Television Commercials and How They Perpetuate Gender Stereotypes Essay Example

INTRODUCTION: Television commercials shape and are shaped by the gender definitions of our society. Many critics argue “that advertising is a bellwether of cultural trends, a mirror of social values, and a powerful, usually malevolent force that shapes those values”(Manca and Manca, 1994) These commercials depict anything from realistic family gatherings to sex driven fantasies. Which commercials are shown when, appears to depend on the audience in which the programming is targeted. Do commercials promote and depict gender stereotypes? If so, does the intended audience of the programming influence the types of commercials shown? Does some programming show commercials disproportionally more stereotypical than in other programming? If that is the case then I would like to know if this discrepancy depends on if the programming is target for male versus females. These are some of the questions I hope to address in this project. I will employ the radical feminist perspective in analyzing my findings to reveal if this society’s patriarchal standards are at the bare root of this dilemma. This society being a patriarchy utilizes gender stereotypes to oppress women. Women are defined by patriarchal standards as they are defined by a male standards and not their own, this in effect oppresses them and gives them inferior standing in relation to men. These patriarchal standards impose gender stereotypes keeping women in a subordinate position. I will also utilize social learning theory in examining this issue. Social learning theory explains how people learn behavior by observing others behavior. It can be argued that people learn behavior from the behavior portrayed in media such as movies and television. Could commercials as a marketing media also influence behavior? As mentioned above, critics state that advertising mirrors social values and shapes them. In a study done by Robert A. Bartsch he states that “research has indicated that gender representation in