In the modern platform of information technology, it has become a necessity and a ritual to advertise various issues, products, and even events so as to fully utilize the potential that the internet and the mass media offer. However, over the years there has been a growing concern over the discrepancies and the various cultural and gender stereotypes among other typecast that is a significant content in the field of advertising. Despite the long contest and social struggle to initiate a sense of gender equality, the popular media has clearly demarcated the gender roles into distinctive proportions for both men and women. Gender stereotypes have dire consequences that are powerful and hence bias people's memories through altering their past perceptions and performances. Gender stereotypes are directly correlated to the cultural domain in the sense that, it emphasizes achievements, material rewards, and assertiveness when referring to masculine cultures while for the feminine culture it highlights features like caring for the weak, modesty, loyalty and cooperation. In this age of consumerism and mass media influence, advertising frequently presents an ethical dilemma as it propagates gender and cultural stereotypes among other forms of stereotypes.
Marketers are always under pressure to create a form of creative and conclusive appeal to their target audience who are often the end users of their products (Ratner 2002). However, in the process of capturing a target audience, most advertising techniques often impose a form of stereotype to a particular culture, race or gender that overshadows the entire advertisement and brings about a new debate. The role of advertisements is to create a certain form of appeal in addition to bringing out the best certain product or event. Through creating a particular appeal, there are other counter effects that arise which are harmful to a different audience. Gender roles and their perceptions, in particular, have spewed a lot of controversial debate that has gravely questioned and criticized the legitimacy and credibility of some advertisements. Over the past 5 decades, gender roles have changed with regards to the labor force and the family structure. Due to the difference in the portrayal of gender needs and requirements, advertisements have become extra sensitive and conspicuous as most people are keen to identify minor flaws and inconsistencies concerning gender roles in advertising.
Advertising agencies, companies and corporations ought to decipher the fact that the consumers are individuals and hence should be treated so. It is, however, detrimental to categorize consumers into impersonal groups that are normally grounded in stereotypes. Research conducted by Frith " Mueller (2002) has since shown that mass stereotyping consumers always fails to drive the point home and brings about more questions than answers. There are common mythical inclinations that point to the fact that a good advert targets a particular group of people. This notion is misleading and could lead to detrimental outcomes. An example is in the case of non-PC videogames sale in the U.S. Statistically, nearly 25% of all the video games purchased are made by people that are 40 years and older. Further research states that 38% of the overall video game sales are made by women. Since senior citizens in the United States comprise of the fastest growing population, a lot of advertising agencies still fail to capture this vast audience and hence categorize their needs according to age and this has led to absolute failure in all instances.
The field of advertising has for a long time been caught between the cultural lag and transformation that is currently taking place. The feminists, for instance, hold the opinion that women are portrayed as inferior with minute roles to play while the men are portrayed as important and have "softer roles" to play. The difficulty to ascertain and clearly point out the gender roles in the current society clearly points out to the social undesirable effects of using stereotypes in advertising. Currently, a division of the gender roles is fully rooted and dependent on the social archetypes. Unlike in the previous versions of a patriarchal society where the man was the sole provider of the family and was portrayed as successful, focused and assertive the current structure is more of a partnership due to the advancement of the women in the labor force. According to Earle, (2009), the gender role gap that is present in the current society is not as big as it used to be and hence more women are becoming sensitive of the fact that men are still given more influential roles in advertisements. In the contemporary society, gender stereotypes are rooted in the mass media as more senders and advertising agencies create advertisements that are controversial so as to strike a debate about their intentions. The current trend of the mass media has deviated from just informing and entertaining people but also carries a lot of weight on the attitudes, beliefs and shapes the overall lifestyles that people live.
Racism has also taken root and is visible in advertising. Despite the lack of a standard definition for the term in advertising in encompasses scenarios whereby there is the use of racial tropes directed towards a certain racial demographic. Although some people hold the opinion that as long as the depictions of an advertisement that are channeled towards a particular racial structure are not harmful then they are acceptable. There is a common notion of the generalizations when advertising to a particular racial group. Advertising can be detrimental when there is the oversimplification of the abilities of a certain race which might bring about misleading and inaccurate information concerning a certain group of people (Twitchell 2001). Recently there has been a debate on the role of advertising. While one group insisted that it is a "mirror" to the society, the other group insisted that it mold's the society. The proponents of the former argument state that advertisements merely project and present what is already available and hence does not influence the perception of the intended audience in any way. The advocates of the latter argument equally hold a converse opinion with the allegations that, an advertisement has the power to change the opinions of people and hence inserts a form of influence to the information that is already existent.
