Gender codes are something that we are taught ever since we were kids. Girls are supposed to play with the dolls and play house, and boys are supposed to play with Legos and GI Joes. We behave in a way that seemed normal. As we grow older, we each learn new gender codes, codes which subconsciously guide us through every step of our life. 
So the question is - Who is creating those codes? Who is the person in charge that is determining what a girl is supposed to be/do and what boys are supposed to do? I argue that for a large part, the media is ultimately what has shaped our current societies gender codes.
In particular I want to talk about the gender codes that the media has created for women, specifically when it comes to appearance. Women (specifically teenage girls) are so bombarded with images of what women are “supposed” to look like. Society and media have created a gender code for woman that is based almost entirely on sexuality and appearance.
(* For a more detailed view of how prevalent this is in society today, take a look at the following video. The film series is called Killing us Softly, and it deals with how society has come to objectify women. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufHrVyVgwRg )
The main issue is that these culturally constructed gender codes are severely influencing young women in highly negative ways. Society has created an image for women of what they are supposed to look like, an appearance that is physically impossible for most women. Consider this data from the national eating disorders website.
· The average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5’11” tall and weighs 117 pounds.
· Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women
Also . . . In a 2003 review of the literature, studies found:
- 40% of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls 15-19 years old.
- Significant increase in incidence of anorexia from 1935 to 1989 especially among young women 15-24.
- A rise in incidence of anorexia in young women 15-19 in each decade since 1930.
- The incidence of bulimia in 10-39 year old women TRIPLED between 1988 and 1993.
- Only one-third of people with anorexia in the community receive mental health care.
(These results are from 1993. Just imagine how much worse the problem is now!)
In class, when we talked about advertising, we talked about how ads are designed to make us feel incomplete. They are there to make us feel like what we have isn’t enough and we need more. In the same way, advertisements and our highly sexualized culture have made women feel as if they are not enough. Sadly, many women fall into this trap, and the result of this are the problems listed above.
The good news however, is that recently, certain people and companies have been putting forth an effort to make women feel important and happy just how they are. Specifically is the Dove campaign for Real Beauty. In a series of short films Dove has created, they speak to the issues of socially created images for women, and that girls don’t have to look like that to be pretty.
http://www.dove.us/#/features/videos/default.aspx[cp-documentid=7049560]/ 
One of the films shows a boy waiting endlessly for a girl to come out of her house to meet him, but she never comes out. The text at the end of the ad reads “Amy can name 12 things wrong with her appearance. He can’t name one.”
It is through the small efforts like this that this media constructed gender code for women can be broken. Hopefully one day we will come back to how it used to be when we didn’t need other people to tell us what we had to look like in order to be attractive.
So, my question is this. Do you think that efforts such as the Dove campaign can actually make a difference, or do you think that society will continue of the same path it is currently traveling?
34 comments:
I'm pretty sure there has never been a "good ol'days" when women weren't old what they had to look like unless you are referring to the garden of Eden when there was only one woman on the earth. I think our society has fully embraced this notion of hyper-sexuality in women, so much so that many of those Dove ads are seen as nice, but gross - no one wants to see wrinkly old ladies embracing their womanness, it's kind of nasty. The other problem is that thesse Dove ads are literally one in a million. There are so many other advertisements and media that tell women what they should be instead of telling them it's ok to be themselves, and unltimately the saturataion effect is the thing that sticks.
It's kind of funny that you mentioned the Dove campaign ads for Real Beauty. Last fall I was an Elder's quorum teacher in my ward and to open up my discussion on the lesson about the role of women in our lives I showed the clip with the girl who is transformed into a beauty queen role model through hair treatments, make up, and digital editing.
The discussion of the class was great. I think it really made those who saw it think, what is Hollywood doing to our ideal woman?
I think these ads can make a difference. They are well done, captivating, and jaw dropping. If enough people can get the message the world's view of women can change and true beauty can be restored.
I'm sure that ad and model agnecies probably won't put "normal" girls on beauty ads... I think that will always be held by the super skinny, and super "beautiful". But I think it is quite refreshing to see such messages appear. I think they will make a difference, especially the made up and digitally touched up girl ad by getting the message out there that Hollywood isn't as it seems.
