Thursday, 24th, Thursday April, 2013
Critical investigation/ Mr.Bush
How are women overtly sexualised in
contemporary perfume advertising, paying particular attention to adverts such
as Beyoncé’s 'Heat' advert and YSL advert featuring Kate Moss.
“The beauty
industry is a monster, selling unattainable dreams. It lies, it cheats, it
exploits women."[1]
Postmodernists
will argue that society has become ever more diverse, therefore the way women
are represented and stereotypically portrayed in the beauty industry has also
changed. Why? Simply, because of advance technology and changes in societal
attitudes and belief that it objectifies women as a "natural source".[2]
This investigation will arguably raise a debate as to how women are overtly
sexualized in contemporary perfume advertisements such as Beyoncé Heat and YSL-
Parisienne, and whether it treats women as objects, as outlined by McLuhan (1980)
this can be one method to how perfume products appeal the audience’s attention
and merchandise its product "globally"[3].
However, Hall (1973) will put forward the Reception theory[4]
and argues as an oppositional reading that women are sexualized in perfume
adverts because "sex sell,"[5]
but some will criticize this and argue that it may be to convey a message of misogyny.
This is because the media effect which is supported by Gerbner (1960) who
outlined the "cultivation theory,"[6]
argues that this is used to have an impact on the passive younger audiences or
simply because it's a way for women to dominate the advertising industry.
In the 21st
century, contemporary perfume adverts have portrayed women as weaker and
fetishistically. In which this case it represents the modern society in the
West as being uncivilized. Edward Said (1978) put forward the idea of orientalism[7]-
this is where the West is civilized and the East is uncivilized; therefore audience
can challenge this theory by arguing that women have become sexualized in
countries which are civilized, such as the UK. However, by portraying women
like a sexual object in Western countries audiences can challenge this theory
and argue that the UK is 'uncivilized'. This is because the way the
demographics in Saudi Arabia will react to modern, Western adverts to the
demographic in U.S, will be completely different. Hanna Rosin (2012) had
stated: "In the West, meanwhile, women behave sexually aggressive ways
that would have been unimaginable even twenty years ago."[8]
One reason why contemporary media has changed the way women are sexualised, is so
that they can keep up with both the way audiences read a text, challenge the
stereotypical representation of women and to keep up with the “consumer”[9]
society, which is to sell as many of the product and convey to the audience
through luxurious settings in advert that by living in a rich and luxurious
lifestyle as outlined by Dyer (1982) this is the most crucial element of your
life.
Today's contemporary
beauty industries have portrayed women as an "object of fetishistic
display,"[10]
simply because sex sells. This is so that it can appeal to both the mass and
niche audiences, alongside for the “male viewer pleasures"[11].
When “sexuality is used in advertising certain values and attitudes towards sex
are being sold to consumers along with the product."[12]
For example, historically perfume adverts such as Charlie-Revlon in the 1970's
had their main focus on the product rather than the breast or buttocks of the
women. It had sexualized and objectified women less than contemporary adverts
today. For example, Vladimir Propp[13]
(1920) will argue that the advert had used more close-ups of the product and
had the heroine in a silk jump suit, paying particular attention to her
dialogue. In contrast, to Beyoncé’s ‘Heat’ advert she is wearing a short red,
silk dress which designers have used red silk to depict ‘heat’. This also links
with the perfume brand and further connotes Beyoncé feeling erotic and hot,
which attracts the “male gaze” [14]as
outlined by Laura Mulvey (1975).
Levi-Strauss[15]
(1958) will argue that the comparison between these two adverts is that women
back in the zeitgeist renaissance were represented as being pure. Conversely, now
they are treated as being a sexual toy that is exploited for the purpose of
men. For instance, the makeup used in Charlie-Revlon is natural which gives her
a clear look and enables her to look attractive. This is supported by Young and
Rubicam[16]
who links this with Aesthetic needs, but it can also denote a sense of
self-respect as to how "young women are especially susceptible to
objectification, as they are often taught that power, respect, and wealth can
be derived from one's outward appearance."[17]
This is why Charlie-Revlon had featured the women in a dominating role rather
than the women undressing herself, this then reflects back tothe 'spirit of the
age,'[18]
as women then were treated with respect and had to keep their self-diginity. An
example can be the 1961 advert ‘That touch of perfume,’ Liberal Feminists will
state that women were given equal chances and were treated equally as important
as men, which challenges the stereotypical representation of women. In
contrast, Yves Saint Laurent advert- Parisienne had used diegetic sound of Moss
erotically expressing erotic sounds and conveying that she is feeling pleasure
from the male touching her, which shows that by making the female look sexually
aroused is a way for the male audience to feel invited. However, the audiences
cannot see who the male is which then supports Barthes (1980) idea of creating
further enigma, as the scene continues and fades out with the male touching her
which then drives the "narrative forward,"[19]
and enables the audiences to continue watching the advert and wonder what will
happen next.
