How Feminism Transformed Advertising
In 1956, when Ford released the Customline with an automatic transmission, “the sexist ads of the day heralded this innovation as a wonderful thing for the ‘little woman’ and had headlines like, ‘Just think – no more stalling!'” (Ford Motor Company) Present-day ads however, have a noticeably different focus. Present-day television commercials for Kotex feminine care products feature various situations portraying independent women surviving in the world during their periods. They suggest a woman should be able to remain independent, sexy, etc. without worry of “leaks.” The slogan reads, “Kotex fits. Period,” suggesting it fits all aspects of a woman’s life, which is now so multifaceted and quick-paced. This is in vast contrast to a domestically-geared 1950 Modess sanitary napkins ad which begins, “Those questions on a mother’s mindâÂ?¦” and goes on to explain how to tell one’s daughter about menstruation.
The ad themes of these eras are direct reflections of the eras’ attitudes towards women. For instance, in the 1950s, a woman was expected to be a suburban housewife. “She wasâÂ?¦ concerned only about her husband, her children, her home. She had found true feminine fulfillment.” (Friedan) Ford and Modess ads clearly reflect this image. For Ford, women are less skillful at driving than men, and therefore worry about stalling more. And for Modess, women’s priority is the family. The 1950s societal expectations of women were clearly influencing the ad campaigns created for them. Similarly, the 21st century is full of corporate mothers and successful single women. It is expected for women to be capable of most of the same things as men, and women are empowered by this acceptance. The Kotex commercials embody this independent, sexy, strong attitude. As another example, “Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman,” is the slogan for Secret Ultra Dry deodorant. It assumes that women are drawn to the idea of being able to use something that is “strong enough for a man.”
Now that it is clear that ad campaigns reflect the attitudes of their time periods, one must question why these themes transformed so drastically. One contributing factor is the social condition, since advertising is geared at the present-day culture and society. People’s needs and desires are always considered in marketing strategy. For instance, “those consumers who are not happy with their role portrayal in depictions might not purchase the products of companies that they perceive as using ‘offensive’ advertisements.” (Ford, LaTour, Honeycutt, 6) These needs and desires are most noticeably shaped by social conditions of the time. For example, after the United States civil war, the Republican Party was dominant in the nation. However, when Roosevelt ameliorated the Great Depression tragedy with his New Deal plan, the Democratic Party gained popularity, even among unshakeable Republicans. Similarly, the 9-11 tragedy rejuvenated patriotism in the United States. It is clear then, that the ideals of a society are shaped by its various social conditions or, the circumstances and events surrounding a certain time period.
One major social condition beginning in the 1920s was the Women’s Rights Movement, which led to the feminist movements of the 1960s and ’70s. Feminism in the broadest of terms is “the movement for social, political, and economic equality of men and womenâÂ?¦ [of which the] goals are social and political change.” (Baumgardner, Richards) Therefore, feminism encompasses every possible implication of equality between men and women – equal employment, wages, rights, treatment, etc. It also implies an effort to diminish stereotypical attitudes and depictions of women which make them appear inferior to men. The impacts of feminism may be seen through the changing values of society throughout history. As one example, “it seems clear that women becoming sexually active since the 1980s are relatively more sexually active than previous generations.” (Wikipedia) This is because the “second wave” feminism of the ’60s and ’70s “fought to change perceptions of female sexual behavior. Since it was often considered more acceptable for men to have multiple sexual partners, many feminists encouraged women into ‘sexual liberationâÂ?¦'” (Wikipedia) Even if this was not the direct cause, one could argue that feminism’s overall empowerment of women led to a more sexually liberal culture.
Just as feminism paved the way for sexual equality between genders, so must it have led to equality in advertising. Furthermore, if the feminist movement was indeed a societal condition, and therefore, had an impact on societal values, there is no question that it would result in more equal advertising methods. Since the feminist movement is a historically documented event (which is this paper’s definition of a societal condition), we can conclude that it did in fact, gear societal values in the direction of male and female equality. For example, “as the movement progressed and more feminists joined in the objections to sexual objectification, the beauty industry became concerned that the ‘new woman’ would be one would rejected their products altogether. As it turned out, this fear was at least somewhat justified. The decade of the ’70s did see cosmetics, fragrance, and hair-care products all suffer flat or declining sales. (Craig)
Narrowing the discussion to the advertising industry itself, feminism contributed to a change in the nature of the business world. It not only fought for the employment of women in male-dominated jobs, but for equal salaries (“equal pay for equal work”). Considerable strides were made in this area including the Equal Pay Act of 1963 which attempted to guarantee equal pay for women, and the 1963 conference for “The Woman in America” sponsored by The American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Here, Esther Peterson and Alice Rossi made some of the first noteworthy presentations on the importance of equal employment rights for women. Today, “women account for 49% of all professionals and managersâÂ?¦ On the entrepreneurial level, women own 40% of all small businesses and, for the past 15 years, have accounted for 70% of new business start-ups.” (Barletta, 1) No one can disagree that feminism has contributed to this women’s employment and entrepreneurial phenomenon.
