1. the objectification of women in advertising
By Sydney Redigan

2. what is objectification?

3. “objectification is making into an object one who is not an object but a person. this is done by conferring the properties of an object onto a person. making someone into something.” – Sam Hawkins, University of Illinois at Chicago

4. why we’re focusing on advertising

5. an average American sees 3,000 ads per day
media, such as ads, shape the way we think and behave, individually and as a society
advertising’s influence isn’t always obvious; it mostly affects us on a subconscious level and over years of exposure

6. body as object

12. body compared to object

19. dismemberment as objectification

25. objectified as food

31. objectified as animals

37. objectification of men

43. “what affects us is not our experience of any one ad, but of the totality which represents certain kinds of messages again and again.” – Stuart Ewen, historian and media culture critic

44. how women see themselves

45. women internalize the idea that they are an object to be looked at and may begin to view themselves in a similarly detached, critical way
dismemberment ads leave many women feeling that their entire body is “spoiled” on account of one less-than-perfect feature. they view themselves as “works in progress” or something in need of constant alteration
extensive research shows that once they begin self-objectifying, many young women fall prey to depression, appearance anxiety, body shame, sexual dysfunction and eating disorders

46. how men view women

47. media images of women influence everyone
media images of women influence everyone. they influence how women feel about themselves and influence how men feel about the real women in their lives
for example, a recent study by Princeton found that images of scantily clad women activated men’s brain regions associated with objects or “things you manipulate with your hands”
the negative and distorted image of women in advertising affects not only how men feel about women, but also how men feel about anything labeled “feminine” in themselves

48. societal effects

49. so much of our reality is shaped by media images such as ads that these portrayals of women have potentially serious societal effects
they legitimate such violent acts as domestic abuse and rape through their dehumanizing power
because images of objectified women are so prevalent and influential, they suggest that advertising’s portrayal of women is an accurate reflection of reality

50. how to be media literate

52. recognize how media messages have the ability to influence and persuade us
think critically about media messages to uncover underlying messages and values
understand how things we see and hear can lead to stereotyping, desensitization and objectification