Sex in ads sells like popcorn in movie theaters. By sex, I refer to women. Women, who are shown in submissive roles, who are minimally clad, who are shown as objects needed to beautify the product. You buy a car and you get a girl, you buy a deodorant and you get a girl, you buy any damn thing, girls are a tag along. Women have alway been portrayed as a part of product package offer. While there are a lot of differences that I have mentioned in my earlier blogs with respect to the advertising in America and advertising in India, objectification of women seem to be common phenomenon across the globe with slight variations and some evolutions currently.
American ads selling 'women'—
In US, women are more often than necessary treated as partially or fully naked objects that are merely used to adorn the product they are not even remotely related to. While the portrayal of women in traditional roles as dependent housewives has been forgone, a more damaging route to boost the product promotion in ads has seeped in. As if sexualizing female products wasn't enough, advertisers these days sexualize cars, food and all things that have little or no relation with women.
In the Mercedes ad below, the shape of the car is compared with various parts of women's body. The ad concept is completely irrelevant and presents women in a completely disrespectful fashion.
Mercedes Ad
Check out the role reversal video (It contains some explicit images of women, but this was needed to explain the point, hence I have used it here)
Role Reversal Video
There are several videos and efforts taken in direction of highlighting the disgraceful treatment that women in ads receive.
sexism and sexual violence in ads in US
Dove came up with a beautiful ad in 2013, which depicted how little women thought of themselves in terms of looks and how they looked from a stranger's view point. A lot of cosmetic products reinforce the thought in women's mind that they need to look perfect and flawless and the only way is through the use of their cosmetics/products. Hence, an ad from Dove that depicted that there is much more perfection than imperfection, that women thought they had actually was a 'feel-good' ad. Though the ad had nothing to do with breaking stereotypes or treating them as humans in place of objects, the ad is beautiful in its way for bringing the confidence back in women (who have constantly been hammered by males as having either chubby cheeks, broad jaws, wrinkled skin or patchy complexion etc).
Dove - You are more beautiful than you think
Indian ads selling 'women'—
Just like Indian culture, Indian climate is also diverse as one moves from North to South. While northern part of India experiences extreme winters (snow falls) most part of the year, southern part remains extremely warm. As a result the skin color of the people as one moves from north to south darkens. Fairer women are the first choice in all the spheres of life, be it personal or professional. A fair looking woman is expected to give birth to fair kids is the myth and hence prospective grooms (no matter how dark they are) want their prospective brides to be fair. Even in the professional fronts, women are expected to attend meetings, deal with clients and so on and hence a fairer looking women are preferred. I really wonder why is the same criteria not applicable to Indian men who are dark? Even they are expected to meet people on professional front, then why the bias? Northern women who are naturally fair do not have to face as much struggle as women in the southern part of India. This leads to lack of confidence and feeling of inferiority complex among them. These advertisers take the advantage of this 'color bias' going on in the Indian society and offer products which are expected to turn black/brown into white!
Ponds ad (the entire campaign was released in English)
The start of the obsession for fairness
Other than this, role of women in Indian ads has evolved greatly over the years. Most of the ads show women in better light, show them self-sufficient, independent, and most of the times in roles equivalent to their male counterparts. However, the following ad fails to portray woman in non-stereotypical fashion. It shows two women preparing meal, while the man makes himself a drink.
Titan Ad
International brands like Axe continue to follow the same positioning as they do in US with respect to treating women as 'sex objects' by showing them half naked and mostly clinging to men. The latest Indian Axe ad however objectifies 'Men' instead of women this time. There is an entire campaign consisting of 8 ads, all on the same lines.
Axe Ad
It is a taboo for Indian women to get married again if her husband dies or leaves her for another women. If a man gets married again, it is acceptable but if a woman gets married again, she is looked down upon by the society. The following ad shows the change in the society's perception and open welcomes re-marriage of a woman and show her equivalent to male. The ad ends with the little girl asking her new dad, if she can address him as her father -
Tanishq Jewelry
It is not just that women in Indian ads are expected to be in perfect shape, the current trend shows that even men are not spared. However, have a look at the following ad (2014 ad). It shows no matter what shape men are in, they want their women to be beautiful and slim -
Imperial Blue
Most importantly, the women (especially in decorative roles) give a negative impression as most of these ads are airbrushed or altered, creating a false standard of beauty. Young girls starve themselves to death just to look slim in front of their male colleagues and friends.
