Gender Differences in Advertisements Essay Example for Free

Gender Differences in Advertisements Essay It has been evident for the past decades that advertisers still use stereotyped images of men and women in their advertisements. This can say that the pursuit for equality is still not grasped by the society. The images we see in magazines, in televisions, in billboards portray a very old perception of gender, especially the inferiority and submissive nature of women, with their bodies used as mere sexual objects, if not, still used as household caretakers. Women are also deemed to be beautiful if they have slim bodies, fair complexion and long shiny hair. Men, on the other hand, are portrayed to be strong, dominant and successful in their careers. For this essay, I will be showing two examples of images, which reveals the still existing gender inequality. I will be referring to some themes and issues to support my arguments. Also, for my basic analysis of advertisements, I will be using Katherine Frith’s [1998] approach in â€Å"Undressing the Ad: Reading Culture in Advertising† [Lukas, 2002]. It includes a surface meaning, the advertiser’s intended meaning, and the cultural or ideological meaning. For the semiotic level, which connotes the social themes in advertisements, I will be applying Erving Goffman’s [1979] approach in â€Å"Gender Advertisements. † For the first example, I will use the Gucci Magazine advertisement as shown in Figure 1 in the appendix. Just by looking at the picture, you can already see that there is gender inequality. Before dwelling into that, I will first apply a basic analysis of the ad. 1. The Surface Meaning It can be seen that there are two subjects in the picture. It is very evident that one is female, while the other one can be assumed to be male. It is because of its masculine features, as seen in the upper body though the face was not explicitly shown. The female is down on the floor, touching the shoes of the male. She is wearing a sexy gold dress. The male is standing, wearing only khaki pants. Both clothing are assumed to be under the brand, Gucci. The setting is in the desert and the overall appeal of the image is very earthy. There are no words or taglines in the ad, just â€Å"Gucci†. 2. Advertiser’s Intended Meaning The advertiser might be showcasing the earthy tones and summer styles of Gucci, as seen in the very comfortable and breezy clothes the subjects are wearing. There is still a certain class in the style, whether you put them in the dessert or just wherever. 3. Cultural or Ideological Meaning The picture obviously depicts the dominance of males over females. To be more detailed, we use Goffman’s approach by taking into consideration the social themes being depicted here. The positioning of the subject explicitly exposes gender bias. The man is standing while woman is down on floor. It just shows that men are in control and have power over women. The woman is way below under his legs, at his feet to be exact. She is even touching his shoes. It reminds me of a servant, wiping the dirt of his master in the desert. The woman here really looked inferior and if we extend the picture upward, exposing the face of the man, it can be that he is looking down on her, seeing the contraction of his abdomen in the picture. Moreover, such display of abs connotes a very masculine and strong appeal. We know that men who have well developed abs are the ones who are the most physically fit. The woman on one hand is thin and sexy, with her body parts, especially the legs and the cleavage, generally exposed. Reexamining the â€Å"Nature/Culture† Paradigm, we are reminded of the â€Å"vertical† perspective, which organizes the relationships of male and female [Tilleuil, 2002]. The woman is labeled as the dominated and the man is labeled as the dominant. According to the sociologist, Claude Herne, â€Å"In the advertising image, in order to make the woman feel inferior, signs multiply and underline the weakness, the lack of self-confidence, fragility, hesitation, dissimulation, submission, childishness and infantilization, too. [Tilleuil, 2002]. This signs are very well depicted in this ad. The woman looks fragile, and she displays a look of submission in her eyes, like a slave. This leads us to another example of an advertisement, which now depicts heavy violence to women. The ad to be examined here is figure 2 of the appendix. It is an ad from Dolce and Gabbana. 1. The Surface Meaning In the ad, there are six subjects. There are five males and one female. It looks like they are in a rooftop of some resort/hotel. Some men are wearing fitted Polos, while others are half naked. Their skins are very shiny. It looks like there’s oil or sweat in them. One man is on top of the woman, while others are watching intently to the scene in the middle. The woman is lying down on the floor, wearing a sexy black dress and high heels. 2. Advertiser’s Intended Meaning The advertiser here is showcasing the sexy formal styles of Dolce and Gabbana, with their breezy polos, classy dresses. It looks like the clothing is part of their summer collection. 3. Cultural or Ideological Meaning/Goffman’s approach It is very evident in the picture that the scene is depicting a â€Å"gang rape†. This is extreme sexual violence right at your eyes. Such violence is even portrayed in classy way, with the clothing of Dolce and Gabbana at display. We look back to the inferiority and submissiveness of the woman here. The woman is again down on the floor, but this time, she is lying down, about to be raped by the first guy on top of her. But we also see here that they are being watched by other men. One of them is already topless, while, one is semi-buttoned, with his chest exposed. There is also one who is only wearing a sleeveless undershirt, while the last guy is still fully dressed up. They all have this sultry look to the woman. The woman here is about to give herself to the man, with her hips going upward. Yet, you can see that the man is locking her arms in the floor, and it looks like she cannot get away with his grasp. The woman has been the subject of sexual pleasure. Violence here is part of the pleasure package. As we have been exposed in the media, we can recall about the whipping, the slapping of women, their being tied up to different places, exposing a lot of skin, with their bodies being molded to different erotic positions. In most cases women are victims of such violence, since men being tied up would not be a delightful sight for them. Overall, as seen in most advertisements, women are always the weaker player, being taken advantaged of men, who are more superior. Women are still being depicted as mere objects of sexual desire [Sharabi, n. d. ]. Women are seen only as domestic providers, who do not have their own decision making powers. According to the blog of â€Å"Daughter of Liberty† [2007], she said that the following are some important points to take note in advertisements: 1. Canting It can be seen through the body language that women are submissive and they have low self-confidence. For our examples, it is explicitly shown with the woman on the floor, with no control. 2. Clowning It can be seen that women are usually posed like an innocent child in the ads, which connotes ignorance (stupidity perhaps) and practically it tells us that women are easily dominated. 3. Dependence Women are seen to be very dependent to men, which can be particularly found in the first advertisement, where the woman is touching the shoes of the man. 4. Dismemberment Dismemberment is described as focusing on a particular body part. However, for our first example, it was the man who was dismembered. 5. Dominance/violence This is evidently seen in both of our examples, especially in the Dolce and Gabbana ad, which depicts a gang rape. I think ads these days have become more violent and more associated to sex than ever before, due to change of perception of our society. Sex and violence is not a taboo anymore, and we can just openly discuss those issues in a coffee table. However, being a more open society must teach us to be less discriminating and degrading. Women and men were created equally. More ads should focus on empowering women, like what is happening in Dove. We must not let ourselves, especially our children to be exposed to such violence because images convey very powerful images and it can impact one’s behavior.

