They are rewarded if they conform and punished if they don't. Although this is a white cultural standard and other ethnic and cultural groups may have different internal standards, in the US women are still judged by the predominant white ideal. Appearance standards make clear statements about gender, sexuality, ethnicity and class. Appearances do matter. Gender-differentiation exists in visual communication.
Advertising communicates the codes of proper appearance through meta-images.
Besides being about appearances, advertising is also about gender. Advertising's images are powerful because they stress a physical sense of self and the idea that knowledge of our world is gained through our bodies. Advertising photography communicates the standard and thus reflects dominant society. He discusses how the techniques of body control 25 used on women now are being widened to include men. Weber and Ritts fetishize the perfect masculine body, which functions both to control men and to highlight gender difference.