Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women is a documentary that focuses on analyzing the role of women’s image in advertisements. The documentary capitalizes on addressing the issue of gender stereotyping as a primary issue that is depicted in advertisements. Jean Kilbourne, an activist, recognized through her efforts to fight for the image of women in society, steered the documentary. In her lectures, Kilbourne focuses on the analysis of how women’s image is used in advertisement and the issues that concern the objectification of women’s bodies. Through the lectures, it is evident that Kilbourne reads too much on the matters of advertisement to identify major concerns that relate to gender stereotyping. Over the years, advertisements have played a significant role in the objectification of women in society, which is an aspect that created the need to address the issue of advertising’s image of women.
Long-Term Implications of Hyper-Sexualization
The issue of gender stereotyping in advertisements have resulted in the hyper-sexualization of women by depicting them as sexual objects. The theme of hyper-sexualization is presented in different advertisements where women's bodies are used in presenting the key message of an advert (Baker, 2017). Following the increased cases of objectification, Kilbourne engaged in discussions to identify the key issues that concern the effects of advertising on women's self-image. Although the issue of hyper-sexualization mainly affects women, there are long term effects on other people in society, such as children and men. The first long-term implication of hyper-sexualization is a distortion of the body image. When there is increased objectification of women in advertisements, the majority of females tend to experience negative impacts and develop hatred towards their physical appearance. In the long term, the majority of women tend to lack personal appreciation considering that they tend to be unhappy about their bodies.
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Hyper-sexualization is an issue that affects not only women but also men and children in society. Some of the long-term implications of hyper-sexualization include psychological problems for both men and women (Enson, 2017). The psychological effects may involve depression and other mental disorders, which is an aspect that results from how the media perceive them. Due to constant cases of hyper-sexualization, men may develop the perception that women are sexual objects, thus creating a situation where no respect is given to the women in the society. Additionally, men may tend to feel superior, considering that they have a better position and respect in the community compared to the women. The superiority battle between men and women may result in gender inequalities, which is the basis for gender-based violence. For the children, hyper-sexualization result in moral issues considering their exposure to sexual and explicit content that is presented through the advertisements.
Objectification of Women
In the documentary, the issue of objectification of women is considered crucial, given that the majority of advertising agencies use women to portray their explicit content. In most cases, women are used to satisfying men's sexual desires by exposing too much of their body. The documentary addresses how the woman's body is portrayed, which is an aspect that impacts on the beliefs and perceptions towards women. The sexual objectification of women results in significant implications on women and in society. Firstly, it is important to note that sexual objectification portrays a woman as a perfect sexual object without flaws (Zimmerman & Dahlberg, 2008). With that in mind, most women tend to develop esteem issues, which is a factor that impacts on their ability to engage in their day to day activities.
The second impact of objectification involves loss of interest in sexual activities, which is an aspect that affects most relationships. The majority of females tend to lose sexual interest due to the constant objectification of women through advertisement. Thirdly, objectification through advertisements increases the vulnerability to sexual assaults and violence, putting in mind the perception that women are objects to fulfill the sexual desire of men. Ultimately, the issue affects the social interactions between men and women in society, considering the fears associated with sexual violence. Other than the emotional effects, women tend to experience social effects as they do not receive equal treatment in the workplace. The objectification, in this case, creates a situation where women are treated as lesser beings in society compared to men. Through the mentioned impacts, women tend to experience stigma, which kills them slowly.
According to Kilbourne, the images that the society is exposed to every day have a significant impact on their lives, considering that they remain with every individual subconsciously. That creates a toxic environment where children often feel unsafe, considering that it becomes hard for them to accept themselves based on the negativity surrounding body image. The primary approach to resisting and staying healthy in such a toxic environment is advancing education, mainly focusing on the girls, who are exposed to these images. Lack of knowledge is one of the key contributors to the issue noted, as it creates a situation where most of the girls find themselves lacking a sense of appreciation for their bodies. Through education, these girls will understand the implications that are stereotyping, which is projected through the images that they view on different platforms. Education will also help create a sense of appreciation for themselves with the view being that they too are beautiful irrespective of their body image.
Another essential step to take, especially when raising children in such environments, is always showing them that they are beautiful from a tender age. Parents have an important role to play in ensuring that children accept themselves, as they must always teach their children that they are accepted and appreciated. From when a child is born, parents need to always be there for them, which would give them a sense of self-confidence. Therefore, this would help avoid instances where some of the girls are likely to feel ‘ugly’ based on the images that they view on different platforms. Additionally, parents need to engage their children on this topic as a way of reducing possible instances where some of the children would be likely to compare their body types to those that they see, especially through the media. The implication that this is likely to have is that it will help build a platform for mental preparedness for the children enhancing their capacity to deal with issues of self-esteem.
Advertisements have become an important part of society today, with different companies engaging in advertising campaigns aimed at increasing demand for their products. However, this has had a negative implication on society, considering that it has created a stereotype on the body image. Jean Kilbourne highlights that men, women, and children are hyper-sexualized because of the commodification and objectification of women through advertisements. The challenge that this has had is that most of the girls in society use such images as measures to determine whether they would be categorized as being beautiful. However, this only exposes them to self-esteem issues considering that it becomes hard for them to meet some of these body image expectations. It is important to engage in the education of girls, as well as ensuring that parents take up the responsibility of showing their children that they are beautiful irrespective of their body image to help deal with this issue.
References
Baker, C. N. (2016). Images of Gender and Sexuality in Advertising. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies , 1-4.
Enson, S. (2017). Evaluating the impact of hyper-sexualisation on the lives of young people. British Journal of School Nursing , 12 (6), 274-278.
Zimmerman, A., & Dahlberg, J. (2008). The sexual objectification of women in advertising: A contemporary cultural perspective. Journal of advertising research , 48 (1), 71-79.
