Masculinity and Femeninity in Advertisements

Representations of gender in advertisements provide powerful models of behavior to emulate or react against. Masculine images typically convey power, strength, virility, athleticism, and competitiveness whereas feminine images show beauty, submissiveness, nurturance, and cooperation. Such themes appear repeatedly in popular culture and are very evident in advertisements especially.

I will show you how advertisements are the hallmark of gender stereotyping and creating certain images to classify people in.

Firstly, In the figure below, boy is playing with airplanes, soldiers, and wild animals—culturally appropriate toys for males. The message in the ad is actually directed to his parent, presumably his mother since it talks about cleanliness in the kitchen and women have been traditionally been assigned that responsibility. In this day and age, it could be speaking to his father instead—a possibility the ad leaves open. The product itself is to some degree gender-neutral. However, ads in the past have often used boys to show just how messy and dirty things can get.


In most ads nowadays the sexuality of mature women is a central focus. Ads like the one in figure below exaggerate sexuality by the wide-spread posture that the woman assumes. She sits, of course, in a model's pose to display the clothing, shoes, and bag in an eye-catching and provocative manner. Ads must break through the clutter of the competition and draw the reader's attention. The somewhat unusual pose here may serve that purpose, but it also serves to reinforce the idea that women are and must be sexual creatures in order to attract attention. Sexist, if you ask me, but grabs attention.



Compare the pose and facial expression of the man in the following ad with that of the woman just discussed. He is not smiling, and is intensely serious in his demeanor. Stoicism and carefully considered emotional reactions are hallmarks of adult masculinity in the world of advertising.



Ads, therefore are platforms in which the audience are swayed to feel in a certain way. Thank you and have a good day. =)

Check yourself before you wreck yourself.

K.Reshan a/l Kalaarajan
B0801442