Comm455/History of Journalism

Feminism has earned a bad rep over the years, and sensationalism in advertising has not helped.

Although we would like to believe that we have achieved gender equality, our past and our present prove otherwise.

Look at this 1950s ad.

http://www.businesspundit.com/10-most-sexist-print-ads-from-the-1950s/?img=21455

Clearly the focal point is not the projector. “Far from natural looking, [her breasts] jut out a mile from her chest, looking more like legs bent at the knee,” said Business Pundit blogger Julian. Talk about the oversexualization of women in advertising.

But we’ve gotten farther than these cheap, sexist ads, right?

Wrong.

Laura Bates, founder of the Everday Sexism Project, explains that “sexism still exists in a modern society that perceives itself to have achieved gender equality“.

Take a gander at RadioShack’s 2013 Beats advertisement.

Do I need to point out that all these women have phallic products?

Furthermore this is almost an exact copy of the controversial music video, which is described as “date-rapey.” The music video even comes with its own nudity-packed explicit video, adding to the notion that objectification of women in the media is a prime strategy to gain popularity.

After all, nothing excites an audience like controversy.

Indeed, people actively seek music videos and other media that resemble pornography. Just look at Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda, which set Vevo’s record for most views in 24 hours: 19.6 million.

But in an “attempt” to create something risque, music videos and other media end up tasteless, sexist, and even harmful.

Considering that nothing excites an audience like controversy, will gender equality ever be realized?