Society functions in a way where people have been categorized in terms of gender, ethnicity, class, age, sexuality, location, and so on (Gill, 2007). The advantages and disadvantages of each are unevenly distributed where some qualities of a person are considered more idyllic than other areas (Gill, 2007). This idea will be explored more specifically with the representation of gender and sexuality in media texts with what seems to be the ‘norm’ in society. The tui beer television advertisement is a media text that shows examples of what is expected of an individual’s gender and sexuality in society, and how these can cause issues.
In our culture, it is automatic and instinctive to pin point people to a certain gender, male or female. Our …show more content…
Particularly in western societies, women generally have the desire for a thin body shape and this has been established as the cultural norm (Wykes & Gunter, 2005). For over thirty years a thin physique and small body size is much more preferred than to be curvy, however a generous bust size with a slim body build is considered ideal (Wykes & Gunter, 2005). This results in large-scale surveys finding that losing weight is important to most women in popular culture. The women scattered throughout the commercial all where provocative clothing, showing off their slender model like bodies. This creates a real issue in society, sending the message that this is what women should look like, even though it does not mirror reality, creating too higher expectations and lowering self-esteem (Wykes & Gunter, 2005). It almost pushes women to feel bad about their own bodies. Viewers forget that the women in the commercial have been airbrushed, retouched, edited, and are paid to look the way they do. From early ages, young girls grow up seeing the “perfect” women on different media outlets and compare themselves to the nearly unattainable figure (Allan, 2009). This leads to feelings of self-consciousness and the urge to look exactly like the girl on the TV, which is not healthy as it is a near unreachable goal (Allan, 2009). "Not only are the women portrayed below weight, but also messages pertaining to beauty and worth are intimately suggested" (Worell, 2001, p. 705). These portrayals of “everyday women” can unfortunately contribute to eating disorders and depression, which is a growing problem in modern day. Not only do these representations of feminism create unrealistic goals for real women, but they also objectify women. It is seen in advertisements, calendars, magazines, and other media outlets constantly (Chrisler & McCreary, 2010). Every single female in the tui advertisement is wearing
In our culture, it is automatic and instinctive to pin point people to a certain gender, male or female. Our …show more content…
Particularly in western societies, women generally have the desire for a thin body shape and this has been established as the cultural norm (Wykes & Gunter, 2005). For over thirty years a thin physique and small body size is much more preferred than to be curvy, however a generous bust size with a slim body build is considered ideal (Wykes & Gunter, 2005). This results in large-scale surveys finding that losing weight is important to most women in popular culture. The women scattered throughout the commercial all where provocative clothing, showing off their slender model like bodies. This creates a real issue in society, sending the message that this is what women should look like, even though it does not mirror reality, creating too higher expectations and lowering self-esteem (Wykes & Gunter, 2005). It almost pushes women to feel bad about their own bodies. Viewers forget that the women in the commercial have been airbrushed, retouched, edited, and are paid to look the way they do. From early ages, young girls grow up seeing the “perfect” women on different media outlets and compare themselves to the nearly unattainable figure (Allan, 2009). This leads to feelings of self-consciousness and the urge to look exactly like the girl on the TV, which is not healthy as it is a near unreachable goal (Allan, 2009). "Not only are the women portrayed below weight, but also messages pertaining to beauty and worth are intimately suggested" (Worell, 2001, p. 705). These portrayals of “everyday women” can unfortunately contribute to eating disorders and depression, which is a growing problem in modern day. Not only do these representations of feminism create unrealistic goals for real women, but they also objectify women. It is seen in advertisements, calendars, magazines, and other media outlets constantly (Chrisler & McCreary, 2010). Every single female in the tui advertisement is wearing