|
The human life revolves around the existence of a special force, which is a woman. She may be playing any role in an individual's life, be it mother, sister, wife, daughter, etc., but her importance cannot be undermined. Advertisements, being the reflection of society, have tried to exploit this knowledge for decades for generating positive outcomes—in the form of higher sales, easy acceptance of products, attracting larger section of society, etc. But have they succeeded in portraying her real picture, or is the identity of a woman lost in between? This article is a study on the portrayal of women in the advertisements across the globe categorized broadly under the Western and the Asian scenario.
Advertising today is an over $200 bn a year industry and affects all of us throughout our lives. No individual, irrespective of his age, sex and cultural disparities, can remain indifferent to its influence for a very long time. Recognizing the strength of advertising, media uses this most powerful tool to portray an image, change an idea, or shape an attitude. Despite its social function of being a medium to sell products, advertisements have a far-reaching impact on selling cultural values, images, persons, sex-role norms and shaping the entire structure and the mindset of the society.
As rightly said by Jean Kilbourne in her film Killing Us Softly, Advertising's Image of Women, "the effects of advertising are inescapable, they sell images, values and goals, they shape our attitudes and our attitudes shape our behavior." |
