How to Identify Sexism in Advertising

Most Americans claim to be immune to the powers of advertising, even though advertising clearly works. That's because we are often able to resist the overt claims made by ads, but we don't stop to notice the subtle ways ads impact us. Try this experiment to see if you can recognize implicit messages about sexism in print advertising.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Several popular mainstream magazines
• Scissors
• Open mind

1. Flip through your magazines and cut out any ads that feature a man and a woman together. Do not just pick ads that seem sexual or sexist.
2. Spread the ads out on a table and look for patterns in how the subjects are positioned in relation to each other. Are the men usually larger, closer to the camera, or more engaged with the viewer? Is the man pictured above, on top, or in control? Often, when women are positioned higher, ads show them sitting on a man's lap (like a child) or positioned in such a way as to suggest she might be serving him.
3. Look for patterns in posture. Ads may show women in slouched or submissive poses, while the men are aggressive and erect.
4. Look for patterns in how the subjects are dressed. In sexist advertising, men are often well covered (perhaps wearing a nice suit, even if the tie may be loosened), while the women show a lot of skin. Is the woman present in the ad purely to attract attention to the product with her body?
5. Check how many ads feature only certain parts of the body, rather than the whole person. Some ads show women with oral fixations or with their mouths covered or partially covered, which connotes silence, helplessness and childlike innocence.
6. View each ad and try to imagine the positioning and postures of the man and the woman reversed. In other words, if the ad shows a man looking directly at a woman's face and the woman looking down, unable to meet his gaze, then picture in your mind the woman looking at the man's face, and the man unable to meet her gaze. Consider if this changes your reaction to the ad or your perception of the product.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that people spend hours designing and refining these ads. They include not even the smallest piece of landscape in the background without a purpose. While we may not always be able to understand that purpose, it makes no sense to dismiss any detail as incidental.