Advertising is applied as an integral segment of products, service and market promotion. In the adds, prominent issues are resulting from the advertisements and have consistently existed due to the emergence of sexism. While promoting products, the different audience is targeted depending on the market niche of the product or service. Existing collaboration for men and women in the ads has been dominated with sexism customs resulting from biased gender advertisements. Both men and women are portrayed to reflect different stands that replicate on the gender inequality where they have been positioned differently in society due to increase discrimination. In the ad above, women have been used to take the subordinate roles in the ads while men take the mastery and superiority roles. Additionally, executive positions have been dominated by the man showing the sexist norms of the modern society where women are an object for pleasure towards men satisfaction. Internalised sexism has been portrayed through the representation for both men and women using visual and textual designs in the advertisement. Visual and textual designs in the ad are used to show considerations for the advertisement as they complement the message and the reaction for the target audience. Though people in an ad represent diverging target audience, the target for the ad above advertisement is male consumers thus being the reason for having male a dominated character. Sex-themed advertisements represent women’s attitude on sexual objectification, adverts aiming at midriffs and representations of women’s bodies as well as the essential roles associated with women following their prejudiced status in the society.

The advertisement presents Sexual Objectification (SO) theme where women convey sexual satisfaction to the man. According to Bartky (34), through sexual objectification theory, women are treated as an object valued for use by others also referred to as Male gaze. The SO role in the ad has been presented through the appearance of women romantically seemingly to satisfy the sexual desires of the man. Appearing romantically whispering on to the ear of the man is a SO related aspect. The narrative is well postulated as the man has his upper shirt buttons open showing-off his chest. Additionally, it is evidence that the women positioned on the high end of the shoulder of the man have a short dress that has gone up towards her thighs. Roberts (1997) argues that, as women start internalising their outside view, it is commencement for self-objectify where they treat themselves as the objects to be overlooked and evaluated based on their outlook. Thus, this has been the motive towards the overlooking dress code for the women in the advert. Though, self-objectification has had effects that lead to loss of personal confidence that makes the involved individuals feel ashamed of their body. From the advert, it can be presumed that the women have closed their eyes due to the sexual pleasure they are conveying to the man while he boldly looks towards the camera. Therefore, sexual objectification has been presented in the advertisement in a presumable manner.

The advert depicts men as a more executive gender than women; thus the reason for them taking up the executive roles in the society. From the advert, the man is dressed in an official outfit while the women as seen from one of them have casual outfits to indicate their inferiority. Thus, as conveyed from the dressing code of the man, it is a norm for executives to have an appealing dress code as they are the image of their team. According to Susan (181), dress codes for executives are articulates and monitors their sitting positions professionally. In the advert, the dress code shows the financial abilities of the man thus using his place in the society to use women for his satisfaction. Additionally, the man is sited on an executive posture which is essential for official personals. On the other hand, women shown on the advert have a different sitting position when on is positioned on the left shoulder of the man showing off her thigh while the other leans on the other shoulder with a romantic posture. Thus, there is a sexual satisfaction engagement portrayed by the advert. As the man maintains eye contact with the presumed audience, it is a show of the confidence from within indicating men’s endless superiority in society. Women in the advertisement lack eye contact with the camera which can be presumed to be the shame for their position and character in the society. Therefore, this is an indication of endless inferiority complex that exists among women in society.

The traditional gender roles for women in society expected women to honour their men as treasures in society. As shown in the advertisement, the women are submissive to the man as they take up their presumed traditional roles to make him happy. The happiness of the men is entitled as women’s duty according to the traditional norms. Although regarded as the subordinate gender in society, the traditional gender roles expected women to use their abilities and sacrifice their happiness for the sake of men’s fulfilment and contentment. From the advert, women are seen making their efforts to satisfy the man’s need without considering the moral and ethical norms. Ethically, engaging in sexual engagement in the society is meant to involve one man and woman (Worell 3). However, the advert uses two women which fails to consider ethical deliberations to the women for respecting their dignity. Consequently, it can be a depiction on approval and support for predictors of lesbian and bisexual women in the society as approved and promoted by the traditional gender roles. Szymanski and Gina (201) argue that traditionally stereotyped and prejudiced experiences on heterosexist activities are said to be unique and decisive. Hence, the advert depicts the traditional role of women as a vessel for conveying pleasure towards men in society. Thus, there are textual concepts in the advert the places women unequal to men in society. Men’s dignity is retained while they retain their official attire while the women have short dresses to outlook the impression that would entice the man in easing his satisfaction. Therefore, the argument that women are expected to satisfy the sexual desires of men has been fully expressed in the advert with the anticipated consequences to influence the representation of gender identity in society.

