Advertisement Using Women As Sex Symbolbystudent Namecodesubjectuniversitycoursedate Essays Example

1. Introduction
In modern era of advertising world one can find women in every possible advertise marketing such as advertisement whether that is printed advertisement or online advertisement. In modern time advertisement is attached to the lives of common people like other important objects and it is followed in every part of day. Basically common human are surrounded by ads more than everything. To be elaborative one has to mention now a day each advertisement features women especially in attractive clothes whether it is advertisements in televisions or in newspaper printed advertisement or in case of magazine or in case of internet to sell a particular product. The main focus is on women body that is presented to attract the sense of a buyer in order to promote a manufactured product. In the various parts of the globe it can be found common in all around the ad world that the uses of scantily clothed women and girls have been represented as “advertisement human beings” by the advertisement agencies. In this essay the discussion have been done to understand the effects of advertisement using women as sex symbol and the stereotypes of this featured action is needed to understand the criticism of advertisement all around the globe. It is certainly important to understand why these types of strategies have been followed by most of the ad agencies and the branded companies to promote and sell the products. Also the ethical issues and the responsibilities of the companies have been discussed and analyzed thoroughly to produce more support of these types of activities. Critical analysis of certain points will reveal the truth.
2. Connection between Women and Sexuality in advertising
In order to explore the motive of the ad world first of all the discussion has to be done elaborately on the relation between women and sexuality to understand how these sorts of advertising ideas can support the advertisement to produce maximum effects among the viewer. Mainly the symbols which are used in the advertisements are gestated with social relationships as ads are basically an important part in the reconstruction of the social habits and lives of people within a community or section (Luxton, Reid and Mavondo, 2014). It has been seen that advertisements have got the effective influence to change or describe the everyday routine and habits of a parson. Apart from that the advertisement can have the power of affecting the sexist behaviours seemed on what is shown or portrayed in an advertisement particularly. The basic role of women in advertisement has always been a controversial and attractive topic since these types of logics have been introduced to showcase women in advertisement world. The presentation of women as sex symbol is mainly intended to stir up the emotions of dissatisfaction of the people of the community. Also the women factor in the advertisement makes it sure that the psychological impression of viewing of the model presented in the ad can provide memory of the ad for a long run. The beauty and boldness of women can certainly use to promote a product in order to gain the maximum positive feedbacks from the audience of a society (Moeran, 2010). In the past time advertisement mainly highlights the product in order to provide more and more information about the product but in modern time for promoting a product the best way is to add a female figure with it. Controversy and criticism can certainly be done on this issues but it is a way to promote an object to the world just as simple as this. People have to take it as easy as possible, no hard meanings are hidden inside. The logic is simple to create this sort of advertisement with the focus stays on women. A critical thinking diagram is represented here to understand the process.
Figure1: Critical thinking procedure
The process shows knowledge gathering, understanding descriptive knowledge and application of that, analysis of the working pattern and finally evaluating and creating the thinking.
3. Media Advertisements and Sexually Portrayed Women
In the advertisement marketing, the basic interest for all the marketing agencies has got a common idea to expose the beauty and sexuality of women to get the maximum attention from the audience. In modern day advertisements presenting scantily clad women suggest that they are showed in order to sell each type of product whether in television, online websites, magazines and billboards. To attract the male audience is the main motive of these sorts of implementation as male viewers may experience a sexual arouses response to media and print advertisements (Napoli, Murgolo-Poore and Boudville, 2003). Studies through surveys has revealed that male audience might experience arousal in viewing images of partially clothed female models in any advertisement that can lead to intent of buying the product. For these types of psychological effect it is very useful to present a female in an ad to get the maximum attention regarding for the product also. These behaviour and factual substances can affect the sale of a certain product. Generally the sexual response and procedures should have been limited to take control of the excessive sexual imagery of females in advertisement media. These sorts of famine presentation have especially involved capturing the attention towards the advertisement to certain the long term effects on the audience.
