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The Effects Of Gendered Representations On Advertising

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The Effects of Gendered Representations in Advertising
This essay discusses the representations of women in media and advertising, including the effects they have on individuals in society. Firstly, I will review the literature on stereotypical gender roles within media and advertising. This will include traditional roles such as the housewife, and modern roles such as the sex object. Secondly, I will critically evaluate and examine the effects of these roles on women, and even men, in today’s society. Effects include body dissatisfaction, thin idealisation and, in extreme cases, violence against women. Thirdly, I will aim to make conclusions on whether gender representations and roles within media have impacts on men and women in society.
During the rise of the feminist movement in the late 20th century, a significant body of research emphasised that media and advertising can affect the behaviours, knowledge and beliefs of individuals. The mass media can influence attitudes and opinions, either immediately or gradually, which may shape social norms (Lazarsfeld, 1948, p.249). In particular, researchers have argued that advertising plays a huge role in affecting the attitudes and behaviours of individuals in society (Courtney and Lockeretz, 1971, Kolbe and Langefeld, 1991; Harrison and Hefner, 2006; Stankiewicz and Rosselli, 2008; Ifezue, 2010). Advertising may be referred to as a “persuasive and repetitive form of communication” (Panarese, 2014, p.100), which occupies

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