How Feminism Transformed Advertising

This article discusses the ways in which feminism has changed modern-day advertising. I found the article especially interesting because, for my GRE Prep course, just yesterday I wrote an essay about the media creating, rather than reflecting, the values of a society. This article is taking the opposite approach, and after thinking about both perspectives, I believe that the media takes a balanced approach, with television, movies, and books shaping our values to some degree, by gradually exposing us to new ideas and values, while advertising is more likely to reflect those values we hold. After all, for us to buy their products, advertisers really have to focus on those ideals that we find attractive or desirable.

This article makes some really good points about how woman are now seen as more independent than in the past. I thought the examples about female hygiene products, and how advertisements for these are now aimed at independent, active women rather than women concerned with only their role in the home, were especially effective. One piece I thought the article failed to recognize was the detrimental effects of the sexualization of advertising directed towards or portraying women, and the strict beauty ideals reinforced in these images. Often, these advertisements do not reflect the values of individuals but reflect an aspiration that is valued by our society as a whole. This advertising tends to objectify women rather than empowering them.