“Advertisers are aware of their role and do not hesitate to take advantage of the insecurities and anxieties of young people” (129, Kilbourne). Growing up we look to the media as a point of reference, to gauge where we stand in the context of society. Advertisers will push the envelope, meandering the lines of sexism and stereotypes, for their ultimate agenda: money.
These advertisements, as well female portrayals in soap operas, instill the idea that “what you see is what you should be.” Douglas states: “…we’d rather have a root canal than appear In public in a bathing suit…Our collective history of interacting with and being shaped by the media mass has engendered in many women a kind of cultural identity crisis. We are ambivalent toward femininity on the one hand and feminist on the other.” One example can be seen in the controversial advertisements of Dr. Pepper for their 10 calorie soda which triumphantly closes with a caption that reads, “Not for Women.” Additionally, when it comes to soap operas, women are the target audience. The female characters of these shows take on multiple roles, from the empowered, independent woman, to the conniving murderer, to the helpless damsel in distress. This ties us back to Douglas’ concept of the schizophrenic, where a woman is left confused with multiple personas due to the constant bombardment of mixed messages.
https://art8amby.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/kim-kardashian-for-cosmopolitan-uk-may-2011/
- Pablo Dominguez, Shira Benhamou, Queenie Chen
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