Traditional gender roles in the society depict men as the most powerful, dominant and controlling gender and they value women as sex objects to satisfy their desires, viewing sex as a form of conquest and women as part of their property. As argued by Slater and Marika (347), women are said to have an explicit target towards men where they treat themselves as sexual objects to satisfy their desires. This comes with the notion that they are inferior in society with men being the dominant gender. Therefore, they believe serving and offering themselves for services to the men is part of their roles. Male dominance in society is a widespread form of inequality that makes them oppress women more. As depicted in the advertisement, the man could have come from work while women stay at home. According to Jones (231), in traditional gender stereotyped culture, men work while women stay at home looking at the house and the children. Thus, welcoming the man after a long day at work with sensual engagement to make him relax was their work. As seen from the advert, the man looks tired thus indicating his arrival from work and being on a suite with no tie despite being an official outfit would be a conveyance of relief from work and thus receiving physical interactions with his women. Consequently, there being two women in the advert ascertains their encouragement for polygamy in society. Men have been placed in a class where they can have more than one wife due to their social and economic ranks in society. As argued by Davies (231), men can have more than one wife if they need an aspect that has shown men have the power and control over women as a traditional gender role in the society. As the advert uses women of colour, it is discrimination towards their ethical norms and dignity. There is discrimination against the believes and stands for the women of colour in society. As discussed by Thomas et al., (433), there are various significant predictors towards black women self-esteem stating that their racial identity attitudes help in understanding the nature of self-esteem. From the advert, the reaction with women is seen to be discontented and shamed of their activities. Therefore, there is much repealing to the inferiority among women which could constitute them being exposed to sexual prejudice in the society.

In conclusion, sexism in advertising has been depicted as an advertisement image. Both male and female have been represented to partake different roles in society while men remain to be the dominant gender with women the inferior gender. As this continued in society, man has emerged to be the superior gender taking up the executive roles as women remain subordinate in society. This has been shown in the image where the man has an official attire that depicts his executive roles in the society, unlike the women who have informal dress codes. Additionally, women are used in the image to show submission to the man offering services which are presumed to be sexual satisfaction to the man. Despite them being involved in a single man, they are comfortable with the move which shows the embracement for polygamous marriages in the society. Therefore, men have continuously been depicted as the superior gender with women being the inferior group dominating in the society.

Work Cited

Bartky, Sandra Lee. Femininity and domination: Studies in the phenomenology of oppression. Routledge, 2015.

Davies, N. B. “Sexual conflict and the polygamy threshold.” Animal Behaviour 38.2 (1989): 226-234

Jones, Melinda. “Gender stereotyping in advertisements.” The teaching of Psychology 18.4 (1991): 231-233.

Slater, Amy, and Marika Tiggemann. “A test of objectification theory in adolescent girls.” Sex Roles 46.9-10 (2002): 343-349.

Susan B. Hagloch., Executive Dressing for Men. Library Journal, 1994, Volume 119, Issue 10, p. 181

Szymanski, Dawn M., and Gina P. Owens. “Group-level coping as a moderator between heterosexism and sexism and psychological distress in sexual minority women.” Psychology of Women Quarterly 33.2 (2009): 197-205.

Thomas, Anita Jones, Karen McCurtis Witherspoon, and Suzette L. Speight. “Toward the development of the stereotypic roles for Black women scale.” Journal of Black Psychology 30.3 (2004): 426-442.

Worell, Judith, and Pamela Remer. Feminist perspectives in therapy: Empowering diverse women. John Wiley & Sons, 2002.