Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

8 April 2013

                                 Hollywood: Where Women are Objects and Men are People

             “Beyonce was so hot that she made the lights go out!” said every person on my twitter feed. 

Beyonce’s 2013 Super Bowl halftime show was when I first witnessed women being seen as sex 

objects. As Beyonce strutted the stage with only lingerie-like clothing on, she began performing making sexual dance moves and face expressions. This only caused men to fantasize about her, where viewers focused on her appearance more than her actual singing talent. After “The Beyonce Bowl” was over I was ready to watch the commercials! I have never watched the Super Bowl; therefore, I never knew exactly what these “amazing, hilarious and memorable” commercials consisted of until this year. I sat there with my two younger cousins and when the commercials came on, I was appalled. My jaw dropped as the commercials grabbed the attention of everyone sitting in my din. While I watched the commercials, I noticed a trend where women were sexualized in media promotions; being seen as sexual objects and focused solely on their appearance, where most we’re half-naked and advertising the product by only making sexual gestures.

               Every commercial was based on something different: Audis, Mercedes, Carl’s Jr., a promo for

2 Broke Girls, and lastly a GoDaddy commercial, yet they all had something in common. Each was 

sexist and offensive, where the “object” they used to promote their product was a woman. I use the

word “object” because that is exactly how they are represented. A woman used as an object for sexual 

passion and pleasure being either half naked or making sexual gestures with the product they are 

advertising, being drooled over by men. Although these clips are less than a minute long, they send out

a message that a woman’s value is only based on “youth, beauty, and sexuality.” This gives young 

girls the idea that this is the only thing they are good for and lower their self-esteem, prevent them from

taking on more serious roles, whether its in politics or medicine.

             In the journal article, “Sexual Objectification of Women: Advances to Theory and Research”

by Dawn M. Szymanski, Lauren B. Moffitt and Erika R. Carr, evidence is shown on how women are 

sexualized as objects in the Hollywood media, specifically in commercials. According to this article,

“women are more often depicted in sexualizing and objectified manners than men, for example, 

wearing revealing and provocative clothing, portrayed in ways that emphasize their body parts and 

sexual readiness, serving as decorative objects” (Szymanski et al. 5). Not only can you see the 

degradation of women through the lack of clothing, but with the “use of sexist comments, deprecating

words to describe women, sexual remarks on a woman’s body part and behaviors such as leering, 

catcalling and ogling.” Commercials have been the main source of sexual objectification with women

especially beer promotions. Szymanski states, “Numerous alcohol advertisers use beer commercials to

sell their products” (Szymanski et al. 11) A perfect example of a woman sexually objectified in a beer 

commercial is the one below.

Thirsty For Beer. Prod. Press Jesse. 2010. Youtube, 2010. Commercial.

Studies show that in Hollywood commercials “majority of women appear in either swimwear or leisure wear, while men were more often dressed in work clothes. There were also no male crotch shots, but female crotch shots appeared in five ads. Lastly, there was a 49% chance that a woman’s chest appeared in a commercial, while men only had a 24% chance.” (Szymanski et al. 11) Any time these commercials are played, they “influence women by telling her what her place is in the world- to be an object or decoration for men to admire- and this is connected with the intake of substances.” (Szymanski et al. 11)

              So, what’s my point? Sexual objectification of women in Hollywood media effect how

woman are treated negatively in this society. This official trailer of “Miss Representation” is an 

explanation of the outcome of sexual objectification and degrading women in the media.

Miss Representation. Prod. Jennifer Siebal. 2011. Youtube, 2011. Documentary.

             This short clip shows that this way of selling products causes women of all ages to suffer 

through self-objectification, body dishonor and given an unhealthy thin ideal. It has lowered the self-

esteem of many, believing that women are not powerful enough to have political roles in America. As

Ariella, a high school student in the video stated, “There is no appreciation for women intellectuals. It’s

 all about the body and not about the brain.” Women have been women have been influenced, 

sexualized and underrepresented in commercials coming from Hollywood media, where they are seen

as sexual objects. Welcome to Hollywood, where women are objects and men are people.

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

8 April 2013

                                                                     Girl Power (Rebuttal)

             Third wave feminism is a way “Females can be strong and powerful. They can be anything they want to be, and they can look hot doing it!” (Zimmerman, Dahlberg 72) Although part of the women population find the portrayal of women in commercials as sex objects highly offensive and degrading, others “view sex as power, embracing their sexuality. It separates women from men and sees women as the dominant sex by constantly being the main focus.” (Zimmerman, Dahlberg 72) The only reason why men have this need to represent women as sex objects or make arrogant comments such as, “Go make me a sandwich.” is because they are “desperately trying to regain power from the femme fatale who has controlled them throughout history.” (Zimmerman, Dahlberg 72) They do not want women to take the control that they once had when women had no rights. Instead of women being viewed as weak, sexual objects in commercials, they are actually seen as having the power to use their sexuality to get what they want and this is what Hollywood commercials attempt to show.