Despite so much advancement in all the areas, the real area that needs reformation has remained mostly untouched. Women continue to remain being portrayed in demeaning roles almost 7/10 times. We humans have left everything that remained in past, in past, leaving the way women are treated in reality and portrayed in films and ads. It is an universal phenomenon and sadly it seems like its unchangeable.
American ads selling 'women'—
In US, women are more often than necessary treated as partially or fully naked objects that are merely used to adorn the product they are not even remotely related to. While the portrayal of women in traditional roles as dependent housewives has been forgone, a more damaging route to boost the product promotion in ads has seeped in. As if sexualizing female products wasn't enough, advertisers these days sexualize cars, food and all things that have little or no relation with women.
In the Mercedes ad below, the shape of the car is compared with various parts of women's body. The ad concept is completely irrelevant and presents women in a completely disrespectful fashion.
Mercedes Ad
Check out the role reversal video (It contains some explicit images of women, but this was needed to explain the point, hence I have used it here)
Role Reversal Video
There are several videos and efforts taken in direction of highlighting the disgraceful treatment that women in ads receive.
sexism and sexual violence in ads in US
Dove came up with a beautiful ad in 2013, which depicted how little women thought of themselves in terms of looks and how they looked from a stranger's view point. A lot of cosmetic products reinforce the thought in women's mind that they need to look perfect and flawless and the only way is through the use of their cosmetics/products. Hence, an ad from Dove that depicted that there is much more perfection than imperfection, that women thought they had actually was a 'feel-good' ad. Though the ad had nothing to do with breaking stereotypes or treating them as humans in place of objects, the ad is beautiful in its way for bringing the confidence back in women (who have constantly been hammered by males as having either chubby cheeks, broad jaws, wrinkled skin or patchy complexion etc).
Dove - You are more beautiful than you think
Indian ads selling 'women'—
Just like Indian culture, Indian climate is also diverse as one moves from North to South. While northern part of India experiences extreme winters (snow falls) most part of the year, southern part remains extremely warm. As a result the skin color of the people as one moves from north to south darkens. Fairer women are the first choice in all the spheres of life, be it personal or professional. A fair looking woman is expected to give birth to fair kids is the myth and hence prospective grooms (no matter how dark they are) want their prospective brides to be fair. Even in the professional fronts, women are expected to attend meetings, deal with clients and so on and hence a fairer looking women are preferred. I really wonder why is the same criteria not applicable to Indian men who are dark? Even they are expected to meet people on professional front, then why the bias? Northern women who are naturally fair do not have to face as much struggle as women in the southern part of India. This leads to lack of confidence and feeling of inferiority complex among them. These advertisers take the advantage of this 'color bias' going on in the Indian society and offer products which are expected to turn black/brown into white!
Ponds ad (the entire campaign was released in English)
The start of the obsession for fairness
Other than this, role of women in Indian ads has evolved greatly over the years. Most of the ads show women in better light, show them self-sufficient, independent, and most of the times in roles equivalent to their male counterparts. However, the following ad fails to portray woman in non-stereotypical fashion. It shows two women preparing meal, while the man makes himself a drink.
Titan Ad
International brands like Axe continue to follow the same positioning as they do in US with respect to treating women as 'sex objects' by showing them half naked and mostly clinging to men. The latest Indian Axe ad however objectifies 'Men' instead of women this time. There is an entire campaign consisting of 8 ads, all on the same lines.
Axe Ad
It is a taboo for Indian women to get married again if her husband dies or leaves her for another women. If a man gets married again, it is acceptable but if a woman gets married again, she is looked down upon by the society. The following ad shows the change in the society's perception and open welcomes re-marriage of a woman and show her equivalent to male. The ad ends with the little girl asking her new dad, if she can address him as her father -
Tanishq Jewelry
It is not just that women in Indian ads are expected to be in perfect shape, the current trend shows that even men are not spared. However, have a look at the following ad (2014 ad). It shows no matter what shape men are in, they want their women to be beautiful and slim -
Imperial Blue
Most importantly, the women (especially in decorative roles) give a negative impression as most of these ads are airbrushed or altered, creating a false standard of beauty. Young girls starve themselves to death just to look slim in front of their male colleagues and friends.
Despite so much advancement in all the areas, the real area that needs reformation has remained mostly untouched. Women continue to remain being portrayed in demeaning roles almost 7/10 times. We humans have left everything that remained in past, in past, leaving the way women are treated in reality and portrayed in films and ads. It is an universal phenomenon and sadly it seems like its unchangeable.
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