CHOUAIBDOUKKALIUNIVERSITY

FACULTY OFLETTERS&HUMANITIES
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

“The representation of Women in Moroccan TV

Advertisements”

A monograph submitted to the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the

license degree in English studies

Submitted by: Supervised by:

El Abbassi Leila Dr. El Bouayadi Mohamed

Academic Year:2021-2022
 Table of Contents
Dedication…………………………………………...........................................................................................i
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………........................…....................ii
Abstract and Key Terms……………………..………………………………….............................................iii

I. Introduction …………………………………………………......................................................................1
I-1Research Problem.........................................................................................................................................1
I-2Research Questions…………...………………............................................................................................1
I-3Research Purpose.……………………………………………….................................................................2
I-4Research Significance ………………………………………………..........................................................2
I-5Definition of Terms (stereotype, representation, advertisement, gender) ...................................................2
I-5-1Stereotype term……………………………………………......................................................................2
I-5-2Representation term……………………………………………………….........................................…..3
I-5-3Advertisement term……………………………………...........................................................................3
I-5-4Gender term……………………......................…………....................................................................….3

II. Literature Review ………………………………….........………………….......…..............................….4

II-1Previous Studies………………………………………………………….........…......................................4

III. Theoretical Framework ……………………………………………….........……..............................…7

III-1Feminist Theory……………………..……………………………...…….......................................…....7
III-2Laura Mulvey ……………………………………………….................................................................10

IV. Research Methodology…………………………………………………............................................…11

IV-1Materials..................................................................................................................................................11
IV-2Procedures................................................................................................................................................11

V. Analysis and Discussion…………………………...................................................................…….…....12

V-1Data Analysis…………………………………………............................................................................12
V-1- 1Dettol ad: Woman as sexual object……………………………......................................................….12
V-1-2 Moony ad: Woman as housewife………………………….....................................................…....…..14
V-1-3Genova ad: the depiction of woman as inferior to me...........................................................................16
V-2Discussion…………………………………………………………………............................…........….18
VI. Conclusion, Limitations and Recommendations……………………………………………………...19
VI-1Conclusion………………………………………………......……………………………………….…19
VI-2 Limitations……………………………………………………………………………………………...20
VI-3Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………………21

VII. References……………………………………………………………………………………..……….22
 Dedication

I dedicate this modest work to:

To my beloved parents, Khtab Amina and El Abbasy Ibrahim for their encouragement, support and

constant love.

To my lovely sister Zahra and her daughter Innas.

To my brothers: Toufik, Aziz, Mohammed, and Hamid.

To my best friends: Aziza, Hanan, Khadija, Oumaima, Maryem.

 Acknowledgements

By the name of Allah

My most sincere gratitude goes to my supervisor, professor EL Bouayadi Mohammed, who has given me

extensive guidance and support throughout the process of completing this research paper. I would like to

give a special thanks to my parents for their encouragement, love, andsupport throughout my life thanks to

all my brothers and my sister who are always by my side.

My thanks are given to my friends Aziza, Naima, Zohra, Fatima Zahra, and Maryem for their help and

support.

ii
 Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to examine and investigate the women’s representation in Moroccan
TV advertisements. This study suggests that women are depicted in negative manner. They either portrayed
as housewives, sexual objects, or subordinate and dependent on men. This means that Moroccan TV
advertisements are full of stereotypes, distortions, ideologies and misrepresentations that seek to serve the
traditional image of women and reinforce male hegemony over them ( Razkane, 2021, p. 6). Depending on
feminist theory and Laura Mulvey’s Male gaze theory, this paper tends to focus on subordination of women
and their negative portrayal in Moroccan TV ads. Based on qualitative approach, my study attempts at
investigating the portrayal of Moroccan women in TV adverts by answering the following questions: How
does 2M channel portray Moroccan women in TV ads? To what extent do TV advertisements contribute in
the reproduction of patriarchal society? To conclude, the findings of this research show that Moroccan TV
advertisements still represent women in stereotypical way. they are always linked with domestic activities
and beauty products.

Key Terms: Representation, Gender, Women, TV, Advertisements, Stereotypes.

iii
 I. Introduction

No one can deny that media are a powerful source of entertainment and information. It plays an essential

role in shaping and constructing people’s thoughts, attitudes, values and behaviours about their social

life(Grbner et al.1986; 23-4). Pedersen (2002) believes that media has a significant impact on shaping and

creating social perspectives. Moreover, it has a strong ability in generating and transmitting gender

differences and inequality through daily visuals (pp. 303-304). Thus, media seeks to feed gender inequality;

by portraying women less important than men.