            Why should we play the victim when we can do what Naomi Wolf does? Naomi Wolf embraces “the girl power trend and encourages women to use their bodies as works of art.” (Zimmerman, Dahlberg 72) Women should be able to show off their beauty and glamour, as long as they are doing it for no one but their selves! Advertisements teach women to be confident in their own skin. You can look at advertising in many different ways such as looking at advertisements as a fantasy. Women do not recognize that advertisements do not reflect reality. If women understood this, they would not be so offended. “Advertisements are simply creative art attempting to make a sale, not depictions of real life.” (Zimmerman, Dahlberg 72)

Although, women are shown in a attractive way in ads, if you look at it in a bigger picture, you will notice that the women have the control in the commercial or ad most of the time and men are also sexualized in commercial ads, which makes it obvious that women are not the only ones being degraded as objects. That being said, being sexualized in an ad is a norm in our culture for both genders. Below are a few photos of men also being sexualized in media ads and show women having more power than men. Zimmerman and Dahlberg state that if females were to see an advertisement while flipping through a magazine of a woman used as a sexual object, chances are they would not have looked twice at it. “Respondents finding advertisements like this one culturally acceptable make a point that it does not matter whether the advertisement is ethical or morally right because they accept sex as part of their culture.” Hollywood commercials are a way of giving woman sexual power, embracing their feminine features, expressing your body as art, and showing the world that we can do anything and look great doing it! 

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

8 April 2013

                                        Advertisements Manipulating Images and Our Minds

            Hollywood advertisements send out one message for women and this message tells us that the

way we appear is what matters the most. If you turn the pages of a magazine we are given this 

illustration of ideal beauty, which is unachievable due to the amount of photo shop used. Jean 

Kilbourne states in “Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women” that “Women learn from a 

very early age that we must spend enormous amounts of time, energy, and above all money striving to

achieve this look and feeling ashamed and guilty when we fail. And failure is inevitable because the 

ideal is based on absolute flawlessness.” Advertisements lower the self-esteem of many women and

create an unrealistic ideal of female beauty causing eating disorders, depression and lowered self-

esteem.

            Maybelline, a makeup company, is one of the major advertisers that has always stood out to me.

The models in the makeup commercials or makeup ads are literally perfected to death, where they 

actually look unreal! In the photos below are examples of models in Maybelline who appear to have 

absolutely no imperfections. They have glowing skin with no bags, wrinkles, scars, blemishes and 

pores. Flawlessness is what Jean Kilbourne calls it and not even the person in this advertisement looks

this way. No one can or will ever look this way and not many women are told this.

            Cindy Crawford once said, “I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford.” This shows that even the 

women in the advertisements are aware that they have been photo shopped into a perfected version. 

Killing Us Softly 4 shows that Photoshop has the power to put different body parts of women together 

to make one perfect woman. A photo editor of ads states that, “we see one woman, but we are really 

seeing four, one woman’s face, another woman’s hair, another woman’s hands and another woman’s 

legs.” Through the use of retouching, altering, airbrushing, cosmetics and more, we are being fooled.

 We look up to beautiful celebrities such as Victoria’s Secret Angels, Kim Kardashian, Tyra Banks and

Megan Fox, yet even these role models are made thinner, given a bigger chest, have removed cellulite, 

smaller noses and more. It is extremely rare to see a photograph in a magazine that has not been 

photoshopped. The photo ediotor also says, “Every picture has been worked on some 20, 30 rounds

going back and forth between retouchers and the client and the agency.”  Shocking, right?

            A Dove commercial called “Evolution” became viral hitting many social media sites, where 

many were stunned. It shows a woman who appeared as any other ordinary woman then transformed

into a whole different person with makeup artists and photo editors. Her eyes and lips were made bigger, face structure transformed and even her neck was made longer.  It sent out a message that these

are the types of photos that women and young girls compare their selves too. Jean Kilbourne made a 

point that all girls have no chance of having this ideal beauty but the people who struggle the most are

the ones who aren’t white. Advertisers shows that the lighter your skin is, the finer your hair is and the

more Caucasian-like features you have, the closer you are to that ideal look. Beyonce even has her skin lightened in a L’Oreal hair product commercial and Halle Berry, with Caucasian-like features, is the 

role model for women who are not white. Basically, when do you ever see a dark-skinned girl in the

magazine?