FRANKENSTEIN :: essays research papers fc

The origin of Frankenstein is almost as mysterious and exciting as the novel itself. It all began back in the summer of 1816 at the Villa Diodati on the shores of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Mary Shelley seems not to condemn the act of creation but rather Frankenstein’s lack of willingness to accept the responsibility for his deeds. His creation only becomes a monster at the moment his creator deserts it. Essentially, Frankenstein warns of the careless use of science which is still an important issue. In feminist literary theory, it claims that Frankenstein’s act of creation is not only a sin against God and nature. It is also an act against the â€Å"female principle† which includes natural procreation as one of its central aspects. The monster, the result of male arrogance, is the enemy and destroyer of the eternal female principle. The classification of Frankenstein as a ghost story, Gothic novel or horror novel is not completely accurate. It contains no supernatural apparitions such as ghosts, witches, devils, demons or sorcerers. And other typical gothic elements such as ruined castles, graveyards and charnel houses appear only briefly or in the distance. In the novel, Mary Shelley is silent on how Victor Frankenstein breathes life into his creation. But her story did not just come from her imagination alone. Scientists and physicians of her time were tempted by the boundaries between life and death, constantly experimenting with lower organisms, human anatomical studies, attempting to resuscitate drowning victims, and experiments using electricity to restore life to the recently dead. Another origin of this monster has to do with people’s fascinations with â€Å"nature’s monsters,† the sharp deviations from normal human development. The monster â€Å"Frankenstein† is thought of as a horrible, evil creation. One informant thought of him as frustrated, loud, and uncommunicative. Some others remember aspects from the many different movies such as the monster having â€Å"the mind of a killer and the heart of a kind man.† One informant recalled the monster having a â€Å"soft spot for children† when he helped a little girl kill all the evil monsters in one of the movies. Abandoned by his creator, the monster takes revenge on Victor Frankenstein by killing his younger brother, William. Frankenstein’s silence, in the face of the monster’s murderous actions, exacts a terrible price. His self-imposed isolation from society mirrors the social isolation the monster experiences from all who see him.

