Analyzing the presence of women in advertisements/when capitalism highlights the view of women as a commodity and a tool

Fars News Agency – Cinema Group: At the beginning of this week, the advertising office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in a statement, citing legal articles related to advertising in the country, emphasized the prohibition of the “instrumental use” of women, men and children in advertisements. In a simpler language, what is stated in this statement is not aimed at removing the presence of women from advertisements, but rather looking at women as a tool and a commodity, which is prohibited. In this report, an attempt will be made to analyze the theoretical basis of this decision.

Advertisements, whether television or urban advertisements, etc., as one of the most popular programs in all age levels, have multiple functions. One of its most important functions, regardless of the effect on the audience to buy and consume goods; How groups, individuals and especially women are represented in commercials. Most researchers and thinkers in the field of media believe that nowadays the media not only emphasize gender issues and the representation of women as tools, but also seek to strengthen the traditional stereotypes of femininity and masculinity.

Research on gender in commercials shows that women are shown in stereotypical roles corresponding to jobs with low income and social conditions, and in most cases as consumers of products. Also, they are shown as code ladies who are influenced by others and dependent on men, as decorative creatures, sexual objects, and simply in the home environment. Men are shown as the wiser and more capable sex, and women, whether in the position of a traditional woman or in the position of a modern woman, need this superior and wiser sex.

The stereotypes that are made in commercial advertisements about the female or male sex show that doing some work is inherently female or male, which influence our ideas about the duties of the two sexes and are among the factors that regulate the relationship between the two sexes. In fact, part of the expectations that men and women have of each other in society are formed through discourse tools, gender stereotypes being one of them.

In the advertisements, the roles are different according to the theme, the gender of the audience and the actors. Male actors are used in topics related to economics or futures or scientific topics that require logical thinking, inference and reasoning. Contrary to the topics that are related to consumption, emotional and family issues, women play a role. Women are represented at home and men are represented outside the home, so a kind of gender stereotype is reproduced in advertising, which helps to adapt thoughts and these thoughts become socialized.

In fact, television commercials create or reinforce unconscious cultural values ​​in the minds of the society, according to which, accurate calculation, scientific ability, right decision-making power, rationality and other superior qualities should be found in men. This different way of showing women and men is actually ignoring the scientific and social capabilities and developments that have occurred in recent years in the position of women in society.

The research conducted by different researchers points to the fact that women appear more than men only in advertisements with household themes and household products and food and health-cosmetics, and men appear in advertisements with different themes such as business, entertainment, etc. appear and play a dominant role in all advertisements. In general, the sexist and instrumental view of women is quite evident in all types of advertisements, a view that has western roots and we have seen it stand out in various forms in the country over the past two decades. The presence of famous models in television commercials and the faces of movie actors on urban billboards to show a perfect image of women and to show them as desirable goods for the male gaze are all the product of this inclusive approach.

With this introduction, we return to the announcement of the Publicity and Information Office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in order to have a detailed explanation of it.

This announcement states:

“According to the laws and regulations of commercial advertising in the country, any “instrumental use” of women, men and children is prohibited; As mentioned in the set of advertising laws of the country, this is important as follows: “In the promotion of goods, services and products, the use of women, men and children as tools is prohibited.” Also, in the executive regulations of Article 7 of the law on the protection of consumers’ rights, it is also explicitly stated, including examples. “False and incorrect advertising” is stated: the use of women, men and children as a tool that plays the main role in the introduction of goods and services.»

The presence of women in commercials and how to monitor the representation and protection of women’s rights and dignity are among the issues regarding which there are different positions according to the cultural, economic, social foundations and the way of looking at this group. In this article, the discussion of women is discussed because in the discussion of advertisements and commercial advertisements, the presence and use of women is more gendered than men and children, and it is abused more than the two mentioned groups.

In some cases, the issue of advertising and the presence of women has been considered very simple, and only general issues have been mentioned during legislation. On the other hand, in some cases the reactions have been very strict and inflexible, so that detailed and strict rules have been established.

Considering that in the present day, the extent of the manipulation of advertisements in all fields is undeniable, neglecting the legal system governing the most frequent and brief messages about women, considering the norm-making and impact of commercial advertisements on culture and social values, can overshadow the desired function of advertisements. And by using women as a tool and representing them in stereotypes, it will induce a distorted face of women towards the audience.

Appearance attractiveness and attracting the audience and persuading him to buy is the main pillar of the dominant thinking of those responsible for the production of commercial messages, in this way women are sacrificed for appearances and attractions, because apparently most of the creators of commercial messages are those who do not pay much attention to the dignity of women in Islam. And they do not recognize his dignity in the national-patriotic culture. Therefore, the first and last goal of advertising producers is to buy or sell goods or services, which ultimately ends in financial income. They don’t think about any other problem and they use any means to achieve it, and in the meantime, women are at the center of advertising appeals for profit seekers.