          Of course, this is going to affect a woman’s self esteem but it also effects how men feel as well. I

learned in my Women Studies class last semester that ads change how men feel about the woman they

are in a relationship with. They compare their partners to that hot and beautiful girl on the cover of GQ

Magazine or Cosmopolitan, increasing their standards. This usually affects girls, leading to a desperate

need of becoming thinner or more beautiful. This desperate need leads to depression and unhealthy 

habits such as bulimia, anorexia, excessive use of tanning beds and unfortunately, many more. Ana

Carolina Reston, a runway model, died a year ago of anorexia, weighing only 88 pounds. This shows

are much of an impact the media can have on a person. Are these the kind of role models we want for young girls? That the need to be thin and beautiful is worth risking your own life? This pressure of 

being beautiful and thin still occurs from the media, corrupting the minds of women, when in fact it is 

fake and unrealistic and has hurt the women in America who are truly beautiful! It has lowered self-

esteem causing eating disorders and depression and it is crucial for us to join together and end this!

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

8 April 2013

                                                   Stop Blaming Hollywood (Rebuttal)

            Media advertisers only give us what we want to see and what catches our attention. They focus solely on business and the amount of products they sell. If they showed us photos of women who are unattractive or everyday people, we would not be inspired or motivated to buy the product and become better versions of ourselves. I know it’s harsh but its true. Whether it pushes us to lose a couple of pounds, try out a new haircut, inspire us with fashion or buy a new makeup product- it always makes us feel better at the end of the day. Advertisements are the blame of extreme depression and eating disorders, which should not be the case. Eating disorders come from biology and psychological and emotional health, which cannot be caused by images you see as you flip through a magazine. Beauty advertisements inspire us to become better versions of ourselves that is achievable and gives us a desire to try out the products being advertised that will make us feel and look great!

          Who minds looking at enjoyable-looking people, even if they are edited to have no flaws? Not me, that’s for sure! Although, I knew I would never be as beautiful as what I see in advertisements, I always received beauty tips and tricks to improve the way I look and it always made me feel like a better person! We should always hear the other side and figure out what the goals of the advertisers are. Fagan stated in the article “Advertisers refute 'beauty industry perpetuates low self-esteem' claim” that “We want all our brand communications to be engaging, inspirational and make people feel good. We don’t want it to be unattainable but want women to think ‘on a good day I could look like that” (Baker, par. 6) L’Oreal group director of communications, Louise Terry, also claimed that the “cosmetics firms advertising are inspirational and sincere” (Baker, par. 2). Louise Terry wants the costumers to know that, “We try to be sincere and try to get the line right between aspirational and going too far.” These L’Oreal advertisements must be actually doing what it says in the advertisements because Terry states, “People are discerning. If they use a product and it doesn’t work, they probably will not use it again. But we get consumers buying our products again and again.” They are obviously not false advertisers because people keep coming back for more!

            Individuals have also blamed Hollywood magazine advertisements for eating disorders occurring in America. If people knew the true meaning of an eating disorder, they would understand that images from Hollywood are not the cause! In a video blog, Melissa Fabello, states “Eating disorders are categorized by a loss of self-control and an inability to think and behave rationally – because it’s a mental illness. The media does not cause eating disorders. Just like it doesn’t cause people to experience any other mental illness.” (Fabello, par. 4) If everyone’s mind worked the same and we thought the same way, we would all be depressed and form eating disorders when we see a thin, beautiful girl on the cover of Vogue. Eating disorders are formed from genes, neurobiology, perfectionism, impulsive behavior or problematic relationships. Arguing that the media causes eating disorders in women only takes away the attention of the real causes, making it impossible for others to receive help. We live in a society where we don’t want to see ordinary girls we see every day on the covers of magazines. We want to something different that will inspire and motivate us to become a better version of ourselves and that is exactly what Hollywood magazine advertisements do for us women!

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

8 April 2013

                                            Blood, Bruises, and Broken Bones in Advertisements

               Violence against women has been rooted from the media, where women and sex are devalued in advertising. The first step is viewing women as objects, making it easier to violate them and eventually leads to violence and/or rape. What I mean by an “object” is that they are expected to strive for perfection, have no say in anything, act a certain way and be submissive to men. Whether you are flipping through a magazine, surfing the web, watching television or listening to a song there is an extremely high chance it will deal with sexualized violence. This portrayal of women as sex objects and victims of violence in the media influences the way women are viewed and treated in society, where exploitation and mistreatment is acceptable.