Environmental Science and Policy Essay

The occurrence of rapid economic and political changes could be traced from the post-era of industrial revolution. These changes have brought impact to the environment wherein emerging industrial progress and remarkable growth of population has acquired significant economic resourcing relating to the utilization of the ecosystem. On the other hand, the accompanying trends in the advancement of science and technologies have conquered the law of natural sciences. The expansion of factories, development of industrial machineries and increasing numbers of vehicles has brought in the looming effect of air pollution and other pollutants. Likewise, the exploitative and inefficient utilization of environment depletes the natural habitation of flora and fauna, from which the ecosystem becomes fragile and the forces of Mother Nature asymmetrically collide. Today, Global Warming is a potential catastrophe that threatens the earth and all its inhabitants. Such a situation depicts the poem of the Founder of Evolutionary Economics, Kenneth Ewart Boulding’s (1910-1993), as cited: â€Å"The world is finite, resources are scarce, Things are bad and will be worse, Coal is burned and gas exploded, Forests out and soil eroded, Wells are dry and air polluted, Dust is blowing, trees are uprooted, Oil is going, ores depleted, Drains receive what is excreted, Land is sinking, seas are rising, Man is far too enterprising, Fires will rage with man to fan it, Soon we will have a plundered planet† (Boulding,1993; in Edugreen Poems, 2008). The health hazard and death toll related to air pollution is extremely alarming; specifically in most highly populated and highly industrialized countries. Thus, the issue on air pollution is recognized as a critical sociological, economic and geological problem that is tried to be sensibly addressed by people and governments worldwide. This paper will objectively examine the extent and scope of various governmental and non-governmental responses on environmental science and policy issues relating to the evolution of the United States’ Clean Air Act, and the effects or impacts of its subsequent amendments towards achieving national and global importance in enacting policies to mitigate air pollution and towards the protection and preservation of the global environment. Methodology This paper adopts a three-prong method of study, such as (1) a review of literature relating to the Clean Air Act, (2) discussion of policy issues affecting its implementation, and (3) situational analysis to evaluate the national impact. What is Clean Air Act? According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA), the Clean Air Act (CAA) has been amended in 1970 as an ambitious national campaign to maintain healthy and quality air by controlling air pollution. With the 1970 amendment to CAA, many US-based industries criticized the CAA’s implementation due expensive compliance. To cite, the American businesses in a number of ways are forced to control air pollution through end-of-pipe methods that confine pollution and implement preventative measures that limit the quantity of pollutants, in which the cost of compliance with Clean Air Act regulations can be expensive (US-EPA, 2008). However, the Clean Air Act has been enacted to basically reduce air pollution. Based on the report of Business Week Magazine (2008), CAA implementation contributes to the decrease of significant amounts of air pollutants in the US at about 30% from the period of 1970 to 1995, in spite of the US’ population growth of 28% of that period. Literature Review Brief historical background The problems on air pollution have long been an issue way back from the time of King Edward I of England in 1306 (American Meteorological Society, 1999). As further cited from the American Meteorological Society (1999), King Edward issued a proclamation banning the use of sea coal in London due to the smoke it caused. On the succeeding centuries, Great Britain continuously pursued the anti-pollution campaign on its first trial to air pollution controlling in Chicago and Cincinnati during its US occupation, in which it legislated the Clean Air Policy of 1881. After the British-American war, the Clean Air Policy of 1881 was adopted by the US and enforced by its federal government agencies, specifically the Bureau of Mines of the Department of the Interior which established the Office of Air Pollution. In the 1940’s, the tragedy caused by a â€Å"deadly smog† in Los Angeles and Donora, Pennsylvania elevated the alarm of the residents of affected areas which called the US Congress to pass the ‘Air Pollution Control Act of 1955’, which was the â€Å"first clean air and air quality control acts† that is still in effect and being continuously revised and amended (American Meteorological Society, 1999). Historical amendments to the Clean Air Act as a state policy A timeline on the amendments to the Clean Air Act is herein cited from the electronic journal of the American Meteorological Society (1999) in order to fully discuss the historical and chronological basis of its evolution as a state policy, as follows: In 1955, the local governments’ problems on air pollution has triggered the federal government to address the issue at a national level in which Congress passed the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955 as a result of the â€Å"deadly smog tragedy† in Donora, Pennsylvania that accounted the deaths of 20 people and hundreds of casualties from airborne diseases. In 1963, Congress passed the nation’s Clean Air Act of 1963 to reduce air pollution by setting emission standards for stationary sources such as power plants and steel mills. It did not take into account mobile sources of air pollution which had become the largest source of many dangerous pollutants. In 1970, the issue on inadequate laws in enacting the Clean Air Act of 1963 has been amended by the Clean Air Act of 1970 as a major modification which emphasized challenging principles, such as the establishment of â€Å"primary and secondary principles† for setting air quality, minimize emissions from factories and vehicles as to be enacted by the state and federal government, and increased funds for air pollution research and development. Congress did not amend the Clean Air Act during the 1980’s because of President Reagan’s prioritization of economic policies above environmental actions. In 1990, the long phase of idleness of the federal government has realized the need to modify the Clean Air Act of 1970. The amendment has enacted the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 that focuses on 5 key areas of implementation, such as (1) air-quality standards, (2) motor vehicle emissions and alternative fuels, (3) toxic air pollutants, (4) acid rain, and (5) stratospheric ozone depletion. The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (as amended) envisioned a recovery of gaps of regulatory policies and empowered the functions of government agencies’ and the implementations of their policies.