In Moroccan context, Moroccan mass media especially TV advertisements still produce values and

attitudes that are still male and patriarchal. They create stereotypical gender roles which support patriarchal

ideology within Moroccan society (Razkane, 2021, p.210). In Moroccan TV commercials, women are

mostly represented as housewives, who usually seek to satisfy their families and their husbands. They also

portrayed as sexual objects and dependent on men. In contrast, men are always shown as independent and

have superiority over women. This study will focus on how Moroccan women are misrepresented through

analysing some popular ads, which all broadcast on 2M TV channel.

This paper comprises from five sections. The first section is the literature review which gives an overview

about the topic. The second one is about the theoretical framework within which the study is set. Then, the

methodology section will focus on qualitative method that is used to gain more understanding about women

and TV ads in Morocco. The fourth section discusses and analyzes the selected adverts (Moony, Dettol, and

Genova). The last section closes with a conclusion, limitations, and recommendations of the study.

I.1 Research Problem:

The women representation in Moroccan TV advertisements is considered as one of the most issues that have

investigated by many researchers. In Morocco, TV advertisements always Portray women in negative way.

They are either represented as housewives, inferior to men, or sexual objects of male desire. In contrast, men

are often depicted as strong, harsh, and independent. Therefore, Moroccan TV advertisement seek to

reinforce and enhance the traditional gender roles (Razkane, 2021).

~1~
I.2 Research Questions:
My study will focus on answering the following questions:

 How does 2M channel represent Moroccan women in TV ads?

 To what extent do TV advertisements contribute in the reproduction of a

patriarchal society?

I.3 Research Purpose:

This study examines the representation of women in Moroccan TV advertisements through “The feminist

theory”, which focuses on subordination of females and their negative portrayal in TV advertisements: My

objectives are:

 To investigate the way gender roles are represented in Moroccan TV

advertisements.

 To analyze some Moroccan TV ads to see the extent to which Moroccan

women are negatively portrayed.

I.4 Research significance:

The portrayal of women in Moroccan TV advertisements is an important topic to study because of the

negative representation of women in mass media. Morocco television does not portray how women are

capable and independent in the real life, but it portrays them as weak,housekeepers, and dependent. In

contrast, TV advertisements depict men as ones who havepower over women independent. Therefore, it is

important to mention that Moroccan women are not given the appropriate attention that they deserve in

reality. Hence the significance of this study is to modify the image of Moroccan women by raising

awareness on the advantages of gender equality.

I.5 Definition of terms:

I.5.1Stereotypes:

~2~
The oxford English dictionary defines stereotype as a “widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or

idea of a particular type of person or thing”. Macrae, Stranger and Heustone(1996, pp.1-15) describe

stereotypes as representations about the world that influence the selections of information about members of

the social groups and their social behaviour.

I.5.2 Representation:

Hall (1997, p.17) defines representation as “the production of the meaning of the concepts in our mind

through language” It is the construction of a certain reality through a given medium representation limits

between concepts and language which enables us to refer to either the real world of objects, people and

events.

I.5.3 Advertisement:

Advertising is about objects, but it is also about appearance as Barthel says “advertising is not just about

objects appearance but about personal appearance. How we look at others, how we think about ourselves”

(Barthel, 1988: 11). Therefore, advertising according to Barthel (1988) is about creating a relationship

between object and subject, which means the product and the meaning, or the value it brings to its buyer

wishes to capture.

I.5.4 Gender:

Carroll (1996, p.163) defines gender as a social construct and behaviour is guided by traditions and culture.

Males and females roles are identified by a set of essential such social behaviour, expression of emotions,

and body language. De Beauvoir (1949) argues that woman is not naturally born feminine, neither a man

born masculine. Rather, it is gender categories based on social, cultural, and economic practices and

motivations, that attributes different gender roles to males and females.

~3~
 II. Literature Review

II.1 Previous Studies:

This part aims at reviewing the relevant literature on the image of Moroccan women in the media such as

advertisements. It is noticed that Arab women in general and in Moroccan women specifically are

misrepresented in media outlets.

