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Seeing Gender

Advertising · Student exhibit

Gender Stereotypes in Advertising

By comparing different advertisements, we can see how the media can influence the way society views gender and their behaviors.

Side-by-side comparison

Advertisement A

Source: “26 Sexist Ads That Somehow Actually Saw The Light Of Day”

Vintage Hardee's print ad: a housewife in an apron leaning against a kitchen sink while a husband and child look in through the window. Headline: “Women don't leave the Kitchen!”

This advertisement suggests the gender stereotype that women are expected to cook and take care of men and children, while men are expected to have a job and provide for their families. This image portrays the unequal gender roles that women are responsible for the household obligations.

Advertisement B

Source: “Misogynistic ads that shouldn't have been published”

Vintage ketchup print ad on a yellow background: a surprised woman gesturing at a ketchup bottle. Caption: “You mean a woman can open it?”

This advertisement shows a common act of a women struggling to open a bottle of something but in this picture ketchup. Most of the time women look for men to do these types of things. This image is saying that women can be equal to men and can-do things that people don't always think they can do.

Comparison

The first image represents women’s stereotypical roles in society in this generation, while the second image uses the stereotype of women being weaker than men to sell their product. They both have very negative connotations because they both almost go out of their way to knock on women to boost their company.