Alcohol, violence, gender and Race in Ads

Since I can remember, beers ads have been synonymous with sex. It doesn't matter how badly the public is offended by the ad because those who find it offensive, generally, are not drinkers or members of the target audience. Because sex is all we have ever correlated with beer ads, I think my generation is more accepting of overall concept and have come to think of it as the norm.

Breaking the stereotypes conveyed in ads is tough because there is no requirement for ad campaigns to be politically correct or non-gender/race specific. Ads are created to target select markets; therefore, the ad agencies who create them have no other agenda than to simply lure in their target market. When reading the chapter, I was shocked that Asian-Americans were so poorly represented in ads. As I was reading, I tried to jog my memory as to any memorable ads I had seen that contained Asian-Americans. I think this is an interesting topic, and am considering looking at this phenomenon for my final project.

I have always been critical of ads and the way they choose to portray products, but now I have strengthened my objective eye began analyzing the dynamics of each character in the ads. One of my favorite free-time activities is sitting at Barnes & Noble and just look through as many magazines as time will allow. I can't wait for my next bit of free-time because my curiosity has been peeked, and I think my eyes will be opened even more so after analyzing the characters in each magazine ad.

Sex in Advertisement

Advertisements have become so distorted and misleading, it's sometimes impossible to figure out what an is for with reading the copy. I'm a nanny, and the kids are constantly talking about the cool commercials, print ads and billboards. But, when I ask them product was being advertised, they don't remember.

Ads have become so sexualized that they feed into the stereotypes of their audience. Sure, sex sells, but I think that advertisements have become too vulgar. Some of my Women's Health magazines have such highly sexualized ads that I won't read them, much less carry them with me when I'm around the kids I babysit for. Looking at the women in ads is depressing and if focused on, can imply a sense of insignificance--I would like to shop for some of the products in highly sexualized ads, but I don't look like that--it's as though only women who look like that should be associated with that product.

Even covers of magazines portray women in such a sexualized manner, that I sometimes wonder how displaying "acceptable" magazines at the checkout counter is any different than having the playboy or any other well-known "sexual" magazine displayed in that "in your face/front and center slot" below the row mints and bubbly gum.