            Rape can be used as a way men show aggression to show that they are greater and more important than women. There are many examples of advertisements that give an idea of rape, such as the infamous and extremely offensive Dolce and Gabbana advertisement, which is featured below. Five men are surrounding one woman, as one of them is holding her down forcefully. This scene is supposed to appear as a violent gang rape and as you look at the advertisement, you have no idea what exactly is being promoted. “It's a given that fashion magazines — like other forms of mass media — often aim to shock. Because they like the attention. Because they like the ad dollars. Because they like the rebellious reputation that shocking us squares confers” (Sauers). Advertisements, like this one, negatively influence the men in our society causing them to form hyper-masculinity, which is a form of gender beliefs that includes the need to be tough, aggressive and have dangerous attitudes towards women. The masculinity shown in advertisements where the man has total control over the girl reinforces cultural discrimination between the sexes. Men who also do not have much power, socially or economically, take advantage of this roughness and physical violence as ways to obtain power and respect.

            Even celebrities promote sexualized violence through music, such as “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga. In the beginning of her video, she is getting sexual with a man, and as he is kissing her, he suddenly attacks her and pushes her off the roof. Of course, she has injuries and is disabled throughout the video, but she is put in a provocative outfit, and as the video goes on, injured and dead women appear but still looking glamorous, showing skin or put in a sexual position. This video is a perfect example of sexualized violence that the media puts out for everyone to see. Instead of releasing a message that will help prevent violence with women, Lady Gaga shows that things like these can happen but at least we will still look hot and glamorous! Not a very great message, right? This is only one example from hundreds of others! Instead of the media representing positive relationships between a man and woman, they influence society into thinking men are superior where they have the ability to gain control of the women in a sexual and violent way. 

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

8 April 2013

                                                         True Meaning of Glamorized Violence (Rebuttal)

            Although, Lady Gaga appeared to have sexualized violence in her music video, “Paparazzi”, the ending sent out a message that not many recognized. As she sits with the man, who sexually violated and abused her, she poisons him and kills him. This does not mean you are allowed to kill the abuser! It tells viewers that women have an equal amount of power as men, we are just as strong and no one should ever doubt what we are capable of. Many individuals in the entertainment industry may add scenes or lyrics on sexualized violence, but it is not shown to promote but rather to prevent and aware individuals of the sexualized violence that goes on everyday, where victims do not speak out.

            Rihanna, a famous singer, who went through a dramatic break up with her boyfriend, Chris Brown, due to being physically abused, released a song called, “Man Down”, as well as, “Love the Way You Lie”, both were connected to an unhealthy, violent relationship. “Man Down” was made for women who can relate to sexual violence and “Love the Way You Lie” is a song telling the story of a violent relationship between a man and a woman who can’t seem to leave each other. Rihanna uses “Man Down” as a way to spread the word on rape. She states that “Rape is, unfortunately, happening all over the world and in our own home, and we continue to cover it up and pretend it doesn’t happen…” This shows that some parts of the media, such as Hollywood entertainers, use their artistry to acknowledge the fact that the society has accepted violence against women and it is crucial to speak out, if you are a victim!’

            “The mass media is uniquely positioned to wield its influence and inspire actions that help eliminate violence against women” (Drezin, Laney 23). Whether the person is an entertainer, actor, journalist, designer or reporter, there are people out there who reflect the glamorous Hollywood media that want to raise awareness about sexualized violence and how it can be avoided. The media and its advertisements do not advocate sexualized violence, but they show how gender-based violence is portrayed every day in a sometimes glamorous and eye-catching way, some just take the glamour as the media praising violence, which is untrue.

Hanadee Abu-Zayed
Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, Sec 070

Project II

8 April 2013

Annotated Bibliography

Baker, Rosie. "Advertisers refute 'beauty industry perpetuates low self-esteem' claim." MarketingWeek.
Centaur Communications Ltd, 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 6 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/disciplines/advertising/advertisers-refute-beauty-industry-
perpetuates-low-self-esteem-claim/3033683.article>.

            "Advertisers refute 'beauty industry perpetuates low self-esteem' claim” was a great blog post on MarketingWeek because it gave me an insight on the advertisers side of the argument and what they believed on the issue of photo shopping photos. Louise Terry and Elizabeth Fagan, both directors of different companies, were featured in this blog, expressing how they believe their advertisements are inspirational and motivating. They do not have the intentions of causing a woman to go through depression or gain an eating disorder but want to make people feel good with the products they are advertising. I chose this source over the other sources because this blog goes well with my rebuttal of "Advertisements Manipulating Images and Our Minds", and with the use of the information Rosie Baker has given me, I am able to support the belief that advertisers inspire us to become better versions of ourselves that is achievable and give us a desire to try out the products being advertised that will make us feel and look great! Rosie Baker has supported her thesis that advertisers rejected the claim that their companies lower the self-esteem of woman by having a one on one interview with the directors. Rosie Baker is the deputy news editor of MarketingWeek, so the information she has given can be trusted.