Advertisements and wrongly designed messages fuel gender inequality by using women as tools and showing them in the form of gender stereotypes. The attitude of sexual superiority keeps women away from perfectionist ideals, and it is the instigator of this idea that knowledge and excellence are considered as virtues for them.

During these years, women have not had much involvement in the field of decisions and cultural productions, and it cannot be expected that among a multitude of false representations, women will have the opportunity to express their role and position in society and the media, including advertisements.

Despite the fact that advertising messages will not be accepted quickly after publication, but gradually, many people will become accustomed to the above-mentioned process after continuous exposure to brief advertisements in the message and variety and repetition. Understanding this intellectual transformation reveals the gap between the persuasion caused by advertising or the gradual persuasion of the audience. This way of influencing is so deep and calculated and immeasurable that it plays an important role in the emergence of new attitudes and the transformation of people’s behavior and mood. And here, two important problems are faced by the society, firstly, it has a negative impact on women and this gradual and conceptual transformation takes them away from real values ​​and closer to superficial and purely superficial affairs, and secondly, on the other hand, this Continued broadcasting of such advertisements will have a negative impact on the way of thinking and perception of a group of men and their view of women and their exalted position. From then on, the subsequent problems emerge and over time, as we see in the world of western advertising, it becomes more stable, deepens and becomes institutionalized.

Media programs, including advertisements, are not neutral phenomena, they create new elements and affect the entire foundations of society. Advertisements, like other radio and television programs and social media and virtual space, have a two-way effect on society, that is, it is both effective and influential. First, it is influenced by the current of values ​​and thoughts that govern the society and gradually influences the same current of thoughts and values.

Recognizing this type of delayed effect, considering the immeasurable effect that permeates the society’s minds over time regarding the position and role of men and women in the family and society, shows the importance of a critical approach to advertising laws and regulations and the protection of women in this regard. .

As one of the most effective media programs, short advertising messages have a great impact on their audience due to their unique features such as repetition, short time, brevity in the message, quick cuts, use of melodious and rhythmic words, variety of colors, etc. Considering the role and function of advertisements in the form of sexual representation and meaning-making, it is necessary to analyze the laws governing the representation of women in commercial advertisements.

It is very important to mention this point that neglecting how to represent the position of women and not taking their position seriously in the most frequent radio program, i.e. in commercial advertisements, can cause damage to the dignity of women and improper role modeling of her personality, so the legal position of commercial advertisements in radio and television should be investigated. It is of particular importance, because this media has been in charge of broadcasting a huge part of advertisements in the last few decades.

The last word is that in commercial advertisements, the portrayal of women is different from that of men. And this depiction is aimed at strengthening the stereotypes of the role of gender in commercials. These stereotypes are so strong that they are reproduced beyond the subject, regardless of what the subject of the ad is, in all its forms. Therefore, according to the subject of advertisements, there is no change in the way men and women are shown. And in all types of advertisements, the measured stereotypes remain valid.

Advertising, with the different way it presents men and women, tries to establish a certain attitude and worldview of gender roles in the minds of the audience. And this way of presenting women is what is referred to as the “symbolic annihilation of women”, in this sense, women, their interests, and their lives have not been properly represented in advertisements.

Compared to other media activities, commercial advertising plays an important role in modeling and creating a framework for women’s lives. Therefore, this way of showing gender in advertisements creates and reinforces unconscious cultural values ​​in the minds, according to which, scientific capabilities, high job positions, decision-making power and correct diagnosis, rationality and other superior qualities should be found in men. This problem strengthens the unequal position and creates social meaning in the direction of reducing the role and base of women in the society, which can ultimately make the problem of the development of the society difficult.

Considering the major changes that have taken place in the position and social responsibilities of women in the society and the progress that women have had in categories such as education, job, etc., it is necessary to adapt the advertisement to the surrounding changes. Advertisers and advertising experts should have a scientific look at the transformation around them and avoid perpetuating these stereotypes through commercials. Otherwise, there will be a kind of gap between TV commercials regarding the values ​​and norms they display in relation to a gender map and the reality of the society.

Since advertising in its various forms has a direct role in creating culture and creating and recording specific meanings and definitions, it should be given serious attention especially in the issue of comprehensive development of the country. Neglecting the establishment of appropriate rules and regulations, as well as measures and guarantees of effective implementation in this field, due to the unique interaction of advertising with culture and its ability to create norms, will cause the trampling of many values ​​in society, especially the dignity of women.

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