spears, and generations earlier, Madonna and the female stars of Hollywood's so-called "golden era. In that regard, the over-emphasis of sexual themes and images portraying the idealized female form have contributed greatly to the low self esteem in women, especially in terms of their perceptions of their physical appearance. of influencing the psychological development in ways that have become readily apparent in contemporary American society. More importantly, because mass media and communications are such a powerful influence on individual psychology and social orientation, the advertising designed to sell products also shapes the actual images and aspirations of individuals on a much broader level than only the actual consumers of those products. To the extent adolescent females perceive cultural icons with whom they identify as becoming sexually active at an early age, they adjust their own standards of behavior and expectations to match those of their role models in mainstream media. As a result, millions of healthy-weight American women consider themselves overweight, simply because they are inundated with idealized images of the perfect female form throughout mass communications media. The unhealthy results of young people taking leads from irresponsible role models, especially in the realm of sexual conduct, is relatively obvious and includes teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and emotional trauma associated with precocious sexual activity before the individual is emotionally ready for sexual intimacy and intellectually capable of understanding the complexities of relationships and many elements of cause and effect, in general. Women absorb the messages and internalize the images of the female form emphasized by advertisers, regardless of how unrealistic those images may be for the vast majority of women. For that reason, advertisers have a moral responsibility to consider the potential harms attributable to advertisements created to sell their products. In principle, there is nothing inherently harmful in that, provided only that advertisers are honest in their claims. Very early on, advertisers capitalized on the natural desire of people to maximize their physical appeal to others, especially the sexual appeal to members of the opposite gender. Conclusion: Commercial advertising is a natural byproduct of trade and commerce, particularly in the age of modern mass media communications.
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