MMS 111

Gender and Multimedia

GENDER INEQUALITY AND STEREOTYPING

In video and print advertisements
MMS 111

Roumel A. Itum
97-18585

Gender Inequality and Stereotyping

In video and print advertisement
MMS 111
Gender and Multimedia

Abstract

This research required ten hours each of noontime TV shows and YouTube video browsing to
generate and analyze 54 combined and unduplicated TV commercials and In-stream
advertisements for gender stereotyping and representation in local advertisements. Supplementary
analysis of internationally produced print advertisements that were locally released through glossy
magazines in the last decade was also included. The premise of this research is that females are
still stereotyped to be the weaker sex, and portrayed in expected roles normally associated with
women. The general findings revealed that most advertisers are still banking on the dynamics and
structure of family as dictated by the traditional Filipino culture as explained by the “Mirror and
Mould” theory of Eisend in his 2010 research. This is mostly evident with division of labor where
males are expected to have a job, and the females are left inside the home usually to cook the
meal for the family. Due maybe in part that the Philippines’ mainstream advertisers are made up of
fast moving consumer goods such as detergents and cleaning agents, bath products, and food
solutions, the casting and creative direction often revolve around family dynamics. However, print
takes on a different direction compared to video execution. As glossy magazines are more niched,
it can be seen that more creative freedom are exercised, not to mention that most local fashion
titles take after the look and feel of other established international titles.

Out of all the video commercials sampled, 24.07% showed men with work, and only 9.26%
featured women with work (but the rise is due to different splices of the same commercial). On the
same plane, it can be noted that 37.04% of these commercials show the women are performing
some sort of domestic chore, with 38.10% devoted to kitchen and food preparation. However, the
female sex dominates the lead in these commercials with 40.74% over male leads at 27.78%.

Gender Inequality and Stereotyping

In video and print advertisement
MMS 111
Gender and Multimedia

Introduction

Mainstream media’s power not only lies in their ability to disseminate information to a wider
audience, but also to be an agent of change in the lives of Filipinos. It is part of our culture to be
affected by what we get to watch on TV and the net, and what we see on print. As a matter of fact,
in a Nielsen Study of 2007, Philippines ranked first, together with Brazil, in a survey of 47 nations
that rates the trust of the population to product advertisement. Consequently, traditional TV
advertisements, coupled with online advertisements, contributed to the robust hike in Asia Pacific
ad revenues in 2016, with the Philippines posting the highest growth rate at 14 percent. Followed
by India at close to 13%, Indonesia at 9%, and China at 8%.

This research, through the use of gathered samples, shall display the different roles of female
characters in TV and print advertisements, and to identify whether these roles are just and precise
depictions of the female sex.

Guide Questions
In order to complete the research, these guide questions were essential in analyzing the gathered
sample.
-How do advertisements in TV and print portray women?
-What is the role of women in relation to men in advertisements in TV and print?
-Are there more companies that display and protect the interest of women through advertisements
in TV and print?
-Is the Philippines progressing in terms of breaking the stereotypes through advertisements in TV
and print?

Gender Inequality and Stereotyping

In video and print advertisement
MMS 111
Gender and Multimedia

Literature

The highly commercialized economy of the Philippines requires competing products to capture a
sizeable share of the target market, subjecting all of us to a form of media consumption whatever
we do, and wherever we are. Business solutions offered by various advertising and media
agencies allowed individuals to be served by a form of an advertisement in many creative ways,
giving rise to more formats of out-of-home executions. The changing behaviors in media
consumption brought about by the dramatic increase in phone usage also affected advertising
practices. Modern advertisements need not be in your face, but they are now packaged to be
seamless, more persuasive, and are served in continuous manner, and our continuous exposure to
these small, seamless executions may bring about a huge impact—it affects and even alters the
way we think, we feel, and even how we deal with others. But what are the impacts of these
advertisements on us as media consumers, as part of a family, and as part of a society?

Advertisement is defined by businessdictionary.com as a paid announcement, as of goods to buy

sale or a service to avail, in platforms that reach different audiences. In order to divide the
audiences into several effective target segments, the inclusion of demographics and
psychographics are thrown into the mix. Marketing segmentation is probably the most tried and
tested marketing strategy, and Milner and Collins in 2000, (Sex-role portrayals and the gender of
Nations) posited that gender is a primary segmentation being used by experienced marketers and
advertisers. Furthermore, gender portrayals and stereotyping in advertisements possess possible
effects on corporate images and on purchasing decisions according to the study by Ford JB and
LaTour MS (Contemporary female perspectives of female role portrayals in advertising. Journal of
Current Issues and Research in Advertising). An advertising agency creative director says gender
roles and stereotyping are used to draw attention and ultimately drive purchase, and oftentimes
even increase brand equity by creating brand identity. In 1993, Keller argued that the consumer
sees these sets of human characteristics associated with a brand as self-extension so an instant
connection is created. Somehow, all of these theories and studies are wrapped in the most inviting,
yet gender de-equalizing presentation of the act of having sex. Take for instance how tech
products are being advertised in two ways depending on the endorser. A male personality that
endorses a new smartphone is oftentimes fully clothed, and the general creative direction is to
have a brotherly relationship with the product being advertised. The story is very different when a
female personality endorses the same product, where the product is seen as masculine, and she is
expected to bare skin, and simulate the act of having sex.