3. The impact of Sexually Portrayed Women in Media Advertisements
The discussion of the impact of sexually portrayed women in media advertisement is quite important to show the versatility of thinking of the modern advertisement world. There are lots of evidences to show that would prove the severe impact of showcasing the female in advertisement sector. The involvement of women proves to be a huge success since the very beginning of these sorts of ideas. Audience have found more interests in the ads that produce the success of promoting as well as selling a product. Now a day for marketing whether in online or offline the presentation of advertisement with involvement of women has basically become one of the main features among the ad agencies of all around the globe. Apart from that many young girls and females have found interest in advertisement modelling to show their beauty and worth as a medium. The advertisement industry has found more possibilities to show women with partially clothed in order to sell or promote any magazine, brand, car or even a house (Nixon, 2003). They ensure that the affect of female body must be presented in such a way to attract and impress the audience especially males. The images or commercial advertisements with scantily clad women have certainly opened whole new roads for the advertisement world and have also added a unique dimension that can be rest assured. In a critical analysis prospective it can be questioned the efficiency of the tactics whether those are essential for the advertising companies to take these sorts of efforts in order to promote the project commodities and services. But in case of business logic it certainly supports the factor of presenting women figure in advertisement in promotion tactics. Now in order to discuss creative thinking and critical thinking a figure has been shown below.
Figure2: Discussion of creative thinking and critical thinking
Figure 2 has been presented to find out the combination of creative thinking and critical thinking that has to be followed to in making a advertisement. In media advertisement the combination of both the creative and critical thinking have to be mixed in order to get the maximum opportunity. The complexity, simplification, abstraction, elaboration, awareness of environment has to be taken under consideration. The basic points of critical thinking have to be followed as presented under.
Figure 3: Keys to Critical Thinking

The basic keys of critical thinking are recognize assumptions, evaluate arguments and draw conclusion in order to make a decision.

4. Differences between the traditional and modern practice of Marcoms
The word Marcom sometimes spelled ‘Marcomm’ is basically an abbreviation for “marketing communications”. Generally marcom is set a target to interact with the consumers and the prospects by using one or more media such as newspaper, magazine, billboards, radios, televisions, media marketing, telemarketing and the internet to generate maximum number of response from the audience. The practice of branding, advertising, direct marketing, graphic designing, promotion, packaging, publicity of product, sponsorship, sales, online marketing is said to be a part of marketing communications specifically termed as marcoms. Now in order to find the specific differences between the traditional and modern practice of marketing communications any one can sort out a basis and most appropriate difference. The use of women in every section of marketing is a basic difference of the tradition and the modern practice of marcoms. In a broader prospective it can be said that in the traditional practice of marketing and advertising the basis importance is given on the product and according to that some innovative designing and preferred marketing and advertising has been done. But in case of modern practice of marcoms the thought has been shifted quite drastically and the design of advertisement has been done to emphasis of the women beauty and caressing of women body which lead to generate a psychological response to the audience by showing them the beauty of the model presented in the advertisement (Pousttchi and Wiedemann, 2010). Critical analysis of this part will certainly reveals the importance of this type of tactics accepted by the marketing and advertising agencies. Certainly these things in the advertisement have helped to generate a lot of movement and certainly added a new dimension in the media advertisement. A figure has been attached to show the importance of it.
Figure 4: Elements of Reasoning
Now in order to find the differences of what was done before, what is done now and what will be done in the future advertisement market elements of reasoning have to be considered as a part of critical thinking. The points of views of people now and then, the implementation and the consequences according to the necessity, concepts of the advertising, information regarding to the marking of the product have to be thoroughly analyze to answer the questions of what was done and what have to be done in future in advertising considering the women as a symbol of sex.
