What Are Gender Stereotypes In Advertising

Throughout the day we encounter many advertisements and we just mindlessly pass through them without much recognition. Maybe a word or two has caught interest that is remembered throughout the day, well, that is the goal of advertisements. However, how often do someone really look into an advertisement and break out the components of it? Such as the thought process and specific placement of objects to convey a quick message to the mind. How about the subliminal messages, the gender stereotypes we just pass by without a blink of an eye? Advertisements reinforce cultural gender stereotypes starting from a young age, and are more often than not overlooked. We all probably know of the famous “got milk?” ads that encourage people, mainly children, to get their daily 9 essential nutrients and bones strong to grow up healthy, but how often does one notice the gender norms being presented? When we look at advertisements on billboards, busses, television, etc. most of the time we just accept what we see and move on, even the …show more content…
We see a clean happy Hillary with smooth hair, a short black dress, pretty pink pumps, jewelry, and the iconic milk mustache. There is a simple lilac backdrop, and she is holding a surplus of bags. In the top left corner it reads, “Shop and not drop,” and in the bottom right corner it reads, “9 essential nutrients active bodies need. Perfect for 1-day sales.” Hillary Duff, a role model for young girls, is shown simple and clean with smooth legs, skin, and hair, and does not look the least bit distressed from holding all those bags. From this, we can tell that because Hillary drank her milk, she is able to carry all those bags and not drop from all that shopping. While it may not directly state it, we can tell this advertisement was directed towards