It follows then, that these efforts also contributed to the eventual employment of women as leaders in the advertising industry. There is “a rise in the number of women holding senior management posts within agencies and an improved perception among women about the experience of working in the industry.” (Mendelsohn) In fact, in a New Straits Times article by Sharifah Sakinah Aljunid, a female M&C Saatchi managing director states, “Somehow, women excel and thrive in this industry.” And undoubtedly, the presence of women aids in a more objective viewpoint when creating advertising campaigns. Says Aljunid’s interviewee, “âÂ?¦we portray women in a responsible way and not in a demeaning manner.” (Aljunid) It seems unlikely that a hard-working, intelligent woman in a top position at an advertising firm would ever intentionally exacerbate the domestic or overly-sexualized woman stereotype. She would also attempt to create ad campaigns that would appeal to her, since she is a woman. And, as already noted, the female stereotypes are not appealing. While these factors may not entirely filter out the female stereotypes, they turn the industry in a more positive direction, since women become increasingly available to advise their male colleagues.
In advertising in general, there is a new and different focus on female consumers compared to ads of the 1950s and earlier. “An increasing number of marketing researchers apply feminist perspectives to marketing phenomena, particularly within the field of consumer research.” (Catterall, Maclaran, Stevens, 1) And interestingly enough,
“since the 1970s, a considerable feminist literature has accumulated which simultaneously confronts and confirms our marketing assumptions about women as consumers. There are feminist analyses of women and food, diet, body image, eating out, fashion, romance fictions, glossy magazines, savings and debt, home decorating, design, shopping, sport and leisure.” (Catterall, Maclaran, Stevens)
Could advertising have transformed into what it is today without the work of these and other women’s activists? It seems unlikely that these issues would have ever moved to the forefront. As stated, societal conditions cause changes in societal values; therefore, the progression of the ideals of the advertising industry, must also have been affected by a societal condition, most logically, feminism. If female consumerism had not been noticed by feminists as part of the fight for female equality, it may not have formed into an actual field of consumer research, which ultimately affects the advertising itself. And while one may argue that eventually this consumer group would have been recognized due to its being a large part of the consumer market, past evidence shows companies ignoring this fact despite overwhelming evidence. To take it one step further, females may not have become such a strong consumer group, if not for the feminist movement itself. As shown, women were seen as inferior to men. They made decisions only for the greater good of their families and not in the interests of their own personal consumption. Thus, the individualism (a societal value) needed to create a consumer market was influenced by the feminist movement (a societal condition).
However, as previously mentioned, advertising is determined by the target audience in the end. Since societal conditions largely affect the needs and wants of consumers and advertising attempts to respond to these needs/wants, it follows that advertising is affected by societal conditions. As we have seen, the feminist movement was and has remained a societal condition, and therefore, affected women’s own view of themselves. Examples of these effects in advertising can be seen in Vogue ads of the 1970s. Craig of the American Culture Association states:
“The ads themselvesâÂ?¦ began to portray a consumerist version of liberated women, and new products (or at least products with new names) were devised for them to buyâÂ?¦ Cosmetic companies wereâÂ?¦ quick to exploit feminist rhetoric. Revlon introduced ‘Charlie’ in 1973, a fragrance designed for and marketed to the ‘new woman.’ ‘Charlie ads featured what purported to be a no-nonsense single and independent working ‘girl’with a fashion model face and figure, usually pictured in a pantsuit.”
This was the only the beginning of the attitude change. Obviously, it has continued to develop, or at least, has remained present in our culture. Most women, even if not considering themselves feminists, desire to be successful, independent, equals to men in the present-day. It is no longer popular to view themselves as inferior, and ads of the 21st century clearly respond to this sentiment, as illustrated by the marketing of Secret and Kotex.
While it is true that stereotypical depictions of women in advertising still remain, its noticeable transformation over the decades is undeniable. It is impossible to conceive that this change occurred by itself or with the advancement of society. Nor can one say it was simply the existence of feminist ideas. It was the feminist movement itself which, by taking an active role in political and societal change, succeeded in influencing popular thought. The advertising industry responded to these changes because it had to, in order to keep up with the values of its consumers. This is the nature of advertising – to respond to the present culture’s priorities and values. And since feminist movements have also helped to create a keener interest in the value of female consumerism, the advertising industry has had to respond specifically to female audiences.
In addition, it is likely that there are various other factors and explanations for the transformation of advertising, specifically in regard to women over the past several decades. However, to ignore the feminist movement in this explanation seems foolish. If feminism was not the only factor in this change, it certainly was one of them. And if not the cause, it was surely a major influence.
In conclusion, feminism movements have contributed to the transformation of advertising over the past several decades. The advertising industry itself has been altered by the new presence of women in leadership roles. This new presence allows women’s ideas and opinions to be heard in advertising campaigns, which logically results in less stereotypical female images. Both the attitudes of these women and their presence in the industry are largely attributable to feminism. In addition, the effects of feminism are illustrated in the obvious differences between ads of present-day and several decades ago. Women’s advertising, which used to depict a domestic, inferior portrayal of women, now more often shows them as strong, intelligent, sexy, and equal to men – concepts directly related to feminism. Furthermore, advertising responds to the societal conditions of the time, since they help to shape peoples values, beliefs, and priorities. The feminist movement was a social condition and therefore shaped people’s values. This is evident in a more gender-equalized society than in decades past. It follows then, that feminism equally influenced, if not transformed advertising.
Works Cited
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âÂ?¢ Mendelsohn, Nicola. “Still too few to mention, There are an increasing number of women in advertising agencies but that’s where the good news stops.” The Financial Times. London, England. 1 June 2004. Lexis-Nexus. 17 March 2005
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