OUGD601 Research: Gender Advertisement

Gender advertisement is when advertisements depict stereotypical gender roles and displays. Gender displays are used heavily in advertising in order to establish the role of one gender in relation with the other. Advertisers focus on gender relationships because people define themselves by gender, and it is considered that gender can be communicated at a glance, meaning it's easy for advertisers to use this theme in their work. The effects of advertising on body image have been studied in great depth and it is known that the images we see in adverts affect our own body images. Thousands of advertisements contain messages about attractiveness and beauty, which in turn makes people feel self conscious and not worthy. Of course there are other factors, such as upbringing, schooling etc, however it cannot be denied that advertising has a huge influence, as advertisements are literally everywhere we look in this day and age.