I don’t think Dove’s Real Beauty campaign will change American girls’ desire to achieve “ideal” beauty. The ideal is here – tall, thin, long legs, symmetrical, perfect skin, big lips, small nose, big (but not too big) breasts, straight white teeth, you get the idea – and a few commercials that tell flawed girls to stop trying is not going to change it.
Of course, ideals change over time, but Dove is going about it all wrong. Dove is trying to be hip by saying we can look however we want and we’re still beautiful. Sorry, not true. I don’t think girls want to marry a guy who just lets himself go. And, hate to break it to you, but no guy will be interested in a girl who stops trying.
Ideals (and those who measure up to them) should serve to motivate us, not demoralize us. Thomas S. Monson’s goodness makes me want to be more Christ-like, not throw in the towel.
-Michael Williams
I think the Dove campaign or similar campaigns can help. However, we still need more campaigns like that and more public figures to help out with this problem. Tyra Banks (former super model and TV show host) is doing a great job with this, and so are other celebrities, but just not as many as we need.
I also needs that it has to start at home. Parents, older relatives and role models need to tell their children that they are fine the way they are, and if they need to talk to their children about their image, they should only do it if it going to cause them harm. For example, if a child is over weight and this could eventually lead to a premature death, then sure why not.
I think ads like those Dove ones can really help, but I don't think we should only rely on those to help women feel better about themselves. I think it starts at home, with parents loving their children more, and let them know how beautiful their daughters are, regardless of what others say. Us guys can do a better job at noticing girls more than we usually do when they wear or do something nice.
And a little bit of girls taking in Christina Aguilera's lyrics to her song song, "Beautiful" into hearts wouldn't hurt once in a while either.
I think that if the attempts of Dove became universal than there could be a change, but so many people believe and feed off the idea that they are ugly/imperfect and need to change that it fuels the industry. As long as we keep buying stuff to make us look better, the industry will keep selling it.
"The Media" is us. We are it.
Media images respond to society, they represent us to ourselves the way we demand to see it.
That means that ultimately, we are responsible for what goes on there. And we aren't acting responsible enough to keep horrible things from happening.
I dated a girl with an eating disorder and it was HELL. I've never met anyone so crazy, and she hated everyone because of it. It was really hard, and made me appreciate how much pressure today's women must be under because of rubbish media and false advertising, etc. Ugh, give me a Marilyn Monroe even though she was a bigger woman rather than a skinny model anyday. Society makes me angry...
It would be pretty pessimistic to think the Dove ads aren't making any difference at all, however they really are one in a million. I think, though, that in order to really address the pathetic self-esteem issues of women, it's best to start at the root of the problem. I was an EFY counselor this summer and self-esteem/appearance issues were the #1 problem I had to face with my girls. It's funny how you never know you make an impact on someone until after the fact. I recently received a letter from one of my girl's mothers thanking me for whatever I did to totally change her daughter. It would be wrong to take full credit for the change of heart comes from our Heavenly Father. What I did to help spur that change was to make every one of my girls pick a new thing she loved about herself every day and say it out loud in front of the group. It's a matter of focusing on the positive, and I think Dove deserves MAD PROPS for taking a huge risk in a sex-saturated market.
I completely agree with your theory that the media is responsible for the majority of gender codes that are implemented in our society. Media is the most pervasive thing within our current culture and through television, ads, and magazines we are taught what is most desirable.
While I admire Dove for their campaign and what they are trying to do, there will not be a change unless the majority of media changes their message. Until that happens there will not be an overall attitude change towards gender codes.
I fully agree with Drew. After my advertising research classes, I have realized that advertising only shows us what we want to see.
If it wasn't what we want to see, or what the target market wants to see, it wouldn't be profitable and the agencies and individual companies wouldn't produce the ads. They would find a different way to advertise the product that would get us to be excited.
We, as a society, have created these gender roles. As great as I think the idea behind the Dove campaign is, I don't think it is going to make any difference. It's still a beauty product, they are still advertising an ideal type of beauty. There are more types of beauty being shown, but I think the only way for people to feel good about themselves is to have the support of the people who love and care about them.
You shouldn't look for love, attention, or good feelings from the media...
