The Effects of Objectifying Women in Ads For about as long as advertisements have existed, objectification of women in them has existed, too. Whether it is an advertisement for Victoria Secret or Burger King, women have been presented as sex objects in an effort to sell a product. This objectification causes some major effects on women who see these ads. The objectification of women in advertisements causes women to have low self-esteem, develop eating disorders, and create a mindset that they are not or will not ever be good enough. The first major effect of objectifying women in ads is they cause women to have a low self-esteem. Many advertisements show very unrealistic portrayals of women. Many of them have tall, perfectly figured white
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As stated previously, a woman’s self-esteem plummets when advertisements are seen. This can also cause women to start comparing themselves to the models. Among wester women between the ages of 15 and 24, approximately 1 out of every 200 suffers from anorexia. Around 40% of American girls ages 9 and 10 report being or having been on a diet to lose weight. What is even worse is some advertisements have started advocating and specifically targeting their ads towards people with low self-esteem. A blog that goes by the title of “Eating Disorder Hope” has this to say: “The message of not being good enough or needing to improve can have a significant impact on a child’s self-esteem and self-worth. Children can be easily influenced by advertising messages during a time in their lives when they are trying to figure out who they are and how to belong. It is important to keep in mind that children, especially when very young, look at the world literally. They do not have the ability to distinguish what is and what is not truth. Being in a world with advertisements that are photo shopped to be flawless, a child can believe this is reality. Consequently, this young person may strive for this unrealistic and unattainable appearance, in order to be accepted by others and themselves. Fad diets and weight loss products are a massive industry that preys on consumers with low …show more content…
Women compare themselves to other women constantly. When they see these “beautiful” and “perfect” women in advertisements, they get the mindset that they will never be good enough. This kind of thinking can lead to depression, self-harm, and even suicide. Science Daily had this to say about the issue: “Led by Dr. Leora Pinhas, researchers asked 118 female university students about their mood, body satisfaction and eating patterns. One week later, the women were asked the same questions immediately after viewing a series of ads, with half of the women being exposed to ads from popular women's magazines while the others looked at images which contained no pictures of people. "The experimental group responded immediately with depression and hostility after viewing the "ideal women" shown in these ads," says Pinhas, a lecturer in U of T's department of psychiatry. "And this was only after viewing 20 pictures. Think about how many hundreds of photos are in some of these fashion and lifestyle magazines, not to mention billboards, television and movies." (Science Daily,
As stated previously, a woman’s self-esteem plummets when advertisements are seen. This can also cause women to start comparing themselves to the models. Among wester women between the ages of 15 and 24, approximately 1 out of every 200 suffers from anorexia. Around 40% of American girls ages 9 and 10 report being or having been on a diet to lose weight. What is even worse is some advertisements have started advocating and specifically targeting their ads towards people with low self-esteem. A blog that goes by the title of “Eating Disorder Hope” has this to say: “The message of not being good enough or needing to improve can have a significant impact on a child’s self-esteem and self-worth. Children can be easily influenced by advertising messages during a time in their lives when they are trying to figure out who they are and how to belong. It is important to keep in mind that children, especially when very young, look at the world literally. They do not have the ability to distinguish what is and what is not truth. Being in a world with advertisements that are photo shopped to be flawless, a child can believe this is reality. Consequently, this young person may strive for this unrealistic and unattainable appearance, in order to be accepted by others and themselves. Fad diets and weight loss products are a massive industry that preys on consumers with low …show more content…
Women compare themselves to other women constantly. When they see these “beautiful” and “perfect” women in advertisements, they get the mindset that they will never be good enough. This kind of thinking can lead to depression, self-harm, and even suicide. Science Daily had this to say about the issue: “Led by Dr. Leora Pinhas, researchers asked 118 female university students about their mood, body satisfaction and eating patterns. One week later, the women were asked the same questions immediately after viewing a series of ads, with half of the women being exposed to ads from popular women's magazines while the others looked at images which contained no pictures of people. "The experimental group responded immediately with depression and hostility after viewing the "ideal women" shown in these ads," says Pinhas, a lecturer in U of T's department of psychiatry. "And this was only after viewing 20 pictures. Think about how many hundreds of photos are in some of these fashion and lifestyle magazines, not to mention billboards, television and movies." (Science Daily,