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Maisy Potter
English 115
Professor Beadle
2 November 2016
Advertisement vs. Women
Advertising, since its beginning in the 1800s has the opportunity to influence peoples
choices on fashion, body image and materialism without people observing the natural effect
advertising has on peoples subconscious decisions. Women, more common than men, have been
forced to look a certain way not only to be accepted in society but to also be acknowledged by
the opposite sex. Mainly because the human race has continued to see women as the inferior sex
for centuries now, the set expectations and behaviors for specific genders will continue to
influence people if someone doesnt disrupt the current organization of society. Particularly, an
ad from the 1950s, entitled If Men Hate The Sight Of You _Read This_ emphasizes the
importance of the proper body image for women, while simultaneously explaining the medias
effect on womens perception of themselves, starting at a very young age, and leading to
unhealthy habits created from attempting to belong to societys preexisting expectations. An
advertisements main goal is to poke at peoples insecurities in order to force them to change
themselves so as to keep the fluidity of society constant; a flow that continually rejects any form
of change that goes against the designed social norm of what people are supposed to look like.
Although there is a 60-year difference between the 1950s and 2016, the idea of forcing a
particular body image on women in society remains constant in both generations. In Lecia
Bushaks article, History of Body Image in America: How The Ideal Female and Male Body
Has Changed Over Time, she explains that girls today might complain that theyre under far

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more pressure to have a perfect, fit body than woman in the 1950s, but ladies back then were just
as sexualized and pressured. Women in society, through media and advertisements, are
convinced that the only important thing about themselves are their bodies and sexuality, which
then shows men that this is the only thing they should be focusing on in women, completely
disregarding their education or personality. Although the 1950s and 2016 both sexualize women,
the expectations of women have changed over time. For example, in the 1950s a thick and curvy
body was seen as the most beautiful being; however, in 2016 a slim and petite woman is known
as the most desirable. In the article Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of
Gender Aaron Devor attempts to explain the purpose of women in societys eyes when he states
that femininity, as a role, is best suited to satisfying a masculine vision of heterosexual
attractiveness (41). Society consistently devalues womens existence, and prompts them to
change the complete essence of who they are just to satisfy their man. In the 1950s ad, by
including a man saying youre gorgeous since youve gained weight IT encourages the idea
that women need to change their body image in order to improve their appearance for the sake of
mens pleasure. Women throughout time have had to struggle with maintaining the perfect body
in order to be accepted in society and be seen as enticing by men because society expresses
womens body as the only purpose for their existence.
With advertisements being at every corner, it is difficult to resist the temptations of
following the status quo that society has laid out for the public. Although copious people refuse
to allow media to influence their decisions, it is inevitable that everyone eventually succumbs to
the societys preconceived ideas for specific genders. Although society does not reveal the
accurate extent girls change themselves to mimic the models they look up to in advertisements, it
should be known that girls demonstrate an entirely normative obsession with shape and

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size...This ongoing concern is accepted as a completely normal and even inevitable part of being
a normal girl (The Hamilton). The media has developed to be one of the biggest influences over
young women because they constantly adore models and celebrities in order to learn the
importance of self-worth and the appropriate appearance that is universal in society. Beginning at
a very young age, women are attacked with advertisements because the media has researched
that they are easily persuaded as a result of having a bigger pressure to be accepted into friend
cliques and the social system of school. In the 1950s ad, the women portrayed in the ad look to
be in the high school age range, and attempts to convince the models in the ad, in addition to the
buyers, that their future lives in school and beyond will be improved if their looks are also
improved. ADD ANOTHER SENTENCE TO CLOSE THE PARAGRAPH
Because of the enforcement of a certain body image, young girls will do everything in
their power to attain the praised appearance, even if it means destroying their emotional and
mental health to improve their social status. Alexandra Ossola attempts to show the readers the
true effects of societys prejudged standards of the ideal body image on prepubescent girls in the
Hamilton article The Medias Effect on Womens Body Image when she explains that in one
study, among European American and African American girls ages 7-12, greater overall
television exposure predicted both a thinner ideal adult body shape and a higher level of
disordered eating in one year...more and more 12-year-olds are going on diets because they
believe what you weigh determines your worth. Advertisements use of impervious bodies has
led to 20 million women and 10 million men suffering from a clinically significant eating
disorder at some time in their life (National Eating Disorder Association). In the ad, women are
seen as feeble if they are skinnier than the ideal body image; however, in 2016 being plus-size
leads to judgement and prosecution, which shows women that a slim body will lead to a life of

