Many issues surround gender stereotyping in advertising. To an extent, advertisers mirror back to us what society has already deemed our supposed roles as men and women. Author Katherine Frith of "Undressing the Ad: Reading Culture in Advertising," says "[Advertisements] uphold some of the existing economic and political structures and subvert others." But the advertising industry has an enormous impact on how people view themselves and others. If this weren't true, then advertising wouldn't be the multi-billion dollar industry that it is today.
Therefore, advertisers have a responsibility to educate and address the gender imbalances that have plagued us for so long. Continuing the gender stereotypes only helps to perpetuate the misrepresentations of men and women, and in effect conditions our youth to grow up and think the same. In the article "Bodies in Bikinis: Are You Buying It?" written by Ethel Rohan, she explains how her daughters are affected by the commercials they watch even during "family-friendly" shows such as American Idol. Her daughter is confused about how and why women are showed in the Victoria Secret commercials as "objects for men." Rohan says " I can’t get her horror out of my head. I feel shaken out of my own numbness to the persistent sexism in advertising, and beyond... I worry at the terrible messages our culture tells my two daughters, and girls and women everywhere." You can't blame a parent for feeling this way towards the advertising industry. It speaks volumes to the way women are subjected, used, and down-graded just to sell products. Hammering in these stereotypes into children especially only helps to mold and shape their views of themselves and other women.
If we focus on the theme of how children are affected by advertising we can use specific gender stereotyping examples used to target them. In the Toys R Us ads below, you can see how the "roles" for boys and girls differ.
The above page of the ad labeled "Wrestlers & Workers" depicts only boys, each aside of masculine objects such as a power tool workstation, a construction site set, and car and auto play sets. When young boys see the young boys in the ad playing with their toys shown with big smiles and having a fun time, it conditions the child to believe these are the objects boys, and only boys, use.
The young girls play with toy strollers and cribs. Driving home the concept of child care and nurturing stems only from the "mommy," no boys depicted alongside the girls in this ad. The copy on the ad states "you & me," directing girls to associate the idea that only the mother and the child are in this together. It shows it is the women's duty to look after the baby and she is happy doing so. In effect, the young individuals absorb this information and sustain this gender stereotyping to become the mental norm of society.
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