Jenny Drezin, and Laney Megan. "Strategic Communications to End Violence against Women." Making A Difference (2003): 1-49. Web. 5 Apr. 2013. <http://saynotoviolence.org/sites/default/files/MakingADifference_eng.pdf>.

          I used the journal article, “Making a Difference: Strategic Communications To End Violence Against Women” by Jenny Drezin and Megan Laney for my blog post that is a rebuttal for “Blood, Bruises, and Broken Bones in Advertisements.” This article made me look at sexualized violent advertisements in a different way. I look at it as a “mass media industry uniquely positioned to wield its influence and inspire actions that help eliminate violence against women.” Why would advertisers attempt to promote violence against women in the first place? Advertisers attempt to raise awareness about gender violence, where these advertisements could reflect how gender-based violence occurs in real life. With the use of the information I am able to use to support my thesis on how glamorized violence in magazines is not the cause of violence. Drezin and Laney are both individuals who are work for UNIFEM, a women's fund at the United Nations, dedicated to advancing women’s rights and achieving gender equality. UNIFEM has made differences all around the world for different women and girls and that is why I believe this source is credible and is trustworthy. The motive for this post is to “end violence against women, changing harmful and discriminatory practices in society” (UNIFEM.org).

Killing Us Softy 4: Advertising’s Image of Women. Prod. Jhally Sut. Narr. Kilbourne Jean. 2010. Media Education Foundation, 2010. Documentary. From the Killing Us Softy 4 documentary, I learned how women have been affected from media advertisements from an early age, where they strive for perfection that cannot be achieved. Jean Kilbourne taught me that advertisements show absolute flawlessness, which is the cause for ordinary women to have lowered self-esteem and an unrealistic ideal of female beauty leading to disorders and depression. I chose this source over any other source because this documentary showed me examples of ads that had absolutely no imperfections, celebrities who came out and were angered by their own bodies being altered, an actual advertisement that used four bodies to create one and evidence of women who have gained an eating disorder due to the pressure from the media. This video supported my thesis that commercial advertisements causes pressure for women to strive for unrealistic beauty, corrupting the minds of women and causing unhealthy habits. Jean Kilbourne is a well-known speaker who has been recognized for her outstanding work on the image of women in advertising. She has won more than 25 awards and has been very successful over the years, which is why I chose this source over others I found. 

Sauers, Jenna. "Violence Against Women Disguised As Fashion." Jezebel. Gawker Media, 11 June 2012. Web. 5 Apr. 2013. <http://jezebel.com/5916650/fashions-ongoing-violence-against-women/>. This blog written by Jenna Sauers shows many examples of violence being sexualized in advertisements.  I found ads that portrayed gang rape, murder of women, domestic violence and women in sexually compromising positions from the worlds most popular companies such as Dolce & Cabbana, Calvin Klein, American Apparel, Burger King and more. I gained knowledge on how advertisements lead to violence and the first step is to see women first as an object where men will then believe that they are superior, believing she is not equal and having power over her. This makes abuse extremely easy and proves my thesis that advertisements promote and are the cause of violence. Most of the sources I found on this topic were bloggers and from them all I felt like Jenna Sauers made the best points going back from the beginning of the fashion world, where designers have had a "fascination with bloodied, bruised, or dead models, whom they often depicted in sexualized positions." She shows where this glamorized violence started and where it stands today. She studied at the University of Iowa, did a couple internships in magazines and publishing as a student and contributes to New York Times, the Village Voice, the New York Observer, Bookforum, Jalouse, and Surface Asia, in addition to blogging for Jezebel. She is well-known writer and blogger and I thought from all of the blogs I read from, she had the most experience with advertising therefore having more knowledge on violence in ads. 

Szymanski, Dawn, Lauren Moffitt, and Erika Carr. "Sexual Objectification of Women: Advances to Theory and Research." The Counseling Psychologist 39.1 (2011): 6-38. Web. 5 Apr. 2013. <http://www.feminish.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/sexual-objectification.pdf>. In the journal article, “Sexual Objectification of Women: Advances to Theory and Research” by Dawn M. Szymanski, Lauren B. Moffitt and Erika R. Carr, evidence is shown on how women are sexualized as objects in the Hollywood media, specifically in commercials. This journal article motive is to help others understand what sexual objectification is, the psychological consequences of sexual objectification in commercials and gave evidence of sexual objectification in media advertisements such as beer commercials. These beer commercials showed a woman "wearing revealing and provocative clothing, portrayed in way that emphasized body parts and sexual readiness." Dawn M. Szymanski (PhD) is an assistant professor in the APA-accredited counseling psychology doctoral program at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Lauren Moffit (BA) and Erika Carr (MA) are doctoral candidates in the APA-accredited counseling program at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. They all have interests in multicultural-feminist issues, the impact of external and internal, oppression on psychosocial health, and multicultural-feminist theory. I think they are knowledgeable about this topic and can be trusted by the amount of research and study they have done. I chose this source over the others I found because this article made several points and persuaded me into believing that sexual objectification exists in media advertisements and has changed the way America portrays women. Studies occurred proved that women are primarily viewed as physical objects of male sexual desire, which supported my thesis that women are focused solely on their appearance and are viewed as sexual objects in media advertisements. 