5. Advertising communication in Fashion Magazines on Young and Adult Females
In the marketing prospective of several products such as dresses, watches, sunglasses and other accessories the fashion magazines presents good looking beauties in different manners that can develop high body dissatisfaction among adolescent girls after visualising skinny and young female models. So not only to attract the males, the advertisement involving women can also generate a strong feeling in girls to collect a certain product in order to look like the models. Basically there are strong psychological desire and lust among the audience which have been exploited by the advertisement industry by putting a model in the pages of every magazine. As all the human have got the tendency to look perfect that sort of feeling lead the common people to buy the product itself. It sometimes works madly. Additionally the images of beauty queen models certainly add an extra lust for the product to look like exactly the same. The femininity in advertisement has got lot of portrayals to show such as touching herself, caressing a product, eyes closed, lying on floor carelessly, confused expression, vulnerable, sexy and sexually available, body contorted, playful, seductive, not alert, careless etc and these sorts of portrayals of women have been perfectly framed and presented in the magazines to show the beauty and explore the opportunity by having the product (Reichert and Lambiase, 2003). Critics always criticize these sorts of movements of advertisement industries. But in reality these steps are very important in sense of promoting a product to the larger community of the globe. In the past the scenario was different but now a day in modern era it is very essential for a business or a product to get promoted as they said better sells looks. There are no issues in adding women in order to sell or marketing a product.
6. The Use of Fashion Magazines in media advertising
In representing women in the fashion magazines can explore various necessity of a girl or a boy. Basically the fashion magazines are manufactured and published to show the vivid and distinct difference of class whether in case of men or women. Therefore it can act as a psychological stimulus that can show the dissatisfaction of human body and in order to complete the need people intend to have the object shown in the magazines whether it is a shoe, jewellery, bag, watch, dress and sunglasses. Advertisement presented in the fashion magazines can encourage women especially young girls to weight control behaviour. Also the images and photographs shown in the fashion magazines can motivate young girls to showcase a body image just like the model in the magazine that can be accepted by the community with a huge praise and response. The criticism can be done to these kinds of tactics as in order to sell a product in the market. The advertisements shown in the magazines through the skinny models in gorgeous and fashionable clothes can have influence among the young girls of a community to idolise superficial beauties. Also the female models showcased in the magazines certainly generate obsession to physical attractiveness and the advertisements boosts the sensitivity of youthful body image as shown in the fashion magazines (Reichert and Lambiase, 2006). In the mindset of girls who are older than teens have found the tendency to become bulimic or anorexic in compare to the young ones and as a result young girls have concluded a idea that they would be judged in the community on basis of their body image and physical attractiveness.
7. The use of Internet media marketing featuring Young and Adult Females
As the young generation of the world population has spent lot of their spare time in the internet therefore the marketing on the internet has also left a huge mark on the mind of younger community all over the world. Each of the fashion related websites have intended to mark young generation by marketing of their products on young and adult females. In each fashion sites models with different styles and poses have been produced to promote the products (Sheehan, 2003). The visual effect of the female looks has certainly presented extremely in order to certain the most possible effects on the customers. Through the social media like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin accounts the same sort of visualising promotions have been done on a day by day basis. Thus the audience have found an importance to maintain style in the social community and in order to be the best looking everybody have applying the idea to be as shown in the pages of the websites. The young females models have certainly change the mindset of the young generation to maintain a stylish look and be as perfect as one can be. In the past when there was no possibilities of online marketing advertising had to be presented by magazines and newspapers and there were less examples where women had presented such as now. It is a topic of criticism though. But the modern people and the society certainly have got the ability to deal with the situation.
7. Ethical Considerations in Advertising
The advertising industry and the media outfits must consider some of the ethical issues in order to use females as sex object to attract the customers to purchase products and services. In order to maintain the dignity of human morality women should be respected and any advertising must not show the side of femininity which can be offensive to the moral consideration. Though human now a day more of a modern mindset than of traditional time the morality should be kept intact. Women who are presenting stereotyped as dumb models in several ads can be proved offensive for some community which should be avoided (Wejnert, 2012). Apart from that in modern era educated women can certainly realize that the advertisement featuring female models do not show the reality at all and cannot be as antagonized by them. These groups of women are representatively more sophisticated customers and they may catch the trick by understanding that the advertising shown in the marketing prospective are merely a form of creative art in order to promote and sell the products and services of a company and not an illustration of real life (Bearden, Netemeyer and Haws, 2011). Conclusively for the advertising companies have to certain the thing that no wrong messages should be passed on to the younger generation through the advertisements.
