In the world of advertising, we see animals talking, furniture coming to life, and people flying through city streets. These all seem to be out of a fantasy land that does not exist in reality but one that we’ve only dreamed of. In Sut Jhally’s article, Advertising, Gender and Sex: What’s Wrong with a Little Objectification?, the focus lies on gender relation in this alternate reality of ads and why we don’t seem to find it strange. Jhally uses examples brought up by Erving Goffman, author of the book Gender Advertisements, of the depiction of women as children and the notion that gender relations are created by social norms.
In North America, it seems as though people’s sexuality is the most valued element of their identity, it is defined by culture, and it is the central theme of the majority of advertisements seen today. As Goffman points out, there is nothing natural about gender relations and every society has to continually work in order maintain the prototype of what it means to be man or woman. Women are frequently shown in a child-like state, looking weak, and in constant need of comfort and protection, to be provided by the man, of course.
In the Dolce&Gabbana ad, the woman is presented at the lowest point in the shot, lying on the floor, her eyes vulnerable as she looks away from the crowd around her. At the same time, her hips are thrust forward, making this ad slightly ambiguous: is she scared that she is being overpowered by a group of men or is she enjoying the proximity of these four extremely fit and good-looking models? Is she being objectified? Are we presenting her as nothing but a sexual prop in this male-dominated society? Personally, I think this ad is beautiful. It shows a group of very attractive people wearing elegant clothing with a perfect blue sky in the backdrop. What more can you ask for? Now, I’m not saying that this should run in a campaign for something like Costco or Old Navy but for what it is, a high fashion company, I think that it’s tasteful and sophisticated. It may not be an accepted code of advertising if it hangs in the middle of a Wal-Mart in southern Georgia, but in a fashion magazine such as Vogue, I don’t see why not?
Similar to the Dolce&Gabbana ad, many advertisers try to create a realistic image of a world that could be real. Cosmetics companies are now releasing campaigns with actresses from movies and TV shows that we’ve become familiar with instead of models, whose slender legs and full heads of gorgeous flowing hair seem completely unattainable to us. By showing a more familiar face using a certain product, such as that of Ms. Cruz, who we have grown to love in films like Vanilla Sky and the new Pirates of the Caribbean, we feel more connected to them than the realm of supermodels. Trust me, I bought this mascara, and no, my eyelashes did not look like that. Come on now, nobody’s eyelashes are that long! At the same time, there was a part of me that believed that maybe, just maybe, if I used the same brand of makeup as Penelope Cruz, I could have eyes like that. The minor details that I didn’t take into consideration when buying the product (or maybe even purposely chose to ignore) were that I would need a whole new wardrobe, tons of hair extensions, and some good air brushing that Penelope probably got before shooting this ad.
In this land dominated by beautiful creatures such as models and actresses, their reality doesn’t always seem very real to us, does it? By taking our hopes and aspirations, packing them into a photo-shoot or a 30 second commercial, companies are able to sell us
what we dream of. By leaving the specifics out of ads, we are allowed to live vicariously through these nameless, soulless personalities that we strive to be. So then tell me, is portraying a woman to be this striking, flawless, and elegant ‘object’ such a bad thing? This view may no longer agree with the traditional 1950s housewife image, but there is a time and a place for everything.