Sexual Advertising: One Step to Culture Degradation

                   Having read the title of the video, it initially created a bit of curiosity on my mind, on what the video would like to impart to its viewers and why is it entitled Killing us Softly. I got more interested to the video when I found out that it is all about “Advertising’s Image of Women”. For a long time now, a certain question has been bothering me; and that is how come advertising nowadays is becoming very liberated even to the extent that they are not focusing on the product anymore but much effort is being exerted on what kind of “strategy” are they going to do just to get the attention of the people; and eventually these advertising strategy are sometimes damaging already to our culture. I was amazed on how Jean Kilbourne came up with this lecture that really served as a mind opener to the people especially to the women. I agree with everything that Kilbourne said in her lecture. As a woman, I realized that women nowadays are being deprived of their right to respected, and are treated very differently compared to how women are being treated in the past especially in our country. A question quoted by Kilbourne in her lecture “What does it mean to be a woman in this culture” made me really think hard on how to answer it because being a woman in this culture and in this present generation, I can say that it’s very hard. Life has become so complicated compared to the way of life in the past. People now are very mindful on what they see around them and the world is following a certain standard that dictates on how a certain person or woman, specifically, could be acceptable in the society where she is living, and that is stereotyping just like what advertising is doing now. They are aiming for perfection, when there is really no such thing as perfect. As what Kilbourne said, “Advertising tells us who we are and who we should be”. Some are fortunate to be included in the list of women acceptable in the society, some are unfortunate, making them feel insecure and ashamed. If a fat woman is advertising a certain product, people tends to judge the ad because of the size of the woman, which shows masculinity while on the other hand, if a thin figured woman would pose for a certain product, it would most likely be acceptable to the society. Just like what Kilbourne said, “There is much emphasis on how we look no matter what we do”. It suddenly saddened me when pornography is already being discussed, looking at a body of a woman being used as a beer bottle in an ad, the legs of a woman in a pair of scissor, figures of woman bodies sculpted in a glass, this is definitely an insult. Its very degrading that woman bodies are already turned into object, into things. Others may say it’s an art, but what really is their intention in doing all of these, is it really for the sake of art or something more is in the back of their minds the moment they are creating this.

The inequality between men and women in advertising is also very evident. Images that portrays man being in power and active and women being portrayed as inferior and passive. I agree with what Kilbourne said, “Men and women inhabit two different worlds; men don’t basically live in a world where their bodies are routinely scrutinized, criticized and judged whereas women do.” Women are prone to the judgment of the people more than the men.

Having all of these things presented to us, I can say that there should really be a change in the mass media. Things like these in advertising should not be tolerated just for the sake of selling. Our advertising industry can survive and can flourish even without these sexual and pornographic images or ads. We have to be mindful on what effect could it do especially to the women in our society. We must act not just as consumers but as citizens taking a share of responsibility on whatever these things can do to us and to our community.