The Evolution of Gender Stereotype in Ads

Is gender stereotypes in ads a thing of the past?

Well, I don't think so. 

Although, the portrayal of gender stereotypes in ads has became relatively smoother over the years through the introduction of humor and role reversal,  we can still find some ads that insist in displaying the strong pre-determined role associated with women since colonialism: the housewife, mother, sexual object, dumb, subservient, submissive, inferior, "childlike", delicate, vulnerable, and so on. These type of ads are also very likely to display the male figure as dominant, strong, tall, superior, etc. 

For this blog, I chose some sexist ads from 1920s until present, in order to compare and analyze the evolution of gender stereotypes in ads:

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1970s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2010s

2010s

2010s

After looking through all these ads, we can clearly see the evolution of gender stereotypes in ads, especially after the 1970s. I believe the main negativity of a gender stereotype is when the pre-determined characteristics associated with either men or women implies that one sex is dominant or superior over the other. And in fact, negative stereotypes should not ever be accepted in any advertising. However, when the stereotype is portrayed in a humorous and positive way, by only displaying typical behavior related to different genders, but not implying that such behavior make the gender superior or inferior, I believe it becomes more acceptable. 

As I said in my previous post about racial stereotypes, I truly believe advertisers have huge social and ethical responsibilities, and advertising has enough power to impact society's acceptance of stereotypes. Therefore, I believe ads should be used to lessen the presence and acceptance of any negative stereotype held towards any groups in our society.

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope you liked my selection of sexist ads over the years. And please, let me know what you think about the gender stereotype in ads issue. Is it acceptable? If yes, in which ways? 

See you soon,

Isa