LADIES FIRST

In the heyday of the 1960s, where women played a small role in the offices of advertising, it was women splashed across the billboards, selling the latest American cadillacs that was unfortunately, more iconic and more influential. In advertising, women have always been apart of messages and codes for audiences to decode and to understand. Advertisers, particularly those in the past, have tried to sell a lifestyle. And women naturally play a role, because they represent sex to the target audience of men. Referencing Judith Williamson's theory on Decoding Advertisements (2010) If they can create a link between the abstraction which is women, to the equivalence that is the product, then the reification is that the product is more than just an item; it is a shining beacon of a new lifestyle. Let's take a look at Ford's 1969 advert for their "Thunderbird' model.

Source: (http://mycarquest.com/2014/12/car-advertisements-and-beautiful-women.html)

The advert features the car under a warm sunset, perching atop exotic sand dunes. The USP of the car is the sunroof, where a romantic couple embrace each other as they look into the distance. In the background, we see the silhouette and curves of a woman, presumably the partner of the male model, who extends her arm into the sky, clutching her sunglasses. It has been constructed that the curves of the woman are made to look like mountains in the distance, connoting her as paradise and mythical. The advert has connotations of luxuriousness and feels exotic, as though they are on a romantic getaway. And whilst the woman is a mere prop, staring vacantly into the distance, it is the man who looks directly towards the audience; portraying him as strong and confident. This echoes Berger's (1972) Ways of Seeing, where women in paintings looked into the distance, whilst men looked at the audience in the eye. It can then be argued that, this is the lifestyle that can be offered to men if they buy the Thunderbird. A life of romantic holidays, embracing women in the sunlight and travelling across the world in your Ford. Colour also plays a key role in this advert, with the romantic hues of reds, oranges and pinks to create a parallel relationship between the message of the advert. As Judith Williamson (2010) wrote, "Use of colour is simply a technique, used primarily in pictorial advertising, to make correlations between a product and other things."

Fast-forward a couple of years and introducing rule-breaking, norm-defying creatives. Women have been portrayed in a different light. They are no longer passive, distance-staring props, but the leaders and protagonists of their own stories, unlike the theory by Goffman (1979) who said that "Men are ‘do-ers’ whereas women differ to masculine strength; women tend to put finger to mouth like children – bright eyed, transfixed and puzzled." But that's not to say that there are still some corners of advertising where women are still being objectified, still using their bodies and sexuality to sell messages to both men and women. For men, women can be used as persuasive devices; if you buy Victoria Secret's latest push-up bra, your girlfriend might just look like Adriana Lima or if you purchase Lynx's new body spray, women will throw themselves at you. And for women, women in advertising can be used for aspirational value, with the purchase of Crème de La Mer's iconic night creme, you could look young for eternity. Though it is rare, there is a new wave of feminist, female-empowering advertising that break the conventional role of women. The 'This Girl Can' campaign, powered by The National Lottery is a 'celebration of active women are doing their thing, no matter how well they do it, how they look or even how red their face gets.' The video dropped in early 2015, showing a broad spectrum of different ethnicities, ages and shapes of women. They all work out fearlessly, sweating, with lines such as 'I kick balls. Deal with it.' as motivation for women watching at home.

Source: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsP0W7-tEOc)

And while there are some adverts today which still feature women and their sexuality as props and messages, there are others that portray women as strong and inspiring. Despite these adverts being rare, it is these campaigns that make a difference and are talked about in the press. Making shockwaves across the nation, and hopefully inspiring women for the right reasons. These are the adverts that are re-writing 'Herstory'.

References

Williamson, J., (2010), Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising, Marion Boyars, London
Berger, J., (1972), Ways of Seeing, Penguin, London

Williamson, J., (2010), Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising, Marion Boyars, London
Goffman, E., (1979), Gender Advertisements, Macmillan, London