Ads That Objectify Women and Their Impact

In today's world of advertising, a brand holds a tremendous influence over the way a society acts. However, there is one argument in marketing that never seems to fade. The role of women is perhaps the most persistent argument in all of marketing. Indeed, though gender equity has dramatically improved within advertising with time, ads that objectify women remain prevalent in our everyday lives, imparting bad values regarding gender roles and stereotyping.

This blog delves deep into current case studies on ads that objectify women and analyses how such campaigns impact society at large. Furthermore, we will share our views on how brands can create advertisements promoting equality and avoiding objectification.

What Does It Mean to Objectify Women in Ads?

The ads tend to objectify women, and this makes the female character passively decorative, solitary at the male's gaze. Such a phenomenon can enhance damaging stereotypes of gender, set unrealistic beauty standards, and create other more systemic problems like the issues of body image disorder, sexism, and gender inequalities.

The commercialization of women through advertisement can be objectification in a number of ways:

Sexualization

Commercials Sexifying women-reducing them to an object/prop. Using sexist poses that contribute nothing to the product.

Dehumanization

Advertisements concentrating on body parts and completely eliminating personality, intelligence, or individuality. Reinforcing traditional gender role: Ads limiting the roles of women either within a family or taking care of a man and are peddled off as archaic stereotypes.

1. Dolce & Gabbana “Gang Rape” Ad (2007)

Maybe the most notorious ad that objectifies women is Dolce & Gabbana's print campaign in 2007, informally known as the "gang rape" ad. In it, a woman is pinned to the ground by a shirtless man; however, many other men looked at her dominantly and passively.

The immediate backlash to the advert saw sex violence critics branding luxury as normalizing violent and unhealthy gender dynamics.

The advert was soon taken down after a raging outcry but the damage had long since been done, reminding the entire world of how bad things could get with objects becoming sexualized.

Lesson Learned

Brands need to be sensitive to the power relationships they create in their different ads and between men and women. The objectification of women, as weak or submissive to the wishes of men, only increases unsafe gender imbalances when women are presented in sexual settings.

2. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s Sensational Ads (2005-2015)

From time to time, fast-food chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's ran a series of ads featuring scantily clad women eating hamburgers in sexually suggestive ways. Among those that could be recalled was their advertisement in 2015 with supermodel Charlotte McKinney strolling through a farmer's market, complete with close-ups of her body as she bit into the burger.

The sexual imageries used in the advertisements were of little relevance to the food being promoted and were mainly oriented towards targeting male audiences. These over-sexualized advertisements, thereby, triggered severe criticism for the sexualization of women and the objectification of the female form.

Lesson Learned

Sexually pass on the product is another way of objectifying: making use of strategies when they have no relationship with the product, especially in marketing. Brands that advertise this way often gain attention in the moment but can end up harming their reputation in the long run.

3. Bloomingdale’s “Spike Her Eggnog” Ad (2015)

In 2015, in response to an ad by department store Bloomingdale's suggesting spiking one's best friend's eggnog when not looking, Bloomingdale's fired back, tweeting that this is "just what friends are for.". The image was the picture of the man admiringly gazing at the woman who seemed oblivious, laughing at something. This campaign attracted criticism from many customers, who felt it objectified and encouraged predatory behavior to women-a direct manipulation without consent. The company apologized over it but this incident does lead a great deal of emphasis in the emotional sensitivity towards the representation of women in advertisements.

Lesson Learned

Even when trying to be funny or in a more humorous context, such advertisements continue to dwell on the negative and open themselves up to being objectified. Brands need to be accountable for respect and equality in their advertisements.

Conclusion: Impact of Ads That Objectify Women

Towards a Future of Responsible Advertising Whilst objectifying ads still appear in the media today, there is a change of tide. With every passing day, people are becoming more conscious and demanding equality, brands realize that their objectification is offending and rather bad for business.

Consumers, especially the younger generation, want to buy from companies espousing respect, inclusivity, and empowerment. If brands want to create advertisements that are relevant and effective for audiences today, they have to step out of the objectification paradigm and portray women in positive, inclusive, and realistic ways. This is the only way they are going to be able to reach customers and establish relevant and lasting relationships with them.

This article " examines a real-time study that perfectly illustrates how objectification negatively impacts the plight of women in advertising. The article contains ads from some of the following brands: Carl's Jr., Bloomingdale's, and Dolce & Gabbana. Examining the harms it will discuss how objectification harms brand reputation and societal views about gender.