Gender bias in advertising
Advertising has a significant role in society of consumers. Nowadays it can be seen almost everywhere and it becomes more and more obsessive. Any goods or service that advertised has its own customer. To make the advertising work, it is important to show a certain image of a person or how it called “the reflection of the recipient”, for whom the advertising is made (Wolska). As a result a lot of gender stereotypes and biases can be observed.
Though the difference between social status of men and women is smaller now than in past, mass media monumentalizes a lot of traditional stereotypes. Advertisements show women more often than men because it’s considered that purchases usually made by them (Wolska). They usually have a specific role like housewife, who tries to clean house properly or to make a nice dinner for her family. Another example is a beautiful and mystery woman who advertises some cosmetics or clothing etc. As for men, they usually imagined like self-confident businessmen or sportsman with great physical training etc. It is interesting fact, that both male and female products commercials usually interacts towards women in the same way as they often buy male products too for their husbands or children. So it is important to show such male stereotypes in commercial that could be acceptable for both men and women. At the same time, it is very rarely when commercial aimed toward women work in the same way on men (Edmonds).
Is presence of gender bias in advertising bad or good? It is hard to say, because it is often hard to make a good advertisement without it. But sometimes the advertisement shows the gender appurtenant in negative way and can be regarded as a sort of discrimination, especially when it concerns women. For example, when a woman is shown only as a sexual object or man-dependent and without possibility for a