Theorists in Gender Advertising...

Gunter (1995)- Theorist who focuses on how gender of women are being represented in magazines. He found out that women in magazines in the 1970's were hardly shown in paid work and if they were then they would be in jobs that would be associated with the female gender. He also found out that the housewife image was in decline after the 50's but was quite common in the 60's and 70's.

Cumberbatch (1995)- Theorist who done a study of 500 prime time tv ads in the UK and found that advertisers had seemingly become wary of showing women doing housework. The study also showed men cooking in the kitchen which revresed the roles and introduced men in more domesticated jobs.

Scheibe (1979)- Done a study on TV ad's and assesed what male and female characters were concerned about. His results showed that women are more interested about beauty, cleanliness, family and pleasing others. on the other hand, men's results showed their achievements and wanted to have fun.

Macdonald (1995)- Macdonald quoted: "advertisers generally lagged behind women's magazines in the cultivation of new modes of address, even when the evidence suggested that commercial advantages could be gained from modernising their approach." This shows that Macdonald argued that the so called stereotypical view of women was not being changed i.e the housewife stereotype.

Greer- Greer quoted what stands a famous saying: "every women knows that she is a faliure if she is not beautiful." This famous quotation sums up the stereotype of the represetation of women. It reinforces that the stereotype still exsits and has not changed over the years. Also, to back this argument up it is true that there are younger female actresses than older male actors.

Walter (1998)- Walter Quoted that women nowadays are more or less happy with their physical apperance. However, it is men that are feeling paronoid with the way they look, which intorduces the "new man" theory and how a meterosexual are more in touch with their feminine side. she stated- "more attractive people earn more money than their plain counterparts and this was more apparant for men then women." However, her theory was proven wrong and was contridicted as surveys were done and showed that women are ten times more likely to become more unhappy with their body image then men.

Cortese- Argues that women are mostly shown to be the perfect provocateur as they are made to look provocative through make up, editing and clothing. This is where TV ads ad magazines make the women look beautiful and attractful for the male gaze by increasing the boobs, glissing up the eyes, lightening the skin colour etc. This reinforces Laura Mulvey's theory of women being objectified as sex objects and having no purpose in the media.

Book research...(So Far..)

1) Gilmore D 1990: Manhood in the making: Cultural concepts of masculinity.
New haven, CT and London: Yale university press.
"Men nuture their society by shedding their blood, their sweat and the semen."
Pg230.

2) Lewis G 1983: Real men like violence: Australian men, media and violence.
Kenthurst: Kangaroo press.
"Within certain limits, agreessive male behaviour is accepted as a normal part of everyday life."
Pg11.

3) Connelle R.W 1987: Gender and power.
Cambridge: Blackwell.
"With the gradually increasing pressure for gender equalilty, it seems, a market was created for representations of power in the arena men could still claim as distinctively their own, plain violence"
pg 215.

4) Jones M 1997: "Masculinity revisited" sociology review vol7 no3.
" The new lad epitomised the backlash against feminism and an increasingly politcally correct culture."
pg 98.

5) Kimmel M.S 1987: changing men : new directions in research on men and masculinity.
Newbury park, CA, Beverly hills, London, New Delhi: Sage.
"If anything the media act to reninforce already exisiting attitudes and values regarding women and violence. They do contribute, but only part of the problem."
Pg 212.

6) Burton G 1999: media and popular culture.
"representations are about stereotypes and that representations in the media are the visible side to ideology."
Pg84.

7) Bignell J 2004: An introduction to television studies.
" Fascination with consumer objects; because of their power o signify s signs of luxury, social power and sexual attractivness."
Pg 216

8) Mailer N 1966: Pretty notes on some sex in America.
"Masculinity is not something given to you, But sometimes you gain. And you gain it by winning small battles with honour"

10 clips....

1950's
The furies


High noon



1960's
Psycho


The unforgiven


1970's
Star Wars


Rocky


1980's
Terminator


Raiders of the lost ark

1990's

Titanic

Matrix

Summary of Work sheets.

Representation of women in the past:
In the 1950's to the 1970's there were only 25-30% female characters.
Action adventure shows- 15 percent of the leading character were female.
Women's movement had been largely ignored by television.
Female charcters were unlikley to work.
Men to be the dominant character making all the decisions.
Men- assertive
Females- passive.
The role of a women in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction.
Women are given less screen time.
Male role films- indian jones
Female leading roles- Tomb raider.

Tuchman asserts that those women who were shown to be working were portrayed as "incompetents and inferiors" , as victimes, or having "trivial" intrests.

Dyer 1987- Womens issues have arrived on the media agenda- documentaries, discussion programmes and dramas on female topics such as infertility, cervical and breast cancer, rape etc.

Kathi Maio- observed that Hollywood's about gender were "often reprehensible."

E. Ann Kaplan- "women are ultimately refused a voice, a discourse and their desire is subjected to male desire. They live out silently.

Representation of women today:
Women and men are usually equal.
Sexist rep in tv ads.
Women twice as likely to be in ads about domestic products.
Women in ads are seen to be sexy, perfect and beautiful.
Postfeminism.
Unequal message as men arent expected to go to so much trouble.
Gender messages in advertising are singled out.
Media culture is quick to pick up out women for the smallest aberrations.
Female prototype.
Examples of leading female characters are: charlies angles, and what women want.

Natasha Walter quotes surveys sugesst that today's women are more-or-less happy with they look, whereas a cast majority of men felt unsatisfied with thei own appearance.

Loaded- The truth is, it's women themeselves who see these freaks as the epitome of perfection.

Ibid- The exemplary female prototype in advertising, regardless of product or service, displays youth, good looks, sexual seductivesness and perfection.

Hollywood culture is offering in place of bold spectacle of male masculinity and violence, is a self effacing man, one who now, learns to live instead of fighting.