A study goes back to 2008 by Nadia El Mhidi, indicates that 85% of the representation of women in the

Moroccan media gave a bad image about them without focusing on the positive roles that they play in

society. This study concluded that media emphasizes only on sexual issues and traditional roles that they

play. El Mhidi (2008) states that the media in general do not reflect the real image about women and their

functions in Moroccan society.Instead, media keeps representing women in stereotypical way. (El Mhidi,

2008).

AbdelwahabErrami (2016) in his guide “professional journalist guide for a positive approach to women in

the media” asserts that women in Moroccan advertisements are represented negatively. They are still

stereotyped as consumers and non-productive uncultivated, less efficient physically and intellectuality than

men, and subordinate and inferior to men (p.29). Abdelwahab (2016, p.32) states in his guide that media

need to use its platform to improve women’s social status and avoid using stereotypical or derogatory

language and behavior.

In a study which aims at analyzing the representation of women in Moroccan advertisements, Oubou (2013,

p.1) holds that the economic, social, and political situation of women which has changed over the past two

decades is not reflected in the Moroccan media, which keeps producing the same stereotypical images of

women on television such as women as subordinate to men, mother, housekeeper, emotional and fragile.

Media, from an economic perspective, is a business owned by the elite for whom gender equality is not a

priority. Accordingly, the lack of civil responsibility does not help in enabling the Moroccan change makers

to exploit the power of the media to trigger meaningful social and economic improvement. The case of

women portrayal is revealing in this regard as ̎the media’s insistence on portraying women as victims,

~4~
uneducated, or as a source of scandal, may even exacerbate women’s social troubles and violence against

women (Oubou, 2013, p.2).

Women have always had a subordinate position. Their responsibilities and duties have been restricted to

domestic activities such as cleaning, washing, and cooking. They have to be obedient wives and take care of

their husbands and children. A successful woman in Moroccan society is the woman who gets married and

has children. Derdar (2017, pp.1-10) states that marriage is something that is very important in Moroccan

culture. It is synonymous with the social stability and prosperity. Unlike a divorced woman who is seen as

an easy prey for everyone or a spinster who is considered as a burden among the family. A married woman

is respected by others in society simply because her role is tied as a mother and a housewife.

AL-Ariqi(2009) agrees with all scholars on the point that studies treating the portrayal of Middle Eastern

women in the media are scarce and that the ones conducted on the broadcast sector in Arab counties are

mainly geared toward the content of drama programs such as movies and TV series, or the image of women

in advertisements and video clips and “neglected other important programs, such as newscasts, political talk

shows, social programs, and documentaries. Despite being incomplete, these studies found that 78,68% of

the images of women were negative” (p.7). Moreover,Rahbani (2010) explains that Arab media have shifted

from representing women as sex objects to new images of women as mothers and wives. The problem with

this shift lies in the fact that there was too much focus on housewives while women as workers or political

leaders have been underrepresented, which means that “Arab media focus has turned towards a different, but

still stereotyped direction” (p.10). Additionally, Allam (2008) claims that research on the Arab media’s

deception of women has focused on the mental and psychological aspects of their portrayals. Women’s

bodies in Arab media are represented as sexual commodities. Advertisers use their body as a tool to

purchase their products successfully. Women are also depicted in passive roles. They are either portrayed as

dependent and subordinate, weak, materialistic and limited.

This study will focus on the predominant stereotyped representation of women in Moroccan TV

advertisements. It will analyze three famous Moroccan adverts to disclose the extent to which Moroccan

women are negatively portrayed by depending on feminist point of view and male gaze theory.

~5~
 III. Theoretical Framework

Several theories within the field of communication cover many areas off inquiry, but share a common

emphasis on the examination and explanations of women’s representation in patriarchal societies these

theories include feminism theory and Laura Mulley’s MaleGaze theory.

III.1 Feminist theory:

Feminism theory is a movement concerned with women’s oppression and the Ways and means to empower

women. Feminist theory offers a perspective of understanding human behaviour in the social environment

by centring women and the difficulties they face in their daily life. Feminism reflects « a world view that

values women and that confronts systematic injustice based on gender » (Chinn and wheeler,1985, p.74).

Flax (1999) feminist theory calls for equality between men and women, which includes having the same

choices and opportunities as men. Feminist theory attempts to explain the differences and divisions between

men and women, and to understand how gender differences affect human behaviour in social, political,

historical, and cultural context. Flax (1999) explains also that feminist theory looks at women’s oppression

as a « unique constellation of social problems and has to be understood in itself » (p.10). Oppression is

considered as a part of the way the world is constructed and is not due to «  bad attitudes » (p.10) or

backward traditions but it is embedded in the socio-economic and political institutions of society. The

structure is the patriarchal system which has a strong relation with culture (Flax, 1999, p.11).

