History Paper on the Portrayal of Women in Advertising Research

History on the Portrayal of Women in Advertising - Research Paper Example In this context, it can be stated that portrayal of women in advertising is nothing new. The gender-based advertisement has shown a growing trend and has become more diverse over the years. It is a known fact that repetitive themes shown in advertisement influence the perception of people and society to a great extent. The mode of advertisement using media and print media such as magazines has shown profound transition over centuries. Notwithstanding, it is often argued that the role of women in advertising are much narrower than that of men. In this regard, many scholars have claimed that advertising characters of women are portrayed as subordinates to men and in a passive role. Sexual portrayal and sexuality has been used in advertisement since long. The gender stereotype was clearly visible earlier centuries and the role of women in advertising profoundly affected the perception of society towards women (Jacobson and Mazur 75-82). Historically, women in advertising had been represented as a sex object and had been subject to widespread exploitation. Besides, gender biases and racial biases were clearly apparently in the historical context with respect to women advertising. The image of women during the earlier centuries particularly in 19the century extremely suffered in the society due to objectification as well as sexism. It is evident that women are used in advertisement and their image is sometimes manipulated and distorted in order to promote women as a stereotype sex object. This is again due to the fact that women were given no power in the earlier days. The theme of using women as a sexual object initiated in the year 1850 when women were used and exposed to sell the product. For instance, the portrayal of nude women for the sale of tobacco in the 1850’s was normal due to the perception and mindset of people. Gender role was high in the initial years when advertisement through television or mag azines initiated. The