Killing USftly 4 By Jean Kilbourne: Gender Stereotypes

Everyday, people are constantly bombarded with advertisements. Many are unaware that the ads that they rarely pay attention to subconsciously affect them. Gender stereotypes in advertising have warped society’s perception of the value of an individual, especially for women. Both a modern ad in a UK men’s health magazine and an ad from an American newspaper in 1936 display these enduring gender stereotypes. These two images reinforce Jean Kilbourne’s claim in “Killing Us Softly 4” that society is geared towards appealing to strong, powerful men—the first does this by portraying a muscular man actively pursuing his passion with no regard to women, while the second does this by conveying that the ultimate goal of women's actions should be to

In the bottom right hand corner, it says that the milk “builds lean muscle”, as demonstrated by the model’s physique. Added muscles are not the only alleged benefits of drinking the company's milk, as it also seems to imply that determination and courage are additional bonuses as well. The ad uses the model’s pose of climbing up the cliff as a way to subconsciously implant a message of added work ethic to the effects of drinking Maxi Milk. There is a saturated and gloomy look in the background, to add a sense of imposing danger that the bold, muscular model is bravely conquering. The model is not even daunted by the threatening environment, however, as he is shown casually hanging from the cliff taking a drink from the milk bottle as though

Even in a time before plastic surgery and Photoshop, the ad does not depict a natural woman, but a drawn one. She is shown wearing heavy makeup and has youthful features that may not be attainable in reality. The nighttime setting adds an air of mystery and perhaps mischief that portrays an irresistible, and seductive woman. Based on the ad, it is not suggested that an irresistible woman may be a simply dressed, all-natural career woman. The woman being drawn reinforces this because it suggests that even the advertisers are showing a standard that is unachievable. The main point of the ad is how women can better their looks for the strong and masculine men. The description of the advertisement reinforces this, which says that “men are instinctively drawn to her…” The ad does not value women as their own separate entity, but instead only assigns them value based on how attractive they are and how desirable they are to men. Kilbourne’s statements in “Killing Us Softly 4” describe these stereotypes exactly when she mentions that “if you are not conventionally beautiful, you are an object of ridicule and contempt. Your worth depends on how you look. You’re going to be graded on a curve.” Unlike men, women aren’t advertised products to satisfy themselves, but instead are only given products that are meant to please other