Types of Feminism:

Feminist theories are varied, but they all analyze women’s oppression and subordination in society. There

are many deferent Types of feminism, but the most common used theories are radical feminist, liberal

feminist, Marxist feminist, socialist feminist.

~6~
Liberal feminist:

Liberal feminist focuses on equal rights of women and the issue education (code, 2000) it lends to see the

problem of male prejudice against women, embodied in law or expressed in the exclusion of women in

many areas of life. Unlike women who are still engage in least productive and paid activities in position of

lucking the skills, capital, and education, men have access to more profitable and prestigious jobs in the

formal sectors of the economy. Therefore, liberal feminist explains the situation of women in term of

unequal

rights. They struggle to achieve equal, social, political, and legal right. They struggle to achieve equal health

and welfare with equal job opportunities (Pomeroy elal, 2004.pp39.49).

Radical feminists:

Radical feminists see sexism as the oldest and dominant form of oppression. It is the absolute tool used by

men to keep power over women, exploit and oppress women through domination work, family relations and

sexual relations and status. Patriarchy believes that men are biologically strong then women who are still

created only for reproduction. In capitalist society, men are dominant and have their power, autonomy and

superiority (Foord and Gregson, 1986, pp. 186-211).

Social feminist:

Marxists as well as socialists explain the situation of women within the framework of social class and

private property. Social feminists express their view on women’s subordination from their work in the

family and economy. The inferior position of women is the result of class socialist have defined the terms of

private sphere (home) and public sphere (work). The private sphere is oppressing the role of women in the

house hold and equal opportunities for women in the public sphere. Food Gregson (1986, pp.286.211) claim

that the patriarchal system is a universal term used for male dominance in feminist writing. Therefore, social

feminist work is important in showing the gendered aspects of the welfare state (Blackburn, 1995,

pp.369.394).

~7~
Marxist feminist:

Marxist feminist argues that the ultimate source of oppression is capitalism. Marxist and socialist feminists

claim that capitalist schedule is an obstacle in the way of women’s struggle for equality. Therefore,

capitalism and modernity are the main enemy for feminism (Moghadam, 1992. Pp. 213.155). Marxist

feminist aims to free women by transforming the conditions of their oppressions and exploitations in

capitalist system. Marxist feminist believes that patriarchy produce by capitalism and will end only with

capitalism’s break up.

Black feminists:

Black feminists examine the similarities between themselves and with middle class feminists. Sinha

(2011, pp.107.110) notes that women can pass the boundaries of race, sex and domestic violence. Therefore,

black feminists forcefully raised the issue of existing social divisions for woman differences based on race

ethnicity, disability, sexuality, and age (Willaims, 1996, pp.5.29).

III.2.LauraMulvey’s male gaze theory:

The male gaze refers to how women are viewed in visual media, which includes television, cinema, and

advertisements. Women are visually positioned as passive objects of heterosexual male desire. The male

gaze was introduced by the feminist and filmmaker Laura Muley inher famous essay “Visual pleasure and

narrative cinema”. In this essay, Mulvey is concerned with how popular cinema produces what is called

male gaze. Mulvey (1975) claims that cinema produces two major pleasures. The first is scopophilia which
~8~
is the pleasure of looking at others as objects. Thus, women are used to be looked at by men viewers and

men characters in film. The second cinematic pleasure is narcissism. Mulvey (1975) cited in Lacan’s (2009)

account “Mirror stage “to show that there is an analogy between the constitution of a child’s ego and the

pleasure of cinematic identification. As a child recognizes itself in the mirror, the spectator recognizes and

misrecognizes itself on the screen. Mulvey (1975) argues that within a film text, the male and the female are

represented differently. Men are depicted as strong, heroes who drive the film’s narrative forward by making

things happen and controlling the events. Unlike women who appear to only have two functions on screen.

The first one as erotic object and nothing more for the male characters within film. The second one as erotic

object for the male spectators. Therefore, women in cinema are victims of heroes and audiences in the same

time. Mulvey (1975) suggests the pleasure of popular cinema must be destroyed in order to liberate women

from exploitations and oppression of being (passive) raw material for the (active) male gaze.

