Representations of Women in Advertising
Academic reading: A Critical Analysis of Progressive Depictions of Gender in Advertising Read these extracts from an academic essay on gender in advertising by Reena Mistry. This was originally published in full in David Gauntlett's book 'Media, Gender and Identity'. Then, answer the following questions: 1) How does Mistry suggest advertising has changed since the mid-1990's? As part of this new traditionalism, prosaic, normative masculinity was reaffirmed. Meanwhile, women suffered their own identity crisis. Soon after 1945, women were made to feel guilty by warnings of the 'dangerous consequences to the home' that had begun to circulate. 2) What kinds of female stereotypes were found in advertising in the 1940's and 1950's? The highest value and the only real commitment for women in advertising lies in the "fulfilment of their own femininity". The highest goods are "keeping house and raising children". 3) How did the increasing...