Zimmerman, Amanda, and John Dalhberg. "The Sexual Objectification of Women in Advertising: A Contemporary Cultural Perspective." Journal Of Advertising Research 48.1 (2008): 71-79. Web. 4 Apr. 2013. <http://pure.au.dk/portal-asb-student/files/10594/8_-_sexual_objectification_of_women.pdf>. I found this journal article extremely helpful because it is unbiased and explains why some women are completely against sexual objectification in commercials and why some believe it gives women advantages, where they do not find it offensive. This helped me with my original blog post as well as my rebuttal. The authors of this article are Amanda Zimmerman and John Dahlberg. Amanda Zimmerman is a graduate student in the School of Education at Canisius College and John Dahlberg is an associate professor in the Communication Studies Department at Canisius College. They both research in areas such as social effects of advertising, the role of women in advertising, media effects on society and education, advertising and emerging technologies and creative process. Dahlberg was an advertising writer and creative director and his work has been published in Communication Research Reports and the International Digital Media and Arts Journal. I feel like they are both very experienced with this topic and have done many studies, finding a lot of relevant and interesting results. I believe they are very knowledgeable about this topic, which makes this source trustworthy. I think the motive of this journal article is to show both sides to sexual objectification- the benefits and the negatives.

Fabello, Melissa. "Video Blog: Eating Disorder and the Media." Miss Representation.org. Miss Representation, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 5 Apr. 2013. <http://www.missrepresentation.org/media/video-blog-eating-disorders-and-the-media/>.

Miss Representation. Prod. Jennifer Siebal. 2011. Youtube, 2011. Documentary.

Thirsty For Beer. Prod. Press Jesse. 2010. Youtube, 2010. Commercial.

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

DRAFT #1

8 April 2013

                                  Hollywood: Where Women Are Objects and Men Are People.

              I have never watched the Super Bowl; therefore, I never knew exactly what these “amazing, hilarious and memorable” commercials consisted of until this year. I sat there with my two younger cousins and when the commercials came on, I was appalled. My jaw dropped as the commercials grabbed the attention of everyone sitting in my din. While I watched the commercials, I noticed a trend where women were sexualized in media promotions; being seen as sexual objects and focused solely on their appearance, where most we’re half-naked and advertising the product by only making sexual gestures. 
              Every commercial was based on something different: Audis, Mercedes, Carl’s Jr., a promo for 2 Broke Girls, and lastly a GoDaddy commercial, yet they all had something in common. Each was sexist and offensive, where the “object” they used to promote their product was a woman. I use the word “object” because that is exactly how they are represented. A woman used as an object for sexual passion and pleasure being either half naked or making sexual gestures with the product they are advertising, being drooled over by men. Although these clips are less than a minute long, they send out a message that a woman’s value is only based on “youth, beauty, and sexuality.” This gives young girls the idea that this is the only thing they are good for and lower their self-esteem, prevent them from taking on more serious roles, whether its in politics or medicine.

So, what’s my point? Sexual objectification of women in Hollywood media effect how woman are treated negatively in this society. This official trailer of “Miss Representation” is an explanation of the outcome of sexual objectification and degrading women in the media.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gkIiV6konY

This short clip shows that this way of selling products causes women of all ages to suffer through self-objectification, body dishonor and given an unhealthy thin ideal. It has lowered the self-esteem of 

many, believing that women are not powerful enough to have political roles in America. As Ariella, a 

high school student in the video stated, “There is no appreciation for women intellectuals. It’s all about 

the body and not about the brain.” Women have been women have been influenced, sexualized and 

underrepresented in commercials coming from Hollywood media, where they are seen as sexual 

objects. Welcome to Hollywood, where women are objects and men are people.

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

DRAFT #2

8 April 2013

                                                                     Girl Power (Rebuttal)

             Third wave feminism is a way “Females can be strong and powerful. They can be anything 

they want to be, and they can look hot doing it!” (Zimmerman, Dahlberg 72) Although part of the 

women population find the portrayal of women in commercials as sex objects highly offensive and 

degrading, others “view sex as power, embracing their sexuality. It separates women from men and 

sees women as the dominant sex by constantly being the main focus.” (Zimmerman, Dahlberg 72)

They do not want women to take the control that they once had when women had no rights. Instead of

women being viewed as weak, sexual objects in commercials, they are actually seen as having the

power to use their sexuality to get what they want and this is what Hollywood commercials attempt to 

show.