IV. Research Methodology

IV.1 Materials:

The present paper aims at analyzing the image of Moroccan women in Moroccan TV advertisements. The

sample of this study covers three selected ads that broadcast on 2M TV channel. These advertisements are

Dettol, Genova and Moony. The selection of these ads is not random, but it is based on rational choice,

~9~
which focuses on the most predominant stereotypical portrayals of women in Moroccan TVcommercials.

Moreover, each ad enhances and reinforces traditional gender roles, which restrict women to their home and

bodies (Razkane, 2021). In addition, these selected adverts have a great popularity among Moroccan

viewers. They are broadcasted on 2M TV channel every day in order to fix and implant negative messages

on viewers’ minds about women, and distort their real image within society.

IV.2 Procedures:

This study attempts to understand the roles of women in Moroccan TV advertisements through qualitative

visual analysis techniques such as observation, content analysis, and description of theadverts. This paper

adopts feminist theory and Laura Mulvey’ Male gaze theory to reveal that womenin Moroccan media,

especially TV advertisements,are negatively represented with the dominance of patriarchal ideology. After

watching the Moony, Genova and Dettol ads carefully, the scenes that will be analyzed are just the scenes

that strongly presenting themes of research, namely women as housewives, dependent females and sexual

objects. The investigation of these advertisements will disclose different representations of women in

Moroccan society.

~ 10 ~
 V. Data Analysis and Discussion

V.1 Data Analysis:

Women in Moroccan TV advertisements are represented in stereotypical manner. They are either

portrayed as housewives, sensitive, sex object, passive, or dependent. Unlike Men who are always depicted

in positive image. They are shown as heroes, strong, and superior over women. Therefore Razkane (2021)

claims in his article” The representation of women in Moroccan TV” that such advertisements maintain and

reinforce traditional gender roles because they serve male hegemony perspective (p.222 ). To understand

how women misrepresent in Moroccan TV advertisements, I select three famous adverts which all broadcast

on 2M channel.

V.1.1 Dettol ad: woman as sexual object:

~ 11 ~
Dettol advertisement is a beauty product that broadcasts on 2M TV channel. It starts with a young

beautiful woman walking between flowers, while the air plays with her black hair. In the second scene, we

notice a little girl with the woman. The woman touches the girl’s face nicely to show us the softness of

dettol product on our skin. Then we see the woman half naked taking shower in a waterfall with dettol. We

can say that all these scenes portray woman as sex object. The advertiser uses a part of woman’s body to

attract viewers and encourage them to buy this product. So woman’s body is used in commercials as an

effective strategy to succeed the advertised product. According to Larson (2009), women’s bodies affect

people’s attention, and in response convince them to buy a particular product, stereotypically, men will to

purchase products that are advertised through utilization of women’s bodies(Larson, 2009). Dettol and

other commercials of beauty victimize and exploit women’s body as a tool to sell their product and services

successfully .Moreover Arafa Alia Mohamed (2013) confirms that “women in advertising are treated more

as commodities and sex object tools that can bring money than human beings who should be respected

“(p.41). Dettol ad proves that women in Moroccan TV advertisements are misrepresented as sex objects and

nothing more.

~ 12 ~
V.1.2 Moony ad: woman as a housewife

~ 13 ~
The housewife stereotypes are found a lot in TV advertisements about cooking. Moony flour is one of them

that broadcasts on 2M TV channel. According to HassaneRaszkane (2021) Moony advert shows a group of

women holding different delicate dishes are made by Moony product and singing joyfully with the famous

Moroccan singer Asmaa El mnawar, who says at the end of ad “ M3a Moony Dima DimaDahking “ ( with

Moony we are always laughing) ( p.221).In all Moony’s scenes, we notice that this advertisement uses just

women to promote Moony flour. We notice also that there is no man. This evidently illustrates that cooking

and kitchen are created just for women and not men. Moony ad gives the idea that women in Moroccan

society are just housewives, whose primary role is to take care of their husbands and children. According to

Gaig’s research (1992 ) woman can be represented in commercial as housewife who is more interested in the

designs of a tablecloth, or a woman whose main issue is lack of ideas and suggestions for a meal. Razkane

(2021) also believes that Moroccan TV commercials, women are often represented as housewives

preoccupied with domestic duties (p.220). Finally, we can say that women in Moony advertisement are

represented in stereotypical way. Where their role in society is restricted by doing house works.