On the
contrary, the media may not be to blame as to why women are overtly sexualized
negatively in contemporary perfume adverts. Post-Feminists will argue that both
men and women have equal power and that society has moved from being
patriarchal to a post-feminist era, where both genders are given the same equal
opportunity in the advertisement arena. This is because Vladimir Propp[20]
argues that it clearly depends on the heroine herself and how she wants society
to see her being represented as, simply because of the different readings of a
text. For example, from a male’s
perspective they believe that "women want to be treated as sex
objects,"[21]
which is outlined by Perkins (1979) that some stereotypes can be true. An
example can be that modern female audiences, as an oppositional reading, may
suggest that some women willingly choose themselves to be sexualised and this
is done by using a phallic symbol in order to add emphasis on their sexuality.
This is because if she doesn't use her sexuality to sell the product it can be
interpreted as her lacking “femininity".[22]
For example, Advertising Standards Authority had banned the perfume advert 'Oh
Lola' by Marc Jacobs that featured a young teenager both in print media
platform and moving image, as she was holding a perfume advert in between her
thighs which was a phallic symbol emphasizing on her sexuality. Despite, the
Guardian stated that "41% of parents,"[23]
claimed that the programs that had appeared before 9pm had contained unsuitable
and inappropriate sexual content for children. This ad had been banned as it
was promoting sexualization of children and injecting negative messages in to
younger audiences, as to how they should behave and act in a seductive way. The
Hypodermic Needle theory (1930) proves by suggesting "that audiences are
affected by what they see in the media,"[24]
as outlined by Katz and Lazarsfield (1955).
A pluralistic
ideology, will argue that some audiences are intelligent enough not to accept
what they see being advertised in contemporary adverts and will not believe that
you can achieve a similar look by consuming the perfume. However, by overtly
sexualizing women in perfume advert this may encourage women to take a social
progress which can be "measured by the social position of the female
sex."[25]
This means that audiences that see the advert as being inspirational can
purchase this product and make a social progress and can gain power with the
use of their external image. Feminists will put forward the idea that the
advertising industry exploits women so that it can sell its products and to
serve the personal "pleasures"[26]
of men. Overtly, sexualizing women in perfume adverts can be criticized as to
how “Femininity is not typically a core value for women today,"[27]
as it clearly depends on individualism and how women challenge the negative
stereotypes. This is because we live in a Post-modernist society and therefore
it is possible for females to choose what and how they want to look like in
adverts. This is because it’s a performance that "women choose to employ
in everyday life"[28]
either for pleasures or to achieve an
ambition.
Moreover,
the development of technology has enabled contemporary perfume institutions to
reach to a mass audience and to target different socio-economic[29]
classes such as C1 and C2 and major countries around the global, as McLuhan
stated that "the medium is the message"[30].
Allowing products to reach to audiences instantly will increase the income for
the institutions and will enable audiences to identify the product quickly, as
argued by Blumler and Katz[31]
(1974). The media therefore, have to sell their products in the modern industry
to different demographics[32]
such as both females and males by using a variety of media platform. An example
can be the rapid growths of social network sites which have increased because of
the emergence of more than one platform combined and development of technology.
As audiences have become more socially addicted to lean forwards media such as
social networks, the use of synergy enables them to identify[33]
with the product as they may have seen it on television before. For example, on
Facebook the combination of both print and moving image platform is emerged
through the snapshots from Beyoncé’s ‘Heat’[34]
advert. The snapshots contain videos
from the making of the advert which allows audiences to see the advert on any
media platform and have a variety of choices in how they can perceive the text.
On the other hand, institutions have to be careful as to what platform they
choose because "people's attitudes have changed,"[35]
and if they keep using constantly the same images of women being sexualised or the
same advert being broadcasted repeatedly, some audiences may complain as to how
it is having a negative impact on audiences.
