Growing up female in America has gradually changed over the decades, but the message of feminism and sex has remained present in all eras. As early as the 1900s, females were portrayed in advertisements as sexual beings. Even in a simple coca-cola ad, the woman is presented as an object rather than a person through the blank expression on her face and the waitress-like position of her arm holding the soda. Additionally, she is portrayed as a sexual object because parts of her breasts are revealed and her body is covered in lavish clothes and jewelry.
This sexual expectation of women has been enhanced even further with the creation of digital retouching. Now a female model, who is already unrealistically thin, can be edited, retouched, and perfected through the use of computers. In a Desperate Housewives advertisement from earlier this decade each woman is positioned in a sexual manner. Although each of these woman are naturally thin and beautiful, they have been trimmed down and cleaned up to make them more appealing to the American public. Advertisements like this have made the standard for beauty and sexiness in America unattainable by the average woman and have caused many to resort to eating disorders in an effort to achieve this image.
Another message about the purpose of women has been presented in multiple ads. The message is simple, yet extremely offensive to the hardworking women of our culture: a woman’s sole duty in life is to take care of a man. In one 1950s advertisement for Schlilg beer, the woman is shown crying because she has burned her husbands dinner. With an arm around her, he reassures her that it is alright because she didn’t ruin the beer.
However, this message has also been portrayed even more negatively when the idea of abuse and beating is brought into it. In a coffee advertisement just a decade earlier, a woman is laid face down over her husband in a kitchen chair. The man’s arm is raised as if he is about to hit her with a headline reading “If your husband ever finds out…” This advertisement not only tells women that they must take care of their husbands, but it tells them that if they do not they will be physically punished until they take care of them correctly. While this message has been diluted in advertisements over the last thirty years, the cultural expectation remains that a wife, girlfriend, mother, etc. must care for their loved one. If the man snaps and abuses his woman, many will try to say that the woman did something to provoke this action, rather than help the woman to escape the dangerous situation.
Personally, I never realized how much advertisements and stereotypes effected my view of women in our society. As I have been looking into the creation of advertisements and the dipictions of women that advertisors have created, I am sad to say that my superficial views of women have been created soley by advertisements and the media. Even when I was a child I was taught to look a certain way. No, my mother didn't dress me up in fruffy dresses, do my hair, and makeup my face; instead Barbie taught me that I had to be extremely skinny with an hourglass figure and long shiny hair. Now, maybe I'm looking into Barbie too much to prove a point, but clearly Barbie had some influence on me as a young child. As the years have progressed, my idea of beauty has changed and I have come to realize that the "Barbie body" does not exist, unless of course you're Heidi Montag and get ten plastic surgeries including procedures to have your back and chin shaved away, ears pinned back, massive breasts placed on you, fat taken from your stomach and put into your face, and work on your tush. All of that just because the ideal women should look like Barbie? That's absolutely ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I still think the majority of women in our society, including myself, would love to look like Marissa Miller or Blake Lively, but most of us also know that this hope is not realistic. Yes, we go to the gym everyday and eat right to stay toned, but plastic surgery isn't necessary just to achieve the ideal body.
Unfortunately, advertisements, television shows, and movies have made many women feel that they do not look good enough. Many feel that in order to fulfill the American women image, they must have plastic surgery procedures. For many women this means breast implants, nose jobs, and lyposuction. Personally, I don't understand why young women feel the need to have these surgeries. It's very sad that these women have such low self-esteem that they feel the need to have plastic surgery. I guess I can't really blame them though, it is pretty difficult to to have a positive body image when we're constantly being bombarded with photos and videos of females with the "perfect body." While growing up in as a female in America has given women many more liberties than women in other countries, it has also taken some away. Women today are still expected to cook, clean, and take care of their husband and families, and they are expected to maintain a perfect body. Clearly, I would rather have to deal with these expectations rather than have to fight for my right to own property or vote, but it is really sad that these expectations are still in existence after women have fought so hard to get rid of them for over a century. Maybe our next generation will have it a little easier and learn to love all types of female bodies and responsibilities. While our society as a whole has learned to accept the working women, I have little hope that future generations will learn to love many body types. At the rate the entertainment industry has been going, future generations will probably have many more eating disorders and plastic surgery procedures will be performed on ten year olds.
Marilyn Monroe was the sex symbol of the 1950s. Back then full figured women were considered beautiful.