V.1.3 Genova ad: the depiction of woman as inferior to men

~ 14 ~
Representation of Moroccan women as inferior to men is very clear in Genova advertisement. In Genovaad,
women and man take different positions. From the first sight, we notice in both scenes how women are set
behind men. In contrast, man is situated in the foreground as the main character in the advert. Womenare
positioned as inferior to men, in which men are always superior to women. This type of advertisement
supports and reinforces the gender inequality within Moroccan society; by giving men superiority over
women. Women in this ad are depicted as inferior, subordinate and dependent, who are standing anddancing

~ 15 ~
in the background. This means that women cannot be dependent on themselves. They always needthe
support and the protection of men, who are portrayed as leaders, independent and very important
inWomen’s life. Qorib et al (2020) state that women and men have different and unequal functions
inpatriarchal society. They are placed with varies positions. Women have subordinate and ordinate role.
Theyare considered as irrational, weak, and emotional. Therefore they can not appear to lead or to
beresponsible. On the other, men are dominant and have the head role of the family (p.49).

~ 16 ~
 V.2 Discussion

The main purpose of this study is to investigate how women are misrepresented and misunderstood in

Moroccan TV advertisements. The findings show that women are depicted less frequently than men in TV

ads. Men are shown as authority figures unlike women who are always seen in unrealistic and limited image.

This evidently shows that Moroccan media, especially TV advertisements, work in the favor of the

patriarchal ideology (Razkane, 2021, p.210).

Through the analysis of the three selected advertisements(Dettol, Moony, and Genova), it becomes very

clear that female in Moroccan TV advertisements are portrayed negatively. Gender stereotypes is still seen a

lot in Moroccan television. Women are usually depicted as perfect housewives and their main task is to take

care of children and husbands, and do the home activities regularly. They are mainly seen in advertisements

about cooking as Moony product. This reinforces the stereotype that women’s real place is the house.

In addition, women in Moroccan TV adverts are also represented as sexual objects in commercial of beauty

products. Advertisers use women’s body as a way to sell a certain product as it is proven in dettol ad. They

objectify women as non human in order to purchase commodities or services. Arafa (2013) states that the

main reason behind objectification of women is telling that female bodies are objects to be used for their

enjoyments and pleasures (p. 44). We can say that women in the men’s eyes are considered just objects and

nothing more, who are created to please the male sexual desire. It is very important also to mention that

Moroccan TV advertisements depict women as dependent and inferior to men and non- responsible. This

negative representation distorts the independency of women in the real life.

Such advertisements have a big influence on viewers’ perceptions. Razkane (2021 ) believes that Moroccan

TV advertisements affect on the audience’s gender perception as they enhance traditional stereotypes of

gender roles in morocco. These adverts produce and reproduce the hegemonic ideologies about women

within society (p.222).

~ 17 ~
 VI. Conclusion, Limitations and Recommendations

VI.1 Conclusion:

To sum up, this study investigates the misrepresentations and stereotypes that exist in Moroccan TV

advertisements by analysing Dettol, Genova, and Moony ads. The findings of this analysis indicate that

women in Moroccan TV ads are still portrayed in negative and unrealistic manner. They are primarily

represented as housewives, who are always associated with household activities. However, they are more

portrayed as sexual objects in beauty products. They are also depicted in subordinate position in relation to

men. On the other hand, men are always portrayed in positive image. They are either represented as

independent, responsible, or dominant creatures. It is clear now that these stereotyped portrayals in

Moroccan TV advertisements support and legitimate gender inequality within society. It is very important to

mention that advertising has a strong influence and impact on people’s minds. It reflects the differences and

inequalities between men and women that circulate and dominate in society. Furthermore, advertising is

capable of furthering the fact that such roles are natural and normal because of repetition of the same

messages ( Hawkins& Convers, 1976 ). Therefore, Zhou and Chen (1997 ) claim that the repeated portrayals

of women in traditional roles in ads, lead viewers to believe that these roles are typical of women. However,

these traditional representation would affect women’s image negatively and limit their functions ( Zhou&

Chen; 1997 ).

VI.2 Limitations:

There are many limitations in this research should be addressed. First, the data collection element of

this research was only on advertisements on 2M TV channel. However, it would be veryinteresting to

capture the same data from other national channels as a comparison. Moreover, this research was also

limited by time. Two months were not enough to investigate the image of women in Moroccan TV

advertisements deeply. That’s why, I kept just three ads. In addition, it was very difficult to find enough

sources that conducted studies about the representation of women in Moroccan TV advertisements.