How different magazines treat the use of gender images
A review of four prominent journals like Journal of Current Issues in Research in Advertising, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research and the International Journal of Advertising show that stereotypes are still present in many advertising agencies and countries around the world (Twitchell 2001). According to a quantitative research that concentrated on 64 cases concerning the presence of stereotypes in advertising women are still vulnerable and susceptible to stereotyping irrespective of their occupational statuses and their levels of education. Additional research further points out that there has been a tremendous decrease in stereotypes against the women in countries like Japan that exhibit a high masculinity. On the other hand, countries like Sweden that exhibit a lower masculinity did not experience any significant changes in terms of the decrease of stereotyping against women in advertising. In Germany for instance, the stereotype in advertising against women is still relatively higher as women are depicted in more home-related roles in addition to being the main users of the various products being advertised. The men, on the other hand, are given more authoritative and independent roles. In the German television stations, for instance, the stereotype was tied to the occupational status and the role of the subjects in the public stations. New Zealand exhibited little stereotyping between the women and the men in advertising. The research came to the conclusion that despite the presence of stereotypes in the television stations, their outcomes were not as serious as expected as most people derived a sense of humor in the advertising and the roles that the different sexes assumed in the advertising process.
Contemporary perceptions of gender in advertsising
Modernism came to life approximately after the first world war. Modernist gained power and recognition after the Russian revolution as artists gained more power and were able to express themselves without political indulgence but on the basis of liberty and equality. Graphic design later accompanied the concept of modernism as it brought a new direction and technique that thrived with the commercialization of the advertisement process (Earle 2009). Although the effects of modernism are still felt at the moment, it originated at a time where human beings thought it wise to rethink history and the existence of man through being more spiritual, more artistic and more sensual among other attributes. Modernism was the onset of the current advertisement techniques and strategies which were primarily implemented after the Russian revolution. The concept of modernism strived to make the world a better place and this duration saw many books re-written as well as journals and countless exhibitions all with a bias information that criticized the old and praised the new approached to perceiving life (Twitchell 2001). The modern graphic design gained dominance and became famous thereby earning the name, "Typography" because unlike the ancient advertisement techniques, it incorporated graphical elements and introduced new ways of typing and text that accompanied the graphical images. Modernism provided the first platform that criticized the rationality of gender, racial and cultural bias in advertising. Although modernist came up to scrap off the old concepts and stereotypes it equally changed the names of the stereotypes but did not change the concepts and approaches.
Modernism emphasized on a few essential elements that it describes as the major factors in advertising. The "Sachplakatand and Plakatstil" are some of the most renowned works that have played a key role in revolutionizing modernism. The founder of that style of advertisement stated that the major factors to consider when placing an advertisement is to ensure that the color is eye-catching, there is simplicity and that the message is direct and clear. Modernism brought a new way of emulating nature and fostering simplicity in the advertisement process so as to be able to stand out in the midst of crowded posters and advertisements (Earle 2009). Modernism in advertising seeks to transform the process of communication and the presentation of the advertisements. Modernism creates a sense of liberty and creativity which unlike the other static methods of advertising unfolds a world of possibilities which equally capture the attention of the intended audience. Modernism, however, gives a lot of liberty in advertisement and hence is not keen to check on the stereotypes that accompany the creativity but rather concentrates on relaying the message to a large audience.
Postmodernism on the other hand came to lie in the 1980s when the use of graphic design was gaining popularity. Unlike in the case of modernism, postmodernism has not been easily adopted 20 years after its creation. Many people still have a vague idea of the term and its effects and hence still prefer to associate and use modernism when creating their work. Postmodernism comes from modernism and hence applies the same principles and approaches as modernism to advertisements. Postmodernism, therefore, strives to understand the new usage of the human creativity and introduce it to the marketing field through the advertising process. Sheehan (2013) states that, by the virtue of the nature of their operations, the mainstream media has a direct influence to the cultural, and social developments of the society and hence that is the reason as to why postmodernism has thrived in the field of the advertising industry in comparison to the other industries. Unlike modernism that strived to break the ties with the old way, postmodernism has lost the faith and hence left the modern generation lost. The postmodern culture takes advantage of the consumer pattern that has since changed. Consumers no longer merely consume products but consume an inner symbolic meaning that is associated with the product.
Postmodernism has influenced the advertisement technique in the mainstream media as most people identify themselves through the products that they consume. Through the consumption patterns like "Spotify-for-Facebook" people often gives a sense of connectedness that is not rooted to the traditional family, tribal or racial arrangements but which is based on the consumption habits and choices that people make (Twitchell 2001). While postmodernism has impacted positively in the media and the advertising techniques, it has also managed to replace authenticity with hyper-reality which has assigned people a sense of an online second life that is distinct from the real lives that they live. With the inclusion of the postmodern technique in the field of advertising and consumerism, audiences have found better ways to attain sovereignty in the sense that they alter the meaning so the advertisements and undermine the marketing messages and techniques at will. Just like in the case of the postmodern theory, postmodern advertising seeks to address issues like the anti-authoritarian attitudes, self-mocking irony and the exploration of the visual and inter-textual techniques that are designed to strike a form of recognition and affiliation to a particular audience.
