Gender Stereotyping in Advertising

This assignment examines the prevalence of gender stereotyping in modern advertising. It explores how advertisements perpetuate traditional roles and representations of men and women, using specific examples like the 'M1 You Deserve Better' ad to illustrate the point. The paper argues that these stereotypical depictions contribute to workplace discrimination and influence audience perceptions of gender identity. It ultimately aims to raise awareness about the manipulative nature of such advertising techniques.

Running head: MEDIA COMMUNICATION
Media Communication
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Author Note

MEDIA COMMUNICATION
We live in a world which is controlled by the mass media. Information are broadcasted
through various form of entertainment and reach the millions of viewers fast. The gender
stereotyping is evident in advertising as a persuasion technique. It is natural practice of humans
to organize knowledge through the information they gather from his surroundings. The human
cognitive scheme is developed by perceiving certain representations of reality that is present in
the social environment (Greenfield, 2014). The refusal of stereotype is generally considered as
exception and it is traditional practice to identify certain groups through the stereotype only.
The advertisement is a perfect example of gender stereotyping in modern society. The
professional business world is often criticized for discrimination against women (Anand &
Tyagi, 2017). The men are sitting and presenting business idea to another male boss while the
female is the secretary and objectified. The plant objectifies with lustful manner and the men
cheer in joy. The society is used to this practice of work place gender discrimination therefore
the advertisers used this to connect to their audiences. TV advertisements present women either
in the role of housewife or as a sex object. In this M1 You deserve better ad the woman is
outside the domestic sphere and sexual message has been projected through her (YouTube,
2008). Such representations of gender stereotyping set the norm and assist the audience to frame
their gender identity. The entire advertisement is from male’s gaze and the woman is just like a
decoration piece. The advertisement primarily aims the male viewers and therefore the ad
demonstrates the recipient’s reflection. The presence of the woman in this ad is weaker than the
man and serves nothing than evoking an erotic sphere. The advertisement wouldn’t have lost its
message without the woman but adding her in the scenario adds the desire quotient and the
advertisers message gets delivered to its viewers more effectively.

MEDIA COMMUNICATION

MEDIA COMMUNICATION
Reference
Anand, M., & Tyagi, V. (2017). Advertising: Boon or Curse for Women. International Journal
of Research in Economics and Social Sciences, 7(3), 116-124.
Greenfield, P. M. (2014). Mind and media: The effects of television, video games, and
computers. Psychology Press.
M1 You Deserve Better. (2008). YouTube. Retrieved 16 October 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ0ykYYIy30