Furthermore,
the Print platform had used Beyoncé in the Heat advert in an explicitly seductive
pose. This poster had casted Beyoncé in direct-mode of address which connotes
as a preferred reading by Hall[36]
that she wants to have power but, realistically Mulvey will state that it is a
way to get the audience to feel that she is inviting the male gaze. The way she
is lying down with her legs open can connote that she feels passionately turned
on. Also, the way her hair is highlighted in blonde can connote that she is
maybe putting on a white mask as Frantz-Fanon (1961) argues; this is because the
“dumb blonde stereotype is common, in Western societies at least, because it
serves the purpose of the patriarchal ideology"[37].
Audiences
can also see that Beyoncé is represented as the stereotypical 'dumb blonde'
which exists in western societies, as it serves the patriarchal ideology. The Guardian
had stated that 'sexually provocative Beyoncé’s advert is ruled unsuitable for
kids,’ and was claimed by ASA that the "perfume advert should not have
been shown during family programming and should now be aired only after 7.30pm.”[38]
Broadcasting adverts that contain sexual imagery and treating women as an
object, is better to be broadcasted after 7.30pm and not beforewatershed, which
will then target its main primary audiences who are adults mainly. This shows
that institutions are more concerned about how much profit they make rather
instead of waiting after watershed to broadcast the advert. In Dominick and
Rauch study (1974) which conducted study of 1,000 prime time television
commercials had found that women were featured as sex objects, housewife,
playing a mother role alongside with existence of the typical stereotypes of
females also existed in that medium.
Besides
this, sexualisation of women can also link with symbolic annihilation Tuchman (1978)[39] which means
that women are underrepresented and their interests are not being
"accurately reflected by the mass media."[40]
This can either be done by race, sex, socio-economic status or sexual
orientation. Gaye Tuchman, a media feminist had argued that, television
annihilates women and informs society that women are weak and are objectified
like a fetished object. In comparison to how overwhelming the media represent
men in positive way in all kinds of moving image platform as "men are
usually shown to be dominate, whereas women are shown to be submissive
and passive".[41]
Marxist,
will argue that advertising is a means of reproducing the existing capitalist
society and manipulating society with the dominant, cultural “hegemony beliefs”[42]
and values, as outlined by Gramsci (1937). This indicates that advertising
carries out "crucial economic functions in managing consumer demand and in
aiding capital accumulation, but it also helps to produce the sort of
ideological ambience required by consumer capitalism."[43]
Therefore, advertising only benefits the Bourgeoisie not because they "own
the means of productions,"[44]
but because they exploit the proletariat to produce profit, so that it can
support the dominate ruling-class ideology and helps the elite in society to
maintain power and hegemonic control. Marx-Feminists, will argue that contemporary
perfume institutions overtly sexualise women in order to sell their product so
that the elite can have power, domination and gain profit from the way they
have sexualized the female. This therefore, informs audiences that adverts
cannot be sold successfully without overtly sexualizing women as it will
decrease the power of the bourgeoisie.
In
conclusion, research has proven that to some extent women are overtly
sexualized in contemporary perfume adverts simply, because the way women are
constantly objectified by male viewers and the fact that "you can do
whatever you want to them".[45]
This is because they are "not real people, there dolls"[46].
However, the in-depth research has given an insight into how the advertising
industry works and how women themselves accept these negative stereotypes
placed upon them as women by virtue lack inequalities. On the other hand, the
independent research has allowed concluding that the advertising industry
institutions have tried to sell their products to a variety of different
psychographics[47] without sex appeal. In contrast,
adverts enable audiences to feel a sense of identification as outlined by Blumler
and Katz[48] this can appeal to
different audiences but, also a sense of misogyny can be faced simply because
"Frailty, thy name is women,"[49]which
suggests that women lack inequalities that men have. Therefore, some institutions
and women challenge these boundaries and "replace all of these sexualized
images" by replacing girls in "positive settings"[50]
as "gender is performative"[51].
