page_title: Gender advertisement
section_title: Femininity in advertising
hierarchical_section_title: Gender advertisement / Role of gender in advertising / Femininity in advertising
caption_attribution_description: The manufacturers of this estradiol-containing cosmetic sued the AMA over its 1938 report, “Endocreme: A Cosmetic with a Menace.” An independent investigation by FDA—which was not assigned control over advertising of any product until 1962—found insufficient evidence to take action based on the contents or labeling of the product itself. For more information about FDA history visit www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/History/default.htm
context_page_description: Gender advertisement refers to the images in advertising that depict stereotypical gender roles and displays. Gender displays are used heavily in advertising in order to establish the role of one gender in relation with the other, and some scholars argue that advertisers are obsessed with gender. Advertisers focus on gender relationships, because people define themselves by gender, and gender can be "communicated at a glance", making it easy for advertisers to use this theme in their work. The effects of advertising on body image have been studied by researchers, ranging from psychologists to marketing professionals. "These days we know that the media and body image are closely related. Particularly, the body image advertising portrays affects our own body image. Of course, there are many other things that influence our body image: parenting, education, intimate relationships, and so on. The popular media does have a big impact, though." This is because thousands of advertisements contain messages about physical attractiveness and beauty, examples which include commercials for clothes, cosmetics, weight reduction, and physical fitness.
context_section_description: Portrayals of women in advertising:
  Touching self
  Caressing an object
  Lying on the floor
  Sitting on a bed or chair
  Eyes closed
  Not alert
  Confused
  Vulnerable
  Body contorted
  Dressed like a child
  Holding an object or a man for support
  Sexy and sexually available
  Seductive
  Playful
  Careless
  These are positions of submissiveness and powerlessness. This can be clearly seen when women are shown lying on the floor as men are standing over them, literally depicting women as being beneath men.  Women are urged to pursue beauty and sex appeal, and part of the sex appeal is submission. Currently there are campaigns such as the Girl Effect Campaign that have worked to change the way in which women are perceived for the better. These campaigns aim to reclaim the saying "like a girl."
  The body – and particularly here the female body – is always inevitably controlled by social norms and the commodification of the body through industries such as fashion and beauty that exhibit femininity.
  The discursive constructions of these female bodies are quite plainly 'prepared for consumption' by men. These constructions not only reveal the inevitable gender-power relations about the body but also suggest the cultural ambivalence about sexualized bodily display and image management. This sort of ambivalence both idealizes and denigrates individuals' explicitly performed efforts to produce and portray bodies that conform to societal 'ideals.'
caption: This ad suggests that using this hormone cream will in fact make you look younger.[25]
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