Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence in an Urban Context

Advertising is an extremely powerful force that helps shape the opinions of people on various topics. The most common issue that is used is the sexualization of women by portraying them in provacative images that sometimes have little or nothing to do with the product at all. It seems that more and more advertisements, especially clothing advertisements, do not even display the product they are advertising in the actual ads. The problem is that people have become so accustomed to seeing them that they are numb to such advertisements. Kilbourne’s arguments on the topic helped shed light on how often such advertisements are displayed and to the extent they go. I can honestly say I did not notice it as much before than I do now. Overall, I’d have to say Kilbourne’s arguments are very accurate. At first, I thought she seemed like a woman who might be overcritical of advertisements by analyzing every word, but she supported her facts with numerous examples of irrefutable evidence.

The advertisements you see everyday help shape the gender roles that our society believes in. According to her research, the average person sees about 3000 advertisements in one day. Advertisements usually show men in some form of power position and women shown in a pose that is all about physical beauty and how they want sex. If a child is exposed to the same advertisement over and over again, eventually he or she will get the impression that this is the way the world is like and how they are supposed to act. This is not a stretch of the imagination as children now are exposed to media everywhere, whether it is television, the internet, or the side of the bus they take to school everyday. They do not know any better and imitate what they see. This does not only relate to gender but race as well. In one picture, it shows a small white girl standing above a small black boy similar to the way men are usually standing over women in ads. Although subtle, such advertisements help hold society back in an age where equality is promoted. The fact that children are used in advertisements like this as well just helps reinforce these roles instead of thinking maybe only adults are like this.

I do not agree that advertisements mainly only affect women. By influencing the way women think of themselves, you also affect the way men think of women and therefore create even more pressure on the women to look beautiful and live up to higher standards. Also, Kilbourne did point out briefly that men are usually portrayed in a violent manner and usually they are right. Even in sexual scenes, they are shown as figures who are almost forcing the sex to happen and the woman wanting it that way. This is why some rape scenarios occur today. Men think the women really mean yes when they are saying no and continue about their business anyway. I think on both sides of the coin, there needs to be some major polishing before the mint is used to print.