PETA: Degrading Women In Advertising

There is a plethora of advertisements in our world today, nearly impossible to avoid in the modern era of technology. While, the way we view advertisements have dramatically changed, so have the strategies that go into creating them. No longer are the designs just simple photographs and phrases, but instead they try to provoke a memorable message to its audience. The animal rights organization, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, commonly known as PETA never fails to demonstrate unusual techniques in their advertising campaigns. Trying to promote the alternative vegan lifestyle, PETA often derails from their animal rights advocacy and uses violent sexists ad’s in their campaigns. In their late 2000’s “go veg” campaign, an advertisement …show more content…
The model in the ad is female, and it is not uncommon to associate women with the stereotype of being fragile. Placing the female model in a compromising sexual position, we can infer that there is unbalanced sexual power, yet the ad tries to create a correlation to the the notion of cannibalism, but fails to do so in using sexual violence. The advertisement contrasting dark background colors and the model’s body position specifically her upwards titled head, present the idea that she is in a begging position. This proves the notion that PETA makes women appear more fragile and submissive than their male counterpart. This indirect sexism makes PETA’s advertising campaigns focus less on the advocacy of animals and more on objectifying and permitting sexual violence against women. Using female models to pose in such demeaning vulnerable positions, with little clothing not only creates a scandalous advertisement, but instead promotes the sexual objectification of females. Annie Rose Strasser. a writer for an online newspaper, wrote in article in response to PETA’s sexist ads saying, “PETA makes light of violence against women and depicts unbalanced sexual power.”Strasser makes valid points in her article, stressing the importance of the unethical portrayals PETA uses against the female gender. Sexual violence in their print advertisements is also included their commercials.Their famously known 2012 Valentine’s day ad commercial, received a negative backlash because is spoofs domestic abuse, and bases it on a nonexistent syndrome called, BWVAKTBOOM. The commercial features woman painfully limping in the streets, wearing a neckbrace carrying groceries towards her boyfriend’s apartment.The only response given from the advert,