Why should we play the victim when we can do what Naomi Wolf does? Naomi Wolf 

embraces “the girl power trend and encourages women to use their bodies as works of art.” 

(Zimmerman, Dahlberg 72) Women should be able to show off their beauty and glamour, as long as

they are doing it for no one but their selves! Advertisements teach women to be confident in their own

skin. You can look at advertising in many different ways such as looking at advertisements as a 

fantasy. Women do not recognize that advertisements do not reflect reality. If women understood this, they would not be so offended. “Advertisements are simply creative art attempting to make a sale, not 

depictions of real life.” (Zimmerman, Dahlberg 72)

Although, women are shown in a attractive way in ads, if you look at it in a bigger picture, you will notice that the women have the control in the commercial or ad most of the time and men are also 

sexualized in commercial ads, which makes it obvious that women are not the only ones being 

degraded as objects. “Respondents finding advertisements like this one culturally acceptable make a 

point that it does not matter whether the advertisement is ethical or morally right because they accept 

sex as part of their culture.” Hollywood commercials are a way of giving woman sexual power, 

embracing their feminine features, expressing your body as art, and showing the world that we can do

anything and look great doing it! 

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

DRAFT #3

8 April 2013

                                     Advertisements Manipulating Images and Our Minds

            Hollywood advertisements send out one message for women and this message tells us that the

way we appear is what matters the most. If you turn the pages of a magazine we are given this

illustration of ideal beauty, which is unachievable due to the amount of photo shop used. Jean 

Kilbourne states in “Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women” that “Women learn from a 

very early age that we must spend enormous amounts of time, energy, and above all money striving to

achieve this look and feeling ashamed and guilty when we fail. And failure is inevitable because the 

ideal is based on absolute flawlessness.” Advertisements lower the self-esteem of many women and 

create an unrealistic ideal of female beauty causing eating disorders, depression and lowered self-

esteem.

            Maybelline, a makeup company, is one of the major advertisers that has always stood out to me.

The models in the makeup commercials or makeup ads are literally perfected to death, where they 

actually look unreal! In the photos below are examples of models in Maybelline who appear to have 

absolutely no imperfections. They have glowing skin with no bags, wrinkles, scars, blemishes and

pores. Flawlessness is what Jean Kilbourne calls it and not even the person in this advertisement looks

this way. 

            A Dove commercial called “Evolution” became viral hitting many social media sites, where

many were stunned. It shows a woman who appeared as any other ordinary woman then transformed

into a whole different person with makeup artists and photo editors. Her eyes and lips were made 

bigger, face structure transformed and even her neck was made longer. It sent out a message that these

are the types of photos that women and young girls compare their selves too. 

Of course, this is going to affect a woman’s self esteem but it also effects how men feel as well. I 

learned in my Women Studies class last semester that ads change how men feel about the woman they 

are in a relationship with. They compare their partners to that hot and beautiful girl on the cover of GQ 

Magazine or Cosmopolitan, increasing their standards. This usually affects girls leading to a desperate 

need of becoming thinner or more beautiful. This desperate need leads to depression and unhealthy 

habits such as bulimia, anorexia, excessive use of tanning beds and unfortunately, many more.  Ana 

Carolina Reston, a runway model, died a year ago of anorexia, weighing only 88 pounds. This shows 

are much of an impact the media can have on a person. It has lowered self-esteem causing eating 

disorders and depression and it is crucial for us to join together and end this!

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

DRAFT #4

8 April 2013

                                                   Stop Blaming Hollywood (Rebuttal)

            Media advertisers only give us what we want to see and what catches our attention. They focus 

solely on business and the amount of products they sell. If they showed us photos of women who are

unattractive or everyday people, we would not be inspired or motivated to buy the product and become

better versions of ourselves. I know it’s harsh but its true. Whether it pushes us to lose a couple of pounds, try out a new haircut, inspire us with fashion or buy a new makeup product- it always makes

us feel better at the end of the day. Advertisements are the blame of extreme depression and eating 

disorders, which should not be the case. Eating disorders come from biology and psychological and

emotional health, which cannot be caused by images you see as you flip through a magazine. Beauty

advertisements inspire us to become better versions of ourselves that is achievable and gives us a desire

to try out the products being advertised that will make us feel and look great!

            Who minds looking at enjoyable-looking people, even if they are edited to have no flaws? Not 

me, that’s for sure! Although, I knew I would never be as beautiful as what I see in advertisements, I 

always received beauty tips and tricks to improve the way I look and it always made me feel like a 

better person! We should always hear the other side and figure out what the goals of the advertisers are.

