Transylvania University of Brasov Faculty of Letters Intercultural Communication M.A.

1st year

New Trends in Sociolinguistics Analysis: Stereotypes of women in Romanian television advertisements

POPA AURELIA

BRASOV 2012

I. Introduction The present study looks at the stereotypes that exist today in association with women in Romanian television advertisements. Since Romanian television broadcasts a wide range of commercials which bring forth different stereotypes of women, certain typologies and recurring patterns will be established. Literature review Stereotype is defined as a conventional, formulaic and oversimplified conception, opinion or image. (Free Online Dictionary) It is therefore a preconceived idea about certain jobs, individuals, sexes and human behaviour in certain life situations, family or social groups. In his book Public Opinion, Lippmann (1922:58) presented stereotypes as fundamental elements of human psychology that are products of our culture, reflecting our thinking and what we believe we are seeing. Lippmann (1922) also associated stereotypes to the pictures in the head, or the mental perceptions of reality. Advertising is known to make use of such stereotypes, as it helps the consumer to filter the information more easily and make spontaneous association in his mind. However, this tendency to perpetuate stereotypes may lead to unfair discrimination when the stereotype is unfavourable. Since advertising abounds in stereotypes about women, several notions that undermine women and their abilities have been formed. Such stereotypes consider that women are best as mothers or housewives, thus they are portrayed mostly in domestic settings. Research question What are the stereotypes that are associated with women in Romanian television commercials?

II. Methodology Data Collection Since I made use of already available data which appeared in the form of visual materials, namely the advertisements broadcast by Romanian media, the method of analysis chosen was content analysis. Kaid defines content analysis as a research technique for the objective, systematic and quantitative description of the manifest content of communication. (Kaid, 1989:198). Ethical Consideration Since the body of advertisements under investigation are exposed to the public with the exact purpose of becoming familiar to people, there are no ethical issues involved throughout my study. Data Analysis and Findings The data was analysed in terms of recurring patterns and typologies , since various types of stereotypes present in Romanian advertisements on television were looked at. It has been noticed that many of the commercials broadcasted on Romanian television employ feminist stereotypes which lead to the idea of discrimination and unfair treatment. Such an offensive advertisement with clear allusions to womens inferior position is the one employed for the Delaco cheese. Mariana, seemingly a middle-class woman, is unhappy with her relationship and calls Dr. Andrei, who is on set accompanied by a beautiful assistant, to ask for some advice. Mariana, your boyfriend is distant although youre a good cook? You spend even 3 hours in the kitchen and expect him to appreciate this? Couldnt be more wrong! Why not spend only 3 minutes in kitchen, give him some Delaco cheese while you go to the hairdresser and do what you, women, usually do. This is the perfect recipe.

This is an example of a commercial that indirectly promotes stereotypes of the following type: Cooking is exclusively devoted to women. The only progress consists in not having to spend 3 hours in the kitchen, since the magical cheese Delaco requires only a few minutes to be prepared. Also, men constantly wait to be fed. (my emphasis) The woman has to please the man. In order to be appreciated, not only does she have to cook for him, but she also has to go to the hairdresser and make sure that she looks perfect for him. The recipe of how to be successful in a relationship is provided by a man. He is seen as the authority, the one most adequate to give advice and eventually provide the miraculous recipe. Men in powerful positions need an assistant. This assistant is obviously a beautiful and quiet woman, another frequent stereotype promoted by media, namely, women as objects. The analysis of other similar advertisements allowed me to establish three representative patterns of stereotypes related to women. Therefore, the three main instances in which women appear can basically be restrained to three roles, namely: The housewife interested in keeping the house clean The worried mother concerned with her childs well-being The sexy diva with a perfect look that attracts mens attention The housewife interested in keeping the house clean Commercials for Domestos, Axion, Ariel and other cleaning products all present a stressed woman wanting to maintain her house in a perfect shape and be able to remove all dirt, stains or mess. This seems to be the everyday routine of a household woman that Romanian commercials tend emphasise. Although this instance appears to be taken from real life, with which the target audience might identify, it is rather a stereotype promoted by media.

 The worried mother concerned with her childs well-being Whenever her sick child needs some assistance, the worried mother is the one responsible to sit next to him and provide him with the necessary medicines. Also, women also appear as the perfect mothers who always know what is best for their children, choosing the best supplements and food products as well as making sure they have everything they need. For example, the commercial for Mucosin shows a child turning to a mother for advice and help since he is coughing. Invariably, the mother selects the advertisers product as the most appropriate solution for her childs symptoms. The sexy diva with a perfect look that attracts mens attention As opposed to the first two stereotypes, in which women embody the perfect housewives and mothers, there is another representative stereotype promoted by Romanian media: the sensual woman that has a spotless and smooth skin, shiny hair or a perfect silhouette. Commercials for LOreal, Dove, Head& Shoulders, or any other cosmetic products are mostly advertised by highly attractive women that would stir mens interest.

III. Conclusion By looking at the portrayal of women in Romanian television commercial, one can easily infer that they are over-represented in advertisements for cosmetics or for products found in the kitchen or bathroom, which reinforces the stereotypes that a womans place is in the home. Accordingly, commercials with women engaged in any type of domestic activity such as cleaning, serving food or cooking are of frequent use on Romanian television. Also, women are portrayed as experts on home medical care, taking care of their ill children or sick husband. What can be inferred from such occurrences is that although we live in a modern age in which men and women are supposedly seen as equals, many of the commercials broadcasted on Romanian television do not reflect this. Quite on the contrary, the study pointed out that advertisements predominantly portray women as housewives and mothers, as well as sex-symbols, which bring forth the implication that gender discrimination is still a problem in todays society.

References Kaid, A.J. (1989) Measurement of Communication Behavior. New York: Longman; Lippmann, Walter (1922) Public Opinion. New York: Macmillan. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/stereotype http://www.sfin.ro/articol_8191/schimbare_de_sex_in_mesajul_publicitar.html#ixzz1kIc soQPx http://www.semneletimpului.ro/stiri/Femeia-si-rolurile-ei-in-publicitatea-romaneasca2720.html http://competentainmassmedia.ablog.ro/2008-11-13/stereotipie-versusmanipulare.html#axzz1kIYAUrwZ