Today I am going to be analysing some advertisment: some that degrade girls and some that empower them.
The main dividing points between the two types of ad are who created them, and their target audience.
The adverts which degrade girls are often created by males and a lot of them are aimed towards men talking about females instead of directly to the girl.
Nowadays though a lot of adverts are created by females, for females, and have more empowering messages.
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| This advert is aimed towards teenage girls, and is for a makeup that will hold all day as you 'work, workout at the gym and party all night', and holds the promise that you will "wake up in the morning with your makeup in place" |
Advertisements which degrade girls:
Adverts which degrade girls depict them as:
Adverts which degrade girls depict them as:
- weak
- unable to do even the simplest of tasks
- should be able to cook and clean, and an education isn't as important
- property of a man
- immature and dim
- 'supposed' to be good looking and well dressed at all times
This advert (shown right, above) is for a makeup brand that is guaranteed to stay looking good so girls can 'work all day, workout at the gym, party all night and wake up in the morning with your makeup in place'. This is presuming that all teenage girls care immensely about, and are almost obsessed with their image.
This is degrading as there is definitely more to girls than good-looks, and a makeup that stays on all the time definitely does not put across this message. This ad could also cause teenage girls to become anxious, and lead them into thinking that they need to wear makeup 24/7.
This is degrading as there is definitely more to girls than good-looks, and a makeup that stays on all the time definitely does not put across this message. This ad could also cause teenage girls to become anxious, and lead them into thinking that they need to wear makeup 24/7.
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| This advert is showing sexism, and is using the young female to create a "fantasy scene" for males |
The female is shown in underwear while cooking to create a "fantasy" for men. This advertisement definitely also showing sexism as it is implying that the female should be in the kitchen cooking, and also says that she should be obsessing with her appearance to ensure she looks her best, to appeal to guys.
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| This sickening advert is putting across this young girl as an object of desire |
This ad has used the image of a young girl, clutching a teddy bear, with the slogan 'Love's Baby Soft. Because innocence is sexier than you think.'
This advert is putting this young girl across as an object to please men, and being very sexist.
Adverts like this can actually be harmful, as people then think it's okay to think of young girls in appropriate ways, and makes young girls think they need to worry about their appearance so that they can 'appeal' to men.
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| This ad depicts teenage girls in suggestive poses, wearing next to nothing |
This advertisement (left) is for 'Bubblelicious', and depicts teenage girls in underwear posing suggestively. This advert is sexualising these girls and making them appear like they are objects. Chances are this ad would appeal more to males than females! Adverts like this are degrading and objectifying and can not only make males get the wrong idea about females (and think that they are objects etc.)
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| This advert is degrading as it is implying that girls are 'easy', and using this image and idea to sell their product |
The final degrading advert I will be analysing is for a furniture store, and is shown to the right.
This ad depicts a girl in her teens/ early twenties in suggestive clothing lying across a couch, with the title 'Being CHEAP isn't always a bad thing'.
This advert is degrading as it is implying that teenage girls are 'cheap' (ie. desperate, happy with any man who comes along) and has used this, and the overly sexualised image of the girl, to sell their furniture.
Overall these adverts do not represent teenage girls positively or fairy. The girls in these ads are over-sexualised and heavily made-up, and the advert focuses on their appearance, using this to sell their product. The girls are objectified, and all fit the same criteria: slender with smooth 'perfect' skin, long hair, skimpy clothing and a lot of makeup. Being exposed to this can give girls a negative image, as they see this and think they have to "live up to the same standard". This can result in teen females becoming obsessive with their weight, clothing and makeup, and still not being happy with themselves.
But now on a more positive note....
Advertisements which empower teenage girls:
As I mentioned earlier, whether an advert degrades or empowers girls often depends on who it is targeted at, and who it is created by.
These "girl power" ads are all quite modern and aimed towards females. It is hard to know who created them, but there's a high chance it was a female.
A lot of modern adverts depict teenage girls in a neutral way (for example, as part of a family trying out a new product) but the ones I will be talking about are "girl power" adverts, i.e. ones that stand out for empowering females.
This advert (left) is for NIKE and is part of a series of ads, each depicting a different part of the body which is 'worked out' at the gym, with an assortment of 'girl empowering' words. This one shows a young females shoulders and talks about how she has worked hard on them, lifting weights, and says they might not be 'feminine' but they are strong etc.