Fagan stated in the article “Advertisers refute 'beauty industry perpetuates low self-esteem' claim” that

“We want all our brand communications to be engaging, inspirational and make people feel good. We

don’t want it to be unattainable but want women to think ‘on a good day I could look like that” (Baker,

par. 6) 

            Individuals have also blamed Hollywood magazine advertisements for eating disorders

occurring in America. If people knew the true meaning of an eating disorder, they would understand

that images from Hollywood are not the cause! Eating disorders are formed from genes, neurobiology,

perfectionism, impulsive behavior or problematic relationships. Arguing that the media causes eating

disorders in women only takes away the attention of the real causes, making it impossible for others to

receive help. We live in a society where we don’t want to see ordinary girls we see every day on the covers of magazines. We want to something different that will inspire and motivate us to become a

better version of ourselves and that is exactly what Hollywood magazine advertisements do for us 

women!

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

DRAFT #5

8 April 2013

                                       Blood, Bruises, and Broken Bones in Advertisements

We flip through the pages of magazines but we never notice the violence that occurs while promoting these products. Men controlling women whether they are strangling her, tying her up, holding her down with 4 other men surrounding her or covered in blood, we know one thing and that is these type of advertisements lead to nothing positives, promoting and showing violence as if it is the norm. It influences our society, especially the men, reinforcing "hyper- masculinity." This is formed by having the idea that males must have following main componoents: touchness, violence, attitude and control. This help men gain power and respect. Sexualized, violent advertisements in magazines influence and promote violence.

A blog written by Jenna Sauers shows many examples of violence being sexualized in advertisements.  I found ads that portrayed gang rape, murder of women, domestic violence and women in sexually compromising positions from the worlds most popular companies such as Dolce & Cabbana, Calvin Klein, American Apparel, Burger King and more. I gained knowledge on how advertisements lead to violence and the first step is to see women first as an object where men will then believe that they are superior, believing she is not equal and having power over her. This makes abuse extremely easy and proves my thesis that advertisements promote and are the cause of violence. Most of the sources I found on this topic were bloggers and from them all I felt like Jenna Sauers made the best points going back from the beginning of the fashion world, where designers have had a "fascination with bloodied, bruised, or dead models, whom they often depicted in sexualized positions." She shows where this glamorized violence started and where it stands today. 

Stauers studied at the University of Iowa, did a couple internships in magazines and publishing

as a student and contributes to New York Times, the Village Voice, the New York Observer, Bookforum, Jalouse, and Surface Asia, in addition to blogging for Jezebel. She is well-known writer 

and blogger and I thought from all of the blogs I read from, she had the most experience with 

advertising therefore having more knowledge on violence in ads. 

                                        

Hanadee Abu-Zayed

Melissa Dempsey

English 1200, sec 070

Project II

DRAFT #6

8 April 2013

                                       Awareness Of Glamorized Violence (Rebuttal)

 Glamorized Violence is serious problem where forms a definition of femininity for women and masculinity for men. Where women are looked at as objects and degraded so much beneath men that violence against them is considered okay and leads to violence in real life. We see these violent images throughout popular culture. Not only are advertisements that involve blood or bruises form a idea of violence but also a type of advertisements you see  but never think nothing of it. A innocent women going about on her regular day and a man's shadow forming behind her. Thought of as a romance is about to start, it is actaully clear that it is a violent image that scares us, because of the fear of something sneaking up on us like that in real life. These advertising images that involve sexual violence in magazine can aware individuals of what really goes on in real life, where we can end these horrible acts against women.

These violent images make men look superior and women look like the weak individual. Men are

aggressive, holding down a woman or tying her up as she lays there as a object. Linking sex to  violence is the most dangerous thing advertisers can do because it sparks interests in men, fantasizes

about rape leading to violence. 

    
This article made me look at sexualized violent advertisements in a different way. I look at it as a “mass media industry uniquely positioned to wield its influence and inspire actions that help eliminate violence against women.” Why would advertisers attempt to promote violence against women in the first place? Advertisers attempt to raise awareness about gender violence, where these advertisements could reflect how gender-based violence occurs in real life. With the use of the information I am able to use to support my thesis on how glamorized violence in magazines is not the cause of violence. Drezin and Laney are both individuals who are work for UNIFEM, a women's fund at the United Nations, dedicated to advancing women’s rights and achieving gender equality. UNIFEM has made differences all around the world for different women and girls and that is why I believe this source is credible and is trustworthy. The motive for this post is to “end violence against women, changing harmful and discriminatory practices in society” (UNIFEM.org).