Gender Inequality and Stereotyping

In video and print advertisement
MMS 111
Gender and Multimedia

Advertisement Lead / Voice Over F in Domestic Chores Working – M/F

Ariel (W Firefighter) F/F F
Downy Boom Pow M & F / na Y - Laundry
Selecta Ice Cream M & F / na
Myra 300 E F/F
Promil Gold F/M Y – Food Prep
Pantene F/F
KFC Shawarma Bowl M/M M
Calla F/F Y - Laundry
Knorr Sinigang F/F Y – Food Prep
Sunlight Diswashing Na / M
Wilkins
Avon Lipstick F/F
Palmolive (Liza S.) F/F
Axe M/M
Jollibee M&F/M
Dove Real Women F/F
Dove Deodorant F/F
Joy Dishwashing 1 M (surrounded by F) Y - Dishwashing
Joy Dishwashing 2 M (surrounded by F) Y - Dishwashing
Joy Dishwashing 3 M (surrounded by F) Y - Dishwashing
Eskinol Master M/M
Head and Shoulders 1 M&F/F F
Head and Shoulders 2 M/M F
Block and White F/F
Sinutab M/M M
Le Minerale Water M/M M
Eden Cheese M&F/F Y – Food Prep M
Disudrin M/M M
Chowking M&F M
Kopiko M&F/F Y – Food Prep
Bio Oil F/F Y – Child Rearing
555 Tuna F/F Y – Food Prep
Caltex Techron M/M M
Knorr Pork Cubes F / na Y – Food Prep
Hansel
Bonux M & F / na Y – Laundry
Medicol M/M M
Del Monte Juice Drinks F/F Y – Food Prep
Nestle Yoghurt M & F / na
Surf with Fabcon M&F/F Y – Laundry
Tide F/M Y - Laundry
Oral B M&F/M M
Rexona Whitening F/F F
Downy Perfume F/M
Jollibee (Apo) M/M M
Nesto Kid F/F Y – Child Rearing
LG Linear M&F/M M&F
Del Monte Tomato Sauce M&F/F Y – Food Prep M
Pantene (Gabi Garcia) F/F M
Ascoff M/M
Similac F/F Y – Child Rearing
Breeze Liquid Detergent F/F Y - Laundry
Emperador Light M/M
Zesto Yo

Gender Inequality and Stereotyping

In video and print advertisement
MMS 111
Gender and Multimedia

Eisend’s 2010 Mirror and Mould discussed that advertisers are usually dictated by the “mirror
effect” where they do not wish to change the existing attitudes but are merely reflecting a society’s
inherent values. Meanwhile, the “mould argument” seeks not only to intrigue but to form new
opinions and values while promoting the product or service. Evidently, the mirror effect is widely
used especially for products that are geared towards the family and the home. Major manufacturing
companies such as Procter and Gamble, for Tide, Ariel, and Safeguard; and Unilever, for Surf and
Knorr would always make use of a family in the scenes, and while there have been a conscious
effort to change the brand character of detergents and cleaning agents by enlisting male
personality to endorse them, they are still surrounded by female dishwashers and laundry washers,
strengthening the stereotypes that women should serve the “whims and demands” of men in the
society. Food advertisements would show the women in the kitchen, and depending on the mood
or the story board, variations on the emotions of homemakers are shown (frustration prior to using
the advertised product, or a happy experience from the start showing product incidentals as part of
the frame).

In the many similar researches about the inequalities of gender portrayals in advertisements in
other parts of the world, it can be said that the machismo culture is present in the Philippine
advertising setting, where not a single TV or YouTube commercial would show any male character
performing domestic chores. However, our culture, I would say, is more conservative in a way that
TV and YouTube advertisements are tamed and would not explicitly sexually objectify women,
such as those shown during the Super Bowl or in any other major sports events that are deemed
male in character by advertisers and marketers. But yes, the continuous depiction of the female
figure as someone who cooks, does the laundry and the dishes, and keeps the home spaces tidy
undeniably limits the ability of women. Repetitive exposure to this kind of role typecasting for
women may lead other women to settle for what they see just because they think it is the norm of
the society.