Essay on Analysis of Picassos Guernica - 3998 Words

Analysis of Picassos Guernica Picasso’s Guernica is one of the most powerful and disturbing anti-war paintings ever produced. I have always admired Picasso’s works and wanted to write a dissertation on some aspects of his work. I first saw his Guernica as a poster in my History of Art room. I was fascinated by it and wanted to find out more about its background. I then went to Madrid and saw this vast painting in the Rene Sofia Museum. Its scale and disruptiveness intrigued me to study this painting in depth. I will look at a short background to the Spanish Civil War and why it happened and how it destroyed the Basque town Guernica and everyone living in it. Then I will look at and study PicassoÂ’s reaction to the†¦show more content†¦Unemployment in both agriculture and industry rose and those in work had to put up with a cut in wages as the economy struggled to survive the Depression. Also the Republic faced losing the support of those whose support it desperately needed the working class. Those who governed Spain had differing views on what to do. The wishes of the Left alarmed those on the Right and vice versa. Political argument was in danger of pushing Spain into social revolution. The middle ground in Spain’s parliament the socialists and middle-class radicals did try to resolve outstanding problems. Catalonia did receive some degree of self-government. Many army officers were made to retire early. The huge estates in Spain were nationalised i.e. taken over by the government, which would control what was done with them etc. The wages of those who worked in industry were increased but they were to be paid by the owners of those industries not by the government. The government tried to attack those it believed had too many privileges in society. But by doing this it made all the divisions in society angered and they had the potential to fight back. These were the military, industrialists, landowners and the Roman Catholic Church. These four (potentially very powerful bodies) were unwilling to support the Republican government in Madrid. They were also aware that there were countries in Europe that would be willing to give support to their troubles,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Critical Analysis - Picassos Guernica1561 Words   |  7 PagesCritical Analysis of Guernica - By Bryce Craig Spanish artist Pablo Picasso can often be collectively seen as the greatest and most influential artist of the twentieth century. In a historical sense he encompassed all that is to be a practicing modernist artist and prevailed as one of the most significant artists overall in human history. Picasso’s most well renowned painting presents to his audience a graphic reflection of the horrors and brutality of war; Guernica (1937) depicts the SpanishRead MoreAnalysis Of Pablo Picassos Guernica1228 Words   |  5 Pagesfamous examples of using art to bring the world’s focus to a cause is Pablo Picasso’s painting, Guernica. In 1937, Francisco Franco, the ruler of Spain, allowed German and Italian planes to bomb a small town, called Guernica, in order to test their bombing tactics. Guernica became the result of Picasso’s outrage to the aerial attacks. Within the painting, he crafts symbols to represent the horror brought to the town of Guernica by the government . Picasso uses different art principles and elements toRead MorePablo Picassos Guernica Essay1395 Words   |  6 Pagesare the â€Å"subjects of unending analysis, gossip, dislike, adoration and rumor†, according to Pablopicasso.org. 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His full name is Pablo Picasso’s gargantuan, his full name represents a variety of relatives and saints like â€Å" Pablo Diego, Josà © Francisco de Paula, Juan Nepomuceno, Marà ­a de los Remedios CiprianoRead MoreGuernica, By Pablo Picasso907 Words   |  4 Pages In the painting Guernica, cubism is used to show all the sides of war. War is terrifying. It is bone chilling; causes pain and despair. There is nothing good about war. Every side, every angle is dark and unsettling. Pablo Picasso’s painting Guernica, is a perfect portrayal of the chaos and terror of war. My whole life as an artist has been nothing more than a continuous struggle against reaction and the death of art. In the picture I am painting — which I shall call Guernica — I am expressingRead MoreExplanative Essay on Guernica625 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Guernica† is one of the most well-known paintings in the world. It was painted by Pablo Picasso in 1937. 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