~ 18 ~
VI.3 Recommendations:

The findings of this study suggested that the three selected advertisements showed that Moroccan TV ads

portrayed women in negative image. They represented them just as housewives, sex objects, and dependent

females. Future researchers could select advertisements that can depict women in positive image as men. It

is also suggested for future studies to reflect and present the changing roles of women in society as women’

independency and responsibility.

~ 19 ~
 VII. References

 Al-Ariqi, A. (2009). Middle Eastern Women in The Media: A battle against

stereotypes. Al Jazeera: A case study: Reuters Institute Fellowship Paper, University

of Oxford

 Allam, R. (2008). Countering the negative image of Arab women in the Arabmedia:

Towards a pan Arab eye media watch project (Report No. 15). The Middle East

Institute Policy Brief.

 Arafa, A.M. (2013). Perception of Women in Egyptian Advertising. AUC Knowledge Fountain.

 Barthel, D. (1988). Putting on appearances gender and advertising. Temple

University Press.

 Blackburn, S. (1995). How useful are feminist theories of the welfare state? :

Women’s history review, 4 (3), pp. 369-39.

 Carroll.J.L. (1996). Sexuality and gender in society. Harper Collins college.

 Chinn, P.L, & Wheeler, C.E. (1985). Feminism and nursing: Can nursing afford to

Remain aloof from the women’s movement? Nursing Outlook, 33 (2) pp, 74-77.

 Code, L. (2000). Encyclopaedia of feminist theories. Routledge, pp. 15-40.

 Craig, S. (1992). Men’s men and women’s women. In K.Robert(Ed.), Issues and

Effects of Mass Communication: Other Voices. (pp.89-100). Capstone Publishers.

~ 20 ~
 De Beauvoir, S. (1949). The Second sex. Vintage books.

 Derdar, M. (2017). Gender and verbal violence: A form of psychological abuse in

Moroccanpopular culture. Review Sciences, Langue et Communication, 1 (3),1-10.

 Errami, A. (2016). Professional journalist guide: For a positive approach to women in

The media (pp.29-32).

 Elmhadi, N. (2008). The image of Moroccan women in media: Reality and aspiration.

 Flax, G. (1999). Women do theory: In M. Pearsall (Ed.), women and values: Readings

In Recent Feminist Philosophy, (pp.10-11). Wadsworth.

 Foord, J. & Gregson, N. (1986). Patriarchy: Towards a reconceptualization,

Antipode, 18 (2), 186-211.

 Hall, S. (1997). Representation: cultural representations and signifying practices.

Sage.

 Larson, F. (2009). A Christian Response to Islam in America. Retrieved from http://www.leadernu.-

com/theology/islaminamerica.html

 Hawkins, D.I, & Coney, K.A.( 1976). Advertising and Differential Sex Roles in Contemporary

American Society. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 4, 418-495.

 Moghadam, V.M. (1992). Development and women’s emancipation: Is there a

Connection?, development and change, 23(3), 215-255.

 Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual pleasure and narrative cinema. In J.Storey (Ed.), Cultural

theory and Popular Culture: A Reader.4th ed. Pearson.

~ 21 ~
  Macrae, N., Stangor, Ch., Hewstone, M. (Eds.), (1996). Stereotypes & stereotyping.

Guilford press.

 Pomeroy, E. C., Holleran, L. K. &Kaim, R. (2004). Postmodern feminism: A

Theoretical framework for a field unit with women in Jail, social work education: The

International Journal, 23(1), 39-49.

 Qorib. F., Saekoko, A.&Setiamandani, E. D.(2020). Domestication of Women in Dettol Soap

Comercails,2(2), pp.44-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33366/jkn.v2i2.49.

 Rahbani, L. N. (2010). Women in Arab media: present but not hard. California: Stanford University.

 Razkane, H.(2021). The Representation of Women on Moroccan TV. Journal of Applied Language

and Culture Studies, 4, 209-229.

 Sinha, M. (2011). Passing the barrier: A critical study of Alice walker’s the color

purple, Anusandhanika, 9(1), 107-110.

 Zhou, N., & Chen, M.Y.T.(1997). A Content Analysis of Men and Women in Canadian Consumer

Magazine Advertising: Today’s Portrayal, Yesterday’s Image? Journal of Business Ethics.(16), 485-
495.

~ 22 ~