I don't think it will improve any time soon. The Dove ads don't seem to be that big of a thing, I'm a big media consumer and I never saw them. It's like throwing a stone into the oncoming waves of the ocean. Splash, ripples, but soon gone. I don't think the media as a whole can and wants to change their ways. What needs to happen is women need find ways to deal with it (men too). I don't like how it is, the body images that are put out, we know that even men are having body issues.. But sadly, the skinny model figure is the "ideal" figure in our society. It changes over time and I hope in fifty years the hourglass is in again. I think better education with young girls could help, reinforcing that it's not normal to look like that. Mostly that should start in the home, I think parenting is overall inadequate. Sorry if this seems scatter-brained, but I do applaud Dove and others for their efforts. I do think there is increased awareness of the problems, it's not such a hidden thing anymore.
I think that ad campaigns like the Dove one can make a difference in some people's lives, but I also think it's counter-productive if the media continues to shell out their image if the ideal woman. Popular media will trump ad campaigns every time. Also, I'm not sure how well-intended the dove campaign is. I must note that this is a rumor, but if it's true, it makes you wonder. A friend from an advertising class told me that the owners of dove also own Tag, and the women in those commercials aren't the "common" woman.
I don't think the Dove campaign will do anything to help the cause. Unfortunately, their main purpose for doing it is all MONEY. I hate to say it, but it's the truth. I don't think there is going to be anyway that the media will be able to help the cause. Although, I feel like it's now being seen that these extremely skinny supermodels aren't that attractive anymore. Maybe with the help of Scarlett Johansson and Katy Perry, the skinny girl will vanish from our lives.
I would have to agree with what Michael said. The dove campaign is a brilliant idea because it appeals to every woman. It shows us that even models are not perfect until they are messed with through technology. However, they really are all in it for the money. It would be great to see a campaign similar to dove that actually was in it to make a difference. I guess that can be our goal as we enter into the world of media.
I have often thought about this question. I'm a strong believer in the Dove Campaign...If it does nothing else, I think it's great that it even puts a new idea out there about how we think about beauty and self-image. But the ratio of campaigns like Dove's compared to what else is shown is very off-balance...Dove is kind of outnumbered. Advertisers are going to keep wanting to seel their products and the messages they send aren't likely to change because of this.
I think the Dove Campaign does great things, I think that they help all they can in promoting true beauty and not this hollywood image of it, but the bad images will go on. Models will continue to be ridiculously thin and the "ideal" women will (for the most part) be unattainable.
I think that while the efforts of dove and others are a positive influence I think they are targeting the wrong audience.
I think that women strive to achieve what they think is desired of men. I think that men should be the true recipients of such ads.
Im so glad that people like brett showed that ad to the men in elders quorum. Go Brett!
I don't know if there has ever been a day when women were just plain happy with the way that they looked. However, I think that the Dove campaigns are a step in the right direction...even if it is only a small step. There are also an increasing number of celebrities who are happy with their curvy bodies. However, there is still a long way to go and I highly doubt if there will ever be a time in this life when everyone is simply seen as beautiful just the way they are.
I think men are the ones defining beauty... and women want to fit their definition of what is attractive.
The Dove campaign is feel good and happy... but it isn't changing the way men look at women, it is changing (maybe) the way we look at ourselves. To crack this gender code perhaps we all (men and women) need to re-define beauty.
Do you think that efforts such as the Dove campaign can actually make a difference, or do you think that society will continue of the same path it is currently traveling?
I don't think the Dove campaign will make a huge "in your face" change, but I do think that over time it will make a difference. I like that they also do programs for young girls to instill in them early on that beauty doesn't mean looking like the models in the magazines. Sometimes I wish it were like the 1800's when being a little bigger was considered beautiful because it meant you had food. Now being skinny is a good sign because it means you have a gym membership. I don't think this attitude will change much until people start to be truly happy with who they are, and I don't see that happening any time soon.
I think that campaigns like the Dove campaign are very effective in selling a brand, but I think that it is less successful in that it telling a mom that she should love her body exactly how it is. In my opinion, people can not be convinced that it is better to love who they are how they are, unless companies started to choose average sized women as models, without there being a clear message that it was intentional. It must be a nearly invisible shift in industry, not just a lotion campaign.