In some advertisements for beauty, hair and skin products highlight certain parts of the body of the
female to draw attention and to give emphasis to the product being sold. Shampoo commercials
capture the soft bounce of the hair, while facial creams and whitening lotions focus the skin in
different parts. While this may seem harmless and could even be argued that the creative direction
is putting to fore the strongest feature of the endorser, this could be considered dismemberment.
According to Women Media Watch of 2010, dismemberment happens typically in advertisements
when body parts are used to sell specific product. Through dismemberment, people develop a
disliking of themselves as a while if one part of their body is defined imperfect. Moreover, these
beauty commercials also over-emphasize the premium on physical appearance by telling stories
that success easily comes to those who are attractive. Selling shampoos and conditioners using
prominent celebrities seems to be harmless, but with the way the storyboards are presented,
young girls develop a notion of certain beauty types they must achieve in order to be successful.
Based on the 1997 study done by Fredrickson and Roberts, women validate and internalize
outsider view and begin to self-objectify by treating themselves as an object to be evaluated on the
basis of appearance. McKinley and Hyde in 1996 identified self-objectification as putting
competence-based attributes after physical attributes. Susan Wolf author of the Beauty Myth,
postulates that the images used by the media present a “beauty ideal.” It presents an ideological
message that women should treat their bodies as a project in constant need of improvement.

Gender Inequality and Stereotyping

In video and print advertisement
MMS 111
Gender and Multimedia
Nowhere is beauty myth more actualized than on print. Both local and international fashion and
beauty magazines devote pages for highly produced and oftentimes really expensive fashion and
beauty editorials to either sell fashion trends using clothes from designers, or sell beauty products.
The way these editorials are laid-out would be described “experiential” by magazine creative
directors. However, it furthers the gender stereotyping in media that women are expected to look
and keep a certain type of appearance to be socially accepted.

Glossy magazine advertisements take on almost the same tone in terms of production and creative
direction, and there were numerous internationals that advertise locally that have caused quite a
stir in the last decade by using sex and violence as handles to create fashion stories. While some
would argue that these executions were done in an almost cinematic approach, the underlying
message is something that is more powerful when it comes to print because it is not a fleeting
scene. The fashion crowd found Dolce and Gabbana and Calvin Klein ads sexy, but they are
bordering on rape culture. Tom Ford is notorious for using naked women in the photographs with
fully-clothed men that signify the unbalance in power. Jimmy Choo tried to sell shoes using
violence. But luxury does not own the monopoly on insensitive ad production. Unilever’s Axe, a
body spray for men has been constantly number one in its respective market because of the use of
sex to sell the products. It may be that Axe is positioning its product as an aphrodisiac, or that it is
not selling sex, but rather confidence in a bottle. These are creative ways on how to communicate
the visual execution. Axe, in its own way, sends a message that to be considered a man, it is
imperative to keep a number of women. Otherwise, a man is not a man at all.

Other products, such as vitamins and body emollients make use of another creative direction that
also treats women as a commodity. A relationship is created between the subject (woman
endorser) and the camera (assigned a masculine gender, and acts as the eyes of the male
spectators) wherein the lenses are made to pan like the eyes of man. This is called the “Male
Gaze” as described by Laura Mulvey in his 1991 study.

Gender Inequality and Stereotyping

In video and print advertisement
MMS 111
Gender and Multimedia

Gender Inequality and Stereotyping

In video and print advertisement
MMS 111
Gender and Multimedia

Gender Inequality and Stereotyping

In video and print advertisement
MMS 111
Gender and Multimedia
Conclusion

Numbers do not lie, and in terms of the prevalence of video advertisements that continue to
stereotype women as homemakers and exist to serve the needs of the family, especially the men,
the local advertising industry has a long way to go. More females are still shown in the home
setting compared to women with career such as a scientist, a teacher, or police. Ariel, a detergent
brand created an advertisement that honors the contribution of women firefighters. Consequently,
more males are shown outside the house. While this move by Ariel may be a laudable effort, I feel
to become mature as a society in terms of our views of gender equality, it is of vital importance that
we do not celebrate these milestones of brands as if it is something that is only saved for special
occasions.

References:

BAD ADS: Does Sexism Sell?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-cohen/bad-ads-does-sexism-sell_b_5879368.html

Why is the advertising industry still promoting violence against women?

http://theconversation.com/why-is-the-advertising-industry-still-promoting-violence-against-women-
64086

Are men and women portrayed differently in TV ads?

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sideways-view/201604/are-men-and-women-portrayed-
differently-in-tv-ads

Challenging Media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3exzMPT4nGI

The Male Gaze by Laura Mulvey

https://www.slideshare.net/fleckneymike/the-male-gaze-laura-mulvey

AXE shows that Sexism Sells

http://www.seattletimes.com/life/lifestyle/amusing-or-offensive-axe-ads-show-that-sexism-sells/

Are men and women portrayed differently in TV ads?

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sideways-view/201604/are-men-and-women-portrayed-
differently-in-tv-ads

Gender Inequality and Stereotyping

In video and print advertisement