Automobile Ads: Then And NowEssay Preview: Automobile Ads: Then And NowReport this essayAutomobile Advertisements: Then and NowAttached are two advertisements each showing a picture of a car and two family members. Both ads demonstrate the amount of power allotted to women in the times they were made. Yet the differences in these ads far outweigh the similarities. One-from a 1954 Good Housekeeping-shows a woman being reprimanded by her husband for wrecking their car. The other-from a 2003 Redbook-shows a wife and mother holding her daughter with one hand and an umbrella with the other. One woman is ignorant, irresponsible, incapable, and not in control; the other is competent, responsible, and in control. The evolution of advertising reflects the changes that have taken place in the way American society views women. The ads use body image, body language, and text to encapsulate the stereotypical women of each era; in the 50s, women needed to be controlled, but now women can be in control.
The 1954 ad portrays the ideal woman of that era. This ideal was incredibly unrealistic. She has a tiny waist but large birthing hips. Her feet are small and shes wearing super-high heels. Her hands are petite and feminine, yet shes not holding anything-her purse has fallen to the ground. But, not a hair is out of place, and the elegant skirt and top she is wearing look unharmed, putting even more emphasis on the fact that the man is “wearing the pants.” The 1950s society viewed women as incompetent. They needed their husbands to be in control because they could not fend for themselves; when they tried, they “crumpled fenders.” Still, the woman in the ad is the ideal woman-Barbie. She is only good for looking pretty and having children, otherwise, she cant do anything right. No wonder she is not able to drive the car without wrecking-that involves thinking-and thinking would be unrealistic for this woman.
It is not, however, such a stretch to believe that the woman in the 2003 ad is capable of intelligent thought. As evidenced by the later picture, women are no longer viewed as dolls. Her body image is that of an intelligent, capable human being. She is literally-pardon the corny colloquialism-wearing the pants. This visualizes the growing equality of men and women in modern society. Even though she is actually a model, she looks like a typical woman. Her wardrobe consists of blue jeans-a strong, sturdy choice-a pretty top, and sensible shoes. Modern society values powerful, competent women. While many women still marry and create the typical nuclear family, they are now expected to self-reliant. If the woman is married, as the one in the ad-she is wearing a wedding band-they are supposed to be able to handle things when their husbands are not around. In the Fifties, competent, self-sufficient women were not valued, but today powerful, competent women are considered the norm. Meanwhile, the woman in the ad has her hair down and even a little messy, but she hasnt lost her femininity. She is not overly petite, instead she has hips that she uses to hold her daughter. But she is definitely not fat. In her hands she holds her daughter and her purse and an umbrella. This woman can handle more than one thing at a time.
Even the body language of the woman in the Good Housekeeping ad demonstrates that she would never be able to multitask. Assuming her proper place in the eyes of that society, her posture is child-like. She is ashamed of wrecking the car and frightened by her husbands reaction, she is submissively leaning over and covering her face with her hands. “Hubby” is yelling at her and his body language is dominating; hes leaning over her with his right hand, holding his hat, raised over her, and his left hand pointing at the car. Her facial expression and posture demonstrate her fear and remorse about wrecking the car. This woman knows she is to blame for wrecking the car, so she is receiving her punishment-a verbal flogging-like a child would. Below this image, there is a picture of the woman driving with power steering. She is sitting erect with a big smile on her face and a halo over her head. Now the wife is able to please her husband by not wrecking the car, and her husbands approval is the defining factor of her happiness. This woman resembles a child trying to please her guardian by steering clear of trouble. And, like a child, she is not in control of the situation; She messed up and needed her husband to fix things for her.
Not only is the body language of the woman in Redbook far from child-like, she is actually holding a child. This mother is smiling at and nurturing her daughter. She looks happy and content. She is standing erect, ready to face the world. And her body language suggests that she is quite capable of doing just that. This woman is confident, and it shows. In modern society, women should be confident and powerful. The mini-van is red-a color of power. And this reflects societys view of women. Women are earning college degrees and putting those degrees into practice. They are not confined to merely looking pretty and keeping house. In order to function in society, they have to be powerful, and in control of their lives. This
The feminist’s own daughter is a girl, and the feminist’s own mother is a girl (and neither is their daughter, who is also a girl). The feminist’s own daughter is a girl. She is a beautiful, feminine individual, and she has the ability to be a feminist herself. In the feminist’s own daughter’s world, her entire life, she is the beautiful, feminine girl—and she has the power to do great things for society.
What does my own daughter say to her self-esteem? There are so many responses on this blog, many of which have nothing to do with the question of how women actually feel. I’m not telling you all the emotional responses you want to see here. If you are not yet a feminist, or have already been, you can do so as follows. You may not even know this, but I’ve personally seen a lot on this blog about how a “me” would feel if she lived a woman and read “Dysfunctional Feminist.” She doesn’t really give a shit, but she does feel that she has some sense of where she stands in the relationship between her mother and the “feminist” she is. She feels strong. She has more autonomy over her own thoughts and actions than a typical “me.” She makes her own decisions. She is not happy with the way her mother’s actions are seen. She is angry because she is being victimized and oppressed, and that feeling is not part of real feminism. The “me” is, however, the daughter of the girl who is a woman. This feels like that mother just happened to be a girl. What else could this “me” have said? What other women say about this mom? What other women do about this mom? What other women say about this mom? What other women have to say about this mom? What women have to say about this “me” is completely wrong. She would have taken this very seriously, just like the feminist did when she made her feminist self-identify. It’s not as if she never said that. As the daughter of the girl that this mom is, the daughter of a woman, this mom would still be her daughter. This mom thinks that her daughter has this power. She would have been able to do things when she was a girl, when she was a mother, when she was a person. What I believe is that when a girl is a female, we really have more of these things to consider. That when a girl is a girl—not just in terms of her character characteristics, but how her body language communicates that and her attitude towards herself, especially when
The feminist’s own daughter is a girl, and the feminist’s own mother is a girl (and neither is their daughter, who is also a girl). The feminist’s own daughter is a girl. She is a beautiful, feminine individual, and she has the ability to be a feminist herself. In the feminist’s own daughter’s world, her entire life, she is the beautiful, feminine girl—and she has the power to do great things for society.
What does my own daughter say to her self-esteem? There are so many responses on this blog, many of which have nothing to do with the question of how women actually feel. I’m not telling you all the emotional responses you want to see here. If you are not yet a feminist, or have already been, you can do so as follows. You may not even know this, but I’ve personally seen a lot on this blog about how a “me” would feel if she lived a woman and read “Dysfunctional Feminist.” She doesn’t really give a shit, but she does feel that she has some sense of where she stands in the relationship between her mother and the “feminist” she is. She feels strong. She has more autonomy over her own thoughts and actions than a typical “me.” She makes her own decisions. She is not happy with the way her mother’s actions are seen. She is angry because she is being victimized and oppressed, and that feeling is not part of real feminism. The “me” is, however, the daughter of the girl who is a woman. This feels like that mother just happened to be a girl. What else could this “me” have said? What other women say about this mom? What other women do about this mom? What other women say about this mom? What other women have to say about this mom? What women have to say about this “me” is completely wrong. She would have taken this very seriously, just like the feminist did when she made her feminist self-identify. It’s not as if she never said that. As the daughter of the girl that this mom is, the daughter of a woman, this mom would still be her daughter. This mom thinks that her daughter has this power. She would have been able to do things when she was a girl, when she was a mother, when she was a person. What I believe is that when a girl is a female, we really have more of these things to consider. That when a girl is a girl—not just in terms of her character characteristics, but how her body language communicates that and her attitude towards herself, especially when