[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/sep/13/comment.pressandpublishing No wonder men treat us as sex
objects if we act like this
[2] Baily,
B. 2011, P.11
[3].http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jul/26/marshall-mcluhan-conservatism-medium-is-message Mcluhan global villiage
[4] Fourie, P. J. P.244
[7] Said, E, 1993, P13
[8]Rosin,
H. 2012, P.6
[9]Dyer,
G, 1982, P4
[10]Mulvey, L, 2008, P.4
[12]www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/dde0301.doc (Document)
[13]http://www.adamranson.plus.com/Propp.htm-
Film communication media
[14]http://www.mybodybeautiful.co.uk/Sexualisation%20of%20Society/Sexual_Objectification_Page1.htm- my body beautiful
[15]Fourie J. P, 2008 , P249
[16]
Staiger, J, 2005, P36
[17] Mulvey, L, 1975, P6-18
[18]http://www.mythicjourneys.org/glossary_zeitgeist.html
Mythic imagination
[19]Gauntlett, D, 2002, P.1
[20]http://www.adamranson.plus.com/Propp.htm-
Film communication media
[21]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2270333/Glamour-girl-Dakota-Fanning-just-laughed-sexually-provocative-UK-banned-perfume-ad.html
[22]Gauntlett, D, 2002, P12
[24]Whitford, M, 1988, P.100
[29] Gurevitch,
M. 1982, P174
[31]
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/usegrat.html-
Why do people watch television
[32]
Lazer,
W. 1994, P4
[33]Ibid
[35] Strinati,
D, 2004, P171
[36]Fourie, J.P, 2008, 244
[37]Erens,
P, 1990, P3
[39] Caputi,
J, 1987, P159
[40]Strinati,
D, 2004, P171
[42]
Lowe, M. R. 1998, P173
[44]
Ibid
[46]
Ibid
Word Count: 2159
With Bibliography, quotes
and footnotes: 3,345
[47]
Kahle,
L. 1997, P3
[48]http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/usegrat.html-
Why do people watch television
[49]Bloom,
H. 1990, Act 1 scene2
[51]Gender theory Jeremy Orlebar-
gender is performative
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Documents
Online newspapers:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/sep/13/comment.pressandpublishing Named no wonder men treat us as sex objects if we act like
this
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/02/music-videos-face-crackdown-sexualised-content Media Guardian Music videos get crackdown over sexualized
content- used statistic for how many parents:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/sep/13/comment.pressandpublishing The Guardian: No wonder men treat us as sex objects if
we act like this
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2059097/Dakota Fannings-sexually-provocative-perfume-ad-banned.html
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/63514.php Sexualisation of Girls in the media is harmful
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/audio/2011/jul/20/big-ideas-podcast-medium-message The big ideas podcast- The medium is the message
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/17/beyonce-heat-ad sexually provocative Beyoncé ad ruled unsuitable for kids
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18243577 Are these the most offensive ads of all time?
Moving image texts (Adverts)
University links used
Online Links
http://www.uta.edu/huma/illuminations/kell6.htm -Illuminations
hhtp:/www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/63514.php sexualisation of girls in the media is harmful
http://www.mythicjourneys.org/glossary_zeitgeist.html Mythic imagination
Work consulted
Books
Thornham, S.
(1997). Passionate detachments: an introduction to feminist film theory.
London: Arnold
Manatu, N.
(2003). African American women and sexuality in the cinema. Jefferson,
N.C.: McFarland.
Nelson, C.,
&Grossberg, L. (1988).Marxism and the interpretation
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Scott, J. L.,
Crompton, R., &Lyonette, C. (2010). Gender
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Edward Elgar
INTERNET LINKS
http://www.mybodybeautiful.co.uk/Sexualisation%20of%20Society/Sexual_Objectification_Page1.htm My body beautiful
http://www.equalitynow.org/ru/node/1495 Levson enquiry challenging representations of women in the media
http://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Balliols_Rib_Low-Res_PDF.pdf-
Balliols Ribs/ article about gender and inequality
University sites or academic papers
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/Study_Departments/SIG_Gender_SexCulture_Julia_Dane.pdf- article about girls running the world or growing up to fast
http://www.winchester.ac.uk/research/attheuniversity/FacultiesofHumanitiesandSocialSciences/CentreforGenderStudies/Documents/Evans%20abstract.pdf- an abstract about sexualised representations of women
http://www.frankwbaker.com/sex_in_media.htm
Sexual Messages in Advertising & Other Media
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/sep/13/comment.pressandpublishing No wonder men treat us as sex
objects if we act like this