Twiggy was extremely popular in the late 1900s and portrayed sexy as extremly skinny.
Marissa Miller represents the current "sexy look" of thin and toned.
Growing up female in America has gradually changed over the decades, but the message of feminism and sex has remained present in all eras. As early as the 1900s, females were portrayed in advertisements as sexual beings. Even in a simple coca-cola ad, the woman is presented as an object rather than a person through the blank expression on her face and the waitress-like position of her arm holding the soda. Additionally, she is portrayed as a sexual object because parts of her breasts are revealed and her body is covered in lavish clothes and jewelry.
This sexual expectation of women has been enhanced even further with the creation of digital retouching. Now a female model, who is already unrealistically thin, can be edited, retouched, and perfected through the use of computers. In a Desperate Housewives advertisement from earlier this decade each woman is positioned in a sexual manner. Although each of these woman are naturally thin and beautiful, they have been trimmed down and cleaned up to make them more appealing to the American public. Advertisements like this have made the standard for beauty and sexiness in America unattainable by the average woman and have caused many to resort to eating disorders in an effort to achieve this image.
Another message about the purpose of women has been presented in multiple ads. The message is simple, yet extremely offensive to the hardworking women of our culture: a woman’s sole duty in life is to take care of a man. In one 1950s advertisement for Schlilg beer, the woman is shown crying because she has burned her husbands dinner. With an arm around her, he reassures her that it is alright because she didn’t ruin the beer.
However, this message has also been portrayed even more negatively when the idea of abuse and beating is brought into it. In a coffee advertisement just a decade earlier, a woman is laid face down over her husband in a kitchen chair. The man’s arm is raised as if he is about to hit her with a headline reading “If your husband ever finds out…” This advertisement not only tells women that they must take care of their husbands, but it tells them that if they do not they will be physically punished until they take care of them correctly. While this message has been diluted in advertisements over the last thirty years, the cultural expectation remains that a wife, girlfriend, mother, etc. must care for their loved one. If the man snaps and abuses his woman, many will try to say that the woman did something to provoke this action, rather than help the woman to escape the dangerous situation.
Personally, I never realized how much advertisements and stereotypes effected my view of women in our society. As I have been looking into the creation of advertisements and the dipictions of women that advertisors have created, I am sad to say that my superficial views of women have been created soley by advertisements and the media. Even when I was a child I was taught to look a certain way. No, my mother didn't dress me up in fruffy dresses, do my hair, and makeup my face; instead Barbie taught me that I had to be extremely skinny with an hourglass figure and long shiny hair. Now, maybe I'm looking into Barbie too much to prove a point, but clearly Barbie had some influence on me as a young child. As the years have progressed, my idea of beauty has changed and I have come to realize that the "Barbie body" does not exist, unless of course you're Heidi Montag and get ten plastic surgeries including procedures to have your back and chin shaved away, ears pinned back, massive breasts placed on you, fat taken from your stomach and put into your face, and work on your tush. All of that just because the ideal women should look like Barbie? That's absolutely ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I still think the majority of women in our society, including myself, would love to look like Marissa Miller or Blake Lively, but most of us also know that this hope is not realistic. Yes, we go to the gym everyday and eat right to stay toned, but plastic surgery isn't necessary just to achieve the ideal body.
Unfortunately, advertisements, television shows, and movies have made many women feel that they do not look good enough. Many feel that in order to fulfill the American women image, they must have plastic surgery procedures. For many women this means breast implants, nose jobs, and lyposuction. Personally, I don't understand why young women feel the need to have these surgeries. It's very sad that these women have such low self-esteem that they feel the need to have plastic surgery. I guess I can't really blame them though, it is pretty difficult to to have a positive body image when we're constantly being bombarded with photos and videos of females with the "perfect body." While growing up in as a female in America has given women many more liberties than women in other countries, it has also taken some away. Women today are still expected to cook, clean, and take care of their husband and families, and they are expected to maintain a perfect body. Clearly, I would rather have to deal with these expectations rather than have to fight for my right to own property or vote, but it is really sad that these expectations are still in existence after women have fought so hard to get rid of them for over a century. Maybe our next generation will have it a little easier and learn to love all types of female bodies and responsibilities. While our society as a whole has learned to accept the working women, I have little hope that future generations will learn to love many body types. At the rate the entertainment industry has been going, future generations will probably have many more eating disorders and plastic surgery procedures will be performed on ten year olds.