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love rather than hate. The ramifications of advertisements have compelled women of all ages to
feel the need to change their body drastically so as to gain approval from societys predetermined
expectation of womens bodies.
With as broad as topic as advertisement is, there will always be copious viewpoints on
the pros and cons of its existence. Countless citizens are convinced that the media today includes
copious distinctive races, sizes and genders in advertising so people do not have the right to be
offended because they do not believe they are represented in the media. Although this brings up a
very good point, the models in the majority of advertisements are perfectly sculpted by people
who retouch their imperfections, creating an unrealistic image of what people should strive to
look like. Additionally, most people are not aware of just how much people go into fixing the
models as they are and are therefore concurrently unaware of the effect advertisements have on
peoples body image. Additionally, in the 1950s segregation did not only exist is public places,
but it was also used as a tactic for propaganda. As delineated in the ad, it only showcases white
people, implying that people will only be approved in society if they are white, which is setting
an unattainable level of perfection that is needed to be accomplished in order to be recognized in
society. Another set of people acquire the thought that just because advertisements are in
abundant aspects of life in the current generation, that does not mean that is necessarily forcing
anyone to act a certain way, people do have the opportunity to choose to refuse to succumb to its
temptations. However, Judith Lorber attempts to convince her readers that complying to societies
set expectations is inevitable when she states that though individuals may be able to shift gender
statuses, the gender boundaries have to hold, or the whole gendered social order will come
crashing down (27) in the article Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender.
The only way that society has continued to strive for centuries now is because no one has

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attempted to disrupt it; however, similar to the slippery slope phenomenon, if one aspect of
society begins to crumble, it is more likely that the remaining factors will crumble as well.
Although the majority of people feel the need to revolt against societys unnoticeable influences,
the media has been so poignant that it is inescapable to feel the need to alternate your body
image in order to match the models in advertisements, no matter how much you may attempt to
refuse.
The advertising industry has been a consequential aspect in peoples perception of
themselves, consistently causing people to comply to societys set expectations in order to feel
welcomed in their own country. Especially for women, advertisements display to their audience
that women are only important in society for their bodies, and allow men to believe the same
idea. The precise 1950s ad If Men Hate The Sight Of You _Read This_ demonstrate that
women are showcased as the inferior sex because their importance relies solely on their
appearance, which the media influences women to modify so as to meet the level of excellence
that the models are designed to have. The advertisement not only influences women to recreate
their body image, but it also attempts to get the attention young girls because they learn how to
perceive themselves from advertisements which eventually leads to the development of
unhealthy perceptions of themselves mentally, emotionally and most importantly physically.
Unfortunately, the media has such a tight hold on the people in this country that it has the aptness
to generate people to change themselves completely, and subconsciously I may add, so as to feel
sufficient to exist in their own society.

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Bibliography
Bushak, Lecia, and Lecia Bushak Lecia Bushak Is a Writer and Reporter Focusing on
Medical, Science, and International News. Read More. "A Brief History Of Body Image In
America." Medical Daily. N.p., 06 Nov. 2015. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
Devor, Aaron. "Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of
Gender." Composing Gender. By Rachael Groner and John F. O'Hara. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin's, 2014. 35-43. Print.
"Get The Facts On Eating Disorders." National Eating Disorders Association. N.p., n.d.
Web. 04 Dec. 2016. <https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-facts-eating-disorders>.
Lorber, Judith. ""Night to His Day": The Social Construction of Gender." Composing
Gender. By Rachael Groner and John F. O'Hara. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. 19-30.
Print.
Ossola, Alexandra. "The Medias Effect on Womens Body Image." Hamilton College.
N.p., 1 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
Vagianos, Alanna. "11 Sexist Vintage Ads That Will Have Your Head Spinning." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/16/vintage-sexist-ads_n_4612110.html>.