Presented by Celeste Smith PHIL8110 Critical Thinking Prof.

Lewis Silvestri November 2013

Every day we are bombarded by hundreds of images Images that try to shape who we are by using colours, word associations and pictures. Some Images are obvious, others more subtle but they all have the same agenda: Influence our behavior

 Sexism
Obvious Subtle

Gender Roles
Violence Body

Image Sexuality
Racial

Objectification Racial Sexualisation Cultural Appropriation Sexualized Food Rape Culture

Sexist advertising perpetuates gender roles and stereotypes. While we may think of sexist advertising to be a thing of the past, the oldest ad featured is from 2008.

The far left ad stating that you can never be too thin, was pulled after controversy, unfortunately the one they replaced it with was even worse. These two sayings are known to anti-anorexic counsellors as Thin Mantras. Anorexic and Bulimic women use them to justify their medical condition. Was it bad research or did the company target them? The cheeky post it on the lower sign tells us what most people really think of skinny products".
Too bad advertisers dont listen. ..

By the way the advertisers use sex in their ads you would think sex would be the most important thing in our culture. Overt sexuality objectifies women and men. Sex in advertising may also normalize sexual roles and glamorize dominance of one sex over another. This may be harmful for normal sexual development in young people.

Gender roles are reinforced by ads that promote traditional ideas of how women and men should behave. These ads feature women as caretakers and men as not being able to take care of themselves.

Violence is used for shock value in advertising. These grisly murder scenes all promote clothing. Violence is often fetishised in the fashion world.

Chief , the but friendly

Cultural appropriation is the stealing of another races cultural practices or customs. The headdress and the use of war paint are sacred to First Nations culture, they should not be worn or manufactured without permissions. This perpetuates racial stereotyping and keeps indigenous population firmly stuck in the past. If the only depictions of FN we are allowed to see are from 100 years ago...how can FN see them selves in the future?

"This is a racist and degrading caricature of indigenous peoples, especially for the Algonquin people whose traditional territory includes the Saint-Mathieu-Lac Berry esker [where the water is sourced]," said Marlene Jerome, Vice Grand Chief of the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council, told the Globe and Mail. "Natives are presented in the advertisement as primitive beings and ridiculous, again carrying old prejudices."
Racial Objectification solidifies stereotypes and prejudices. This Ad is from the Quebec spring water company, ESKA, was pulled after protests by consumers over its racist portrayal of First Nations peoples in 2010.

Racial sexualization is the sexualizing of women/men on the basis of their race, ethic background or features. The models above are seen in roles that portray the victim, overly sexualized and submissive. This perpetuates racist stereotypes and gender roles.

The sexualization of fast food takes us down the same path of old cigarette advertising that showed doctors, athletes and cowboys smoking like crazy and living active; or beer commercials, in which everybody is as sleek as ferrets. These products have definite, measurable health consequences, and it's the job of the advertising's imagery to push these consequences as far offstage as possible. Dan Neil , LA Times

The phrase rape culture refers to a way of thinking that systematically trivializes, normalizes, or endorses sexual assault. The ads pictured above feature sexual power struggles between both women and men and men and men. All of the above ads were banned in their respective countries.

There is a reason in advertising terms you, the consumer are called the target. We must be aware of the influence that media has in our everyday lives. Images that we might think are funny or silly are sometimes more damaging that we might think. Remember that we all have the ultimate say in what we will tolerate in the media.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_YLy6yZeaw