CHANGING PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN COMMERCIALS

A young lady is posing in a red dress beside a black luxury car. Is it an advertisement for the clothes, or the car? One wonders. Why a girl in a scanty dress? This kind of misogynist approach is visible in many commercials. 

The portrayal of women in the commercials is a reflection of society. The misconception is that fair and thin women are only beautiful, and commercials emphasise the same. The continual portrayal of the fair as beautiful diminishes self-esteem and influences how men perceive them. 

Men are depicted as brand ambassadors, while women are brand commodities. Regressive trends of showing women shopping or taking care of homes enforce the stereotype of gender bias. When the ads depict photoshopped barbie doll images, they give rise to insecurity and depression amongst young impressionable minds. Advertising affects our daily life, ad makers should be responsible as their content shape the minds of young people. The commercials are selling ideas, dreams, aspirations along with the products and services. 

Owing to the growing backlash, commercials objectifying women have reduced. Education and awareness have developed confidence and empowerment among women, which has affected the kind and quality of advertisements. People are coming out to believe that the thin and fair image of women is not ideal. So now we do have adverts that depict reality, a substantial step in the right direction. 

While in the 80s, it contained stereotypical women looking after the house and family. It has undeniably shifted from unrealistic body images, family roles to reality-based images reflecting society. Brands have now started positioning women empowerment rather than promoting sexism. In 2004, Dove decided to challenge the concepts of beauty with an ad, ‘Real beauty’ that featured realistic representations of women. Serena Williams, the ace international tennis player, featured in a Nike ad in 2019, Dream Crazier, which encourages women to continue to break barriers.

Share The Load ad by Ariel breaks stereotypes and challenges age-old traditions. Why is the Laundry only a mother’s job? This campaign encourages men to share the load and help out at home. Such ads bring hope for an egalitarian society.

The shift in the portrayal is evident in the latest Cadbury dairy milk chocolate commercial. They recreated a dairy milk chocolate ad of yesteryears where a woman is seen cheering her partner when he is playing cricket, and he hits six by introducing a small change, now it’s the man cheering his partner while she plays cricket. 

The idea of a perfect woman has been crystallised, polished by marketers, and presented to society. Misrepresentation, marginalisation, and misogynistic stereotypes have to change. Gender bias in condescending ads exists, and very few are breaking the dogmas. Much needs to be done, instead of focussing on the exterior beauty, the ads should focus on their internal growth. Communication creators should discard archaic thoughts, recognise the worth of women, and celebrate their life. She is a CEO of a firm, Mary Kom, an Air Force officer, a first Lieutenant General(Medical Core) in the Army, successfully balancing personal and professional life.

IMAGES FROM GOOGLE