I have to admit when I saw the ads from Dove's campaign, I felt upbeat and optimistic about their message. But to be honest, I don't really think it is that big of a change in people's perception. Don't think so? Just look around you, do you see any curvy woman on Daily Universe's illustrating photos? Any under average-looking girl in the posters in the Wilk? The perception of what is beauty, or to be more precise, what is the in-trend beauty rooted in people's mind to deep that we unconsciously accepted it without even giving a second thought. So my point is, people might think Dove's campaign is meaningful and at the moment, they'll think those ordinary girls in the ads are beautiful just they way they are, but in reality, when it comes to having to make a snap judgment, people still stick to the norm anyway.
Women are under constant pressure to be attractive. Many crack under the pressure and delve into unhealthy habits, such as binging and purging and other eating disorders.
is advertising to blame? well, that idea cannot be ignored. i wish we could be less shallow, but what can we do?
Not to be a pessimist, but I don't see things getting better in our society. I've seen the Dove ads and thought they were very good, but there is so much that needs to be changed and addressed with respect to that area. It take a long time to turn a battleship. The efforts are commendable.
I disagree with most of the bloggers thus far- I don't think the Dove type ads are "one in a million"- I think they are becoming more and more prevalent. Women are happier to buy products that use normal woman to advertise. Women and men alike are beginning to realize that the ideal woman naturally has a few curves and can be sexy even in her boots whilst working on the farm. Although I realize we still have very far to go-I have the feeling that women will feel liberated by their new easier-to-emulate image of the woman who is neither extreme nor blessed with unnatural beauty or the help of a talented photo shop editor.
Of course it can be changed. If all celebrities were normal looking and maybe a little overweight foe sure America would want to look like them. That is just how our society is built, Cool people set the trends and say whats cool and then those under follow the cool ones that set the trend to be accepted and pretty. So if somehow the media produces normal celebrities and they become whats cool, then the change will occur. But i really dont see that happening.
what is "real beauty" anyways? It's been redefined a million times over and it's still tough to put a finger on. You think there's a concensus even today? ask a girl and a guy about their definition of womanly beauty and you'll get completely different answers. Ask two guys what their definition is and again you'll get two slightly less different answers. This is what led to the creation of the site: HotorNot.com, some guys were arguing over whether or not girls were hot and discovered their tastes were very different. No the Dove campaign will never work, because as long as people have eyes they will always be attracted to certain things (which can change, but always remaain something visual).
Well I think that positive ad campaigns will make a differece. I think the fact that movies and TV only shoe beautiful women, young girls look up to them and want to be like them. I dont think its on the level of presure from the oppiste sex. I think peolpe need to be realistic with them selfs and have more self confidence. im not sure how to do this, but i know its the solution.
because the media is not going to change anytime soon.
I have to admit that the dove campaigns surprised me. I didn't think they would last, but they did...they still do...and they are very popular.
I like them myself because I feel they are true to life and real. But I guess there are many other campaigns that would make women feel like real isn't what is going on here.
I think that in general society will continue on its path constructing unacheivable gender codes. I do think the Dove campaign and other companies are definately doing a good thing but the gender codes which most of us measure ourselves today have been constructed for a long span of time. It really is unfortunate and alarming when reading statistics of anorexia like you posted. The gender codes we live by today really are taxing on us as a society and hopefully if it is through more company campaigns like Dove the gender codes will become more realistic
The fashion world is not completely blameless, but I do have to speak up in defense of it. Models have to be the same size or else the industry would be more expensive than it already is. Imagine designers who have to tailor fit clothing for a dozen different runway models, instead of being able to make all their clothes to fit the same size and knowing their clothes will fit on the hangers who will walk them down the runway. Women are difficult to size already, and the most universal size is thin. That also means a lot of care has to be taken to make sure BOTH genders don't get obsessed with some ideal image. I think stuff like the Dove campaign is really awesome. Also the regulation of models' minimum weight. Unfortunately, there's still a lot more that could be done.
These ads are "nice" but at the same time that these few ads are being shown to us, thousands of other ads are telling us about all the things that are wrong with us. I hope that these ads make a difference but I am skeptical.
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