An in-depth research and analysis of the post-modern marketing techniques have revealed a certain trend in the postmodern marketing strategy. Postmodernism strives to capture the attention of the audience through a form of emotional appeal and symbolism which gives room for ambiguity and rationality (Twitchell 2001). The advertising media and the content being advertised is often customized to meet the thresh hold as well as suit the needs and specification of the intended audience. Customizing the content to be advertised often creates an emphasis on the aspect of self-identity and tribalism by the virtue of shared goals, opinions and beliefs by a target group. There is a strong incorporation of wordplay in the text that often initiates a sense of irony, intertextuality, and humor which is also the onset of stereotyping.
The rationale for using gender images in magazines
In sports magazines, girls are presented as seeking to be in relationships with successful men. However, in sports magazines like the Slum Magazine that captures the life of the NBA superstars, most of the content often concentrate on the men's masculinity with the assumption that when men thrive in sports girls literally come running at them. Although some magazines often choose to highlight a small proportion that captures the athleticism of girls, it often comes as an afterthought which creates the implication that girls are only included into the sports domain as an afterthought to create a seeming sense of gender balance. Some magazines like the Shoot magazine that covers football has entirely sidelined the participation of girls and locks them out altogether. While the male-dominated sports magazines treat the male sports activities as an everyday affair, the girls are often treated as an afterthought and are merely highlighted on a small scale (Twitchell 2001). The comic books that are designed for the young readers of a mixed gender often contain bias information that often appraises the abilities of the men and belittles the efforts of women. The young female readers slowly come to terms with their feminine nature and come to accept the assertions of the magazines as the gospel truth.
The difference that is portrayed in the comic books for instance often affects the young female readers as they internalize the symbolic communication which is meant to pass a certain type of message. The comic books among other magazines and journals often reinforce the invincible nature of the male while continually portrays the female as fragile which sticks to the minds of the young readers to the point of conformity. Advertisements foster the creation of gender-based images and perceptions of the consumers who learn to relate what they see and read about their everyday experiences and the social perceptions about gender and its creations. Most of the magazines often strive to put across the message that femininity is not static as the biological or the sex-role prototypes seem to imply but could be changed and mined according to the wishes of an individual. The magazines in their defense assert that women and men are mere products of the everyday interaction process and can change and adopt new character and trends depending on their occupational, social, economic, political and ideological beliefs and inclinations. Landreth Grau Stacy. (2016). Gender Stereotypes in Advertising: A review of Current Research. ResearchGate GmbH. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306438694_Gender_stereotypes_in_advertising_A_review_of_current_research.
Images are also an important aspect in the contemporary set up that often give a deeper insight and understanding pertaining to life. The information age and the use of the internet and mass media have implanted certain core tenets and characteristics that people have adopted and learned to associate with other elements. The images that are presented in the social media often alter the way people think and give leading thoughts whenever they think about certain subjects or references. In the human brain, the medial temporal lobe is the same part of the brain that stores emotions and the visual elements and hence this fact explains why emotions draw a certain set of images and creations that were long stored in the brain (Sheehan 2013). The consumers in the market chain often make emotional decisions and hence when they have the right image to accompany their emotions, it becomes advantageous to the advertisers. Consumers have learned to initiate a first impression though and perception on certain images that they see in relation to what the already know. However, for the consumers, thinking outside the box could hurt their decisions as they will be going against the code of ethics of what the brain has already stored and processed.
The modern advertising tools, media, and techniques are subject to stereotyping and bias that is based on gender, race or even cultural affiliations. Advertisement tends to generalize their content to a target audience which gives mixed reactions and results as major companies and corporations are constantly researching on the best possible ways of capturing the audience. Although the concept of modernism brought a new light to the previous dull world by introducing a sense of creativity, freedom, and liberty, its efforts were quickly shut down by postmodernism which has introduced a new direction of self-consciousness and criticism that has brought a new light and culture in advertising and the consumer trends. Postmodernism does not attach any value to the social or cultural relationship the consumers have but rather categorizes them on the basis of their consumption patterns and affiliation. Modernism and postmodernist merely reinforce the various stereotypes by creating enhancers like graphic design and irony in their criticism and bias approach to marketing and advertising.
References
Earle, D. M. (2009). Re-covering modernism: Pulps, paperbacks, and the prejudice of form. Farnham, England: Ashgate.
Frith, K. T., " Mueller, B. (2010). Advertising and societies: Global issues. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Twitchell James. (2001). Twenty Ads that Shook the World. Broadway Books (1725)
Sheehan, K. (2013). Controversies in contemporary advertising. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Landreth Grau Stacy. (2016). Gender Stereotypes in Advertising: A review of Current Research. ResearchGate GmbH. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306438694_Gender_stereotypes_in_advertising_A_review_of_current_research.
Ratner, C. (2002). Cultural psychology: Theory and method. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
