A new report from Resistance to Advertising Aggression denounces pervasive sexism in advertising. Which affects women in an ultra-dangerous way, insidiously reinforcing the culture of rape.
It is all around us: in the street, on transport, on the illuminated panels that invade our space and shop windows, on the internet, our social networks… Advertising is everywhere. Ubiquitous images which are both a reflection of a society and which, virtual or on glossy paper, have a real influence: by showering us with representations, they shape our relationship to the world. And this is more damaging than you might think. This is the alert launched by the association Resistance to advertising aggression (R.A.P.), which publishes at the end of January 2021 Sexism in French advertising. Sexist Advertising Observatory Report 2019 – 2020.
First observation of the association: the gulf between the opinion that the sector has of itself and that of the general public. According to a 2019 Kantar media survey, 90% of marketers are convinced of a positive representation of women in advertising, while 45% of consumers think the opposite … Second line of thought: in besides not having a pragmatic reflection on itself, advertising ignores its most violent effects, in particular, its reinforcement of the culture of rape. But how is it possible to feed such a problem when we only produce images?
Bodies "in pieces" to arouse desire
To build its new report, the association offered to the public to photograph and send the campaigns it deemed shocking. Conclusion: the advertisements remain sexist in the way they represent women. These are mostly shown in passive positions, of availability, with their mouths half open … And again, when we see their heads, since the image often eliminates their face.
Among the 165 contributions, some returned regularly. Including this campaign designed for a brand of jeans, which represents a woman's buttocks not in bulk, but in huge plan. "This is pure sexualization, the typical example of what is called 'the trunk woman', cut into pieces of the body, analyzes Jeanne Guien, doctor of philosophy and member of the association Resistance to Advertising Aggression. We are faced with a form of dehumanization, since the model has no face and suddenly becomes close to the object: she is not someone, but something. This process encourages a form of violence against women. " The slogan of this campaign is also indicative of sexism in advertising: "Liberty Equality Beau Fessier". "In addition to being a little ridiculous, this ad turns a political slogan into a banter. It also combines freedom of morals and sexual harassment", denounces Jeanne Guien.
And this hyper-sexualizing campaign is not an isolated case: as the report points out, in television spots, women are now six times more naked than men. Jeanne Guien specifies: "This maintains the idea of a woman eager to show herself, who seeks looks and sexual propositions. And since they are represented as seeking the looks, the touch, the validation of men, advertising encourages people to do without consent of women ".
Ads pushing women to be seen as disposable objects should spark an uproar. Except that the message conveyed is insidiously. It would indeed seem difficult to propose in 2021 a campaign like Demain, I remove the bottom, famous example of the nagging advert of the 80s … "If you were to spell out that women are only concerned with their appearance and the look of men, that would be scandalous, raises the specialist. So this speech is kept under wraps; if it has an effect, it is because it is clubbed ". How to fight against its perverse effects, of which we are all victims?
Bad ads for institutions
As Jeanne Guien notes, even the most problematic pubs receive little or no sanction. The specialist gives the example of the brand Yves Saint-Laurent which, in 2017, had shocked with its campaign showing very skinny models, in hyper-sexualized positions and appearing to be unconscious. At the time, these ads plastered all over the public space had not been removed and the photographer who carried out the campaign had even been rehired in 2020.
And luxury is not the only sector affected by this degrading treatment: brands of cosmetics, ready-to-wear, but also sectors having nothing to do with fashion, are also guilty. However, difficult even to talk about it, as Jeanne Guien deplores."As soon as we denounce these facts, we are branded as censors or a league of virtues", she explains.
So why not turn to the institution supposed to oversee advertising, namely the Professional Advertising Regulatory Authority (ARPP)? The problem is that it is quite simply administered by the representatives of the advertising professions, who are both judges and litigants. Since nothing, or almost nothing, is done, the association Resistance to advertising aggression is proposing strong measures. One of the most salient is the outright ban on human bodies in advertising. The logic is as follows: advertising sells objects or services; however, today they are not represented in commercials. Advertisements say nothing of what they claim to sell, just showing off bodies to make products that you know nothing about attractive. This measure would help to limit degrading images, omnipresent in the minds of citizens, in addition to making advertisements truly informative. "Less marketing, more communication" is a good slogan, right?