8. Young Educated Consumers Perspective in Using Women in Advertising
In order to discuss the young educated consumers prospective in using females in advertisement it is important to note that as the culture of society is continuously evolving therefore there would be not much problem in order to present the portrays of women as sex object (Cronin, 2000). The present time college girls have evolved to quite extent in the community and they are also growing in a highly sexualized world. On the other hand the media and the advertisement market have certainly been dominated by sexual content in a regular basis. But in case of advertisement the views of women towards sex and sexual behaviour can be affected by the sexually objectified portrayals of females especially on young minds (Williams, Lee and Haugtvedt, 2004). Probably the new feminists may regard female sexuality as the major power of modern era. Some of the younger females become sexually more proactive as sex can be a major factor in commercial, exploitation and recreational section. The images shown in the magazines may lead young girls in involvement of vulgar activities that should not be encouraged.
9. Corporate Social Responsibility in Advertising
As corporations are considered to set moral ethics to the customers a lot of onus should be taken by them. They have to consider various social responsibilities in order to promote advertisement. A lot of moral decisions have to be taken under consideration. The ethical values of women and the respect towards them should be kept intact. In order to maintain the social dignity of women the corporation of advertisement industries have to be more circumspect and responsible. In order to get the maximum promotion or sell the companies cannot allow vulgar images or photographs that can damage the young minds. The only objective of the marketing and advertising companies must not be securing the sell and profit, they have to think beyond that and in order to do that they have to consider the society and the ethics related to it (Gentry and Harrison, 2010). By morally fair the companies can also achieve their goal of promoting and selling their products to the best level. There has to be line that should not be crossed in order to make advertisement featuring females as object that can please the mind of its opposite gender which is not ethical by any means.
10. Technological Ways in marketing communication
The companies of the ad world have to sort out many technological issues in market communication. In order to access the maximum number of consumers all around the world the companies have taken help of information technology. In modern era the companies can introduce their new product to the world instantly through internet and companies can also collaborate with global business partners and suppliers irrespective of the place they may be. The usefulness of social networking site such as Facebook, Instagram is accepted all around the world which makes it more convenient for promoting advertisement of a company’s product to the rest of the world. In current situation the easiest and cheapest way of promotion of a product is using internet (Gender representations in East Asian advertising: Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, 2015). Through Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter any company can promote and advertise its product to the global market. In this process the portrayals of women have been presented to get the maximum attention of the viewers as well.
11. Conclusion
After discussing so many points and analysing so many factors of advertising marketing it can be certainly seen that female figure has become a vital instrument in the advertising market to make sure maximum audience can be interested in the promotional advertisement. Since very beginning of introduction of women as stereotype in advertisement, all the advertisement and media sector have been criticised as the society could not able to judge the changing role of women in the community. Critics have certainly disapproved the act of presenting woman’s figure in the advertisements in order to attract the attention and target the public of society. In order to discuss the fact it can be mentioned that profitable brands such as Gucci, Calvin Klein and Victoria’s Secret have been identified as the powerful brands that are famous to show the sexual identity of women and sell the image of a female as decorative object. To be at the top in the global competitive market famous brands have certainly made famine body as a subject of their promotional advertising to ensure the maximum benefit. Apart from that the modern dynamics of the development of information technology has also changed the modern development and marketing of a business to a certain extent.
12. References
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Reichert, T. and Lambiase, J. (2003). Sex in advertising. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Reichert, T. and Lambiase, J. (2006). Sex in consumer culture. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates.
Sheehan, K. (2003). Controversies in contemporary advertising. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
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Williams, J., Lee, W. and Haugtvedt, C. (2004). Diversity in advertising. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.