Sexual Objectification In Advertising: A Case Study

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Introduction

The following study will examine whether there is sexual objectification of women in international marketing communications. The author will focus on several academic papers related to the sexual objectification of women in advertising including:

‘The Sexual Objectification of Women in Advertising: A Contemporary Cultural Perspective’.
‘The Effect of Thin Ideal Media Images on Women’s Self-Objectification, Mood, and Body Image’.
‘Women as Sex Objects and Victims in Print Advertisements’.
An Alternative View.
A scrutinisation of the documentary ‘Killing Us Softly 4’ by Jean Kilbourne will be made.
A critical evaluation/conclusion will also be produced.

According to Heldman (2012), sexual objectification can be defined as “the …show more content…

It is at the discretion of advertisers to undertake more moral responsibility in relation to the portrayal of females in advertisements. Consumers are often unable to view the product or service being advertised as the focal point centres around a semi naked female protagonist. It has been proven that sexual advertising grab’s consumer attention and marketers will push the boundaries to sell a brand. The investigation discovered that young, educated women accept the objectification of women, where previously this demographic was the most critical of such practices. Objectifying women has become socially acceptable and most consumers will not find these adverts surprising, alarming or dangerous (Zimmerman and Dahlberg …show more content…

Serious implications of the thin ideal are widespread in Western women, who are constantly bombarded by such images. The task of paying attention to oneself’s body image causes other cognitive and behavioural functions to suffer. It has been considered that extended exposure to such advertising can lead to women living vicariously through the models and actresses displayed in magazines and on television. The study proves that media pressure has inundated much of the young female population who will stop at nothing to achieve the perceived ‘perfect’ body image (Harper and Tiggemann

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