This is a positive advert for teenage girls to see as it puts females across in a good way. It talks about girls and their bodies in a positive manner- describing being strong and fit and proud as good, and not talking about needing to be super thin etc.
This 'Proactiv' advert (left) which shows a picture of Avril Lavigne, and the text 'I'm no pushover. I'm Proactiv'. This is putting her across as a strong, confident female who's in charge of her life. Her black clothing and heavy eye makeup show her personality, which is very out there and self assured. This is a good message for preteen/teen girls who will be viewing this advert, as she is represented as a strong female, who isn't afraid to be herself.
This advert (left) was part of Kotex's advertising campaign which they started to empower a new generation of girls.
The advert's main text says 'I tied a tampon to my keyring so my brother wouldn't take my car. It worked.' and the image shows a young female driving into the distance with her fist in the air (a well known sign of happiness, power and triumph).
This advert is designed to appeal and relate to a wide audience. Firstly, the car is slightly beat-up and old looking, meaning that any girl looking at the ad could realistically own this car.
For most teenagers a car represents freedom and maturity, and in this photo the girl is driving away into a long stretch of road, which symbolizes adventure.
The small text at the bottom reads "Why are 40% of people uncomfortable with tampons?", and goes on to tell girls not to be ashamed of their bodies and it's natural processes, which encourages empowerment. The punchline of the advert is 'Break the cycle', which is a pun as it refers to both the menstrual cycle and the cycle of being embarrassed to talk about it. This is a positive portrayal of teenage girls as this advert is all about being proud to be female, and not being ashamed of yourself. Seeing this ad would positively influence a teenage girl as she would realise that she doesn't need to be embarrassed. This advert could also make her feel 'girl power' and a sense of pride.
These empowering adverts all show confident, 'real' females who can be positive role models for the young girls looking at the ads.
These adverts are a lot nicer to look at, and I believe they get the message across better. I would definitely be more likely to buy a product which uses strong, confident females in their advertising, rather than being sexist and degrading.
These "girl power" ads are all quite modern and aimed towards females. It is hard to know who created them, but there's a high chance it was a female.
A lot of modern adverts depict teenage girls in a neutral way (for example, as part of a family trying out a new product) but the ones I will be talking about are "girl power" adverts, i.e. ones that stand out for empowering females.
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| This advert is part of a set put out my NIKE. Each talks about a different body part, how you can exercise it, and how beautiful it is despite what people might say to you. |
This is a positive advert for teenage girls to see as it puts females across in a good way. It talks about girls and their bodies in a positive manner- describing being strong and fit and proud as good, and not talking about needing to be super thin etc.
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| In this advert, Avril Lavigne is shown as a strong female which is definitely a positive representation. |
This 'Proactiv' advert (left) which shows a picture of Avril Lavigne, and the text 'I'm no pushover. I'm Proactiv'. This is putting her across as a strong, confident female who's in charge of her life. Her black clothing and heavy eye makeup show her personality, which is very out there and self assured. This is a good message for preteen/teen girls who will be viewing this advert, as she is represented as a strong female, who isn't afraid to be herself.
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| This ad talks about not being embarrassed to talk about your body and period. |
The advert's main text says 'I tied a tampon to my keyring so my brother wouldn't take my car. It worked.' and the image shows a young female driving into the distance with her fist in the air (a well known sign of happiness, power and triumph).
This advert is designed to appeal and relate to a wide audience. Firstly, the car is slightly beat-up and old looking, meaning that any girl looking at the ad could realistically own this car.
For most teenagers a car represents freedom and maturity, and in this photo the girl is driving away into a long stretch of road, which symbolizes adventure.
The small text at the bottom reads "Why are 40% of people uncomfortable with tampons?", and goes on to tell girls not to be ashamed of their bodies and it's natural processes, which encourages empowerment. The punchline of the advert is 'Break the cycle', which is a pun as it refers to both the menstrual cycle and the cycle of being embarrassed to talk about it. This is a positive portrayal of teenage girls as this advert is all about being proud to be female, and not being ashamed of yourself. Seeing this ad would positively influence a teenage girl as she would realise that she doesn't need to be embarrassed. This advert could also make her feel 'girl power' and a sense of pride.
These empowering adverts all show confident, 'real' females who can be positive role models for the young girls looking at the ads.
These adverts are a lot nicer to look at, and I believe they get the message across better. I would definitely be more likely to buy a product which uses strong, confident females in their advertising, rather than being sexist and degrading.
