Language and Mass Communication

The following sample essay on language and mass communication.

From the topics we have studied in part 2: language and mass communication, I have chosen advertising and gender stereotypes, and how our understanding of communicating with advertising has incre ased our knowledge regarding the distinction between genders. I will work on the concept of femininity and how patriarchy is portrayed through media. The depiction of a headless and faceless women portrays lack of individuality amongst females. The written task will be a letter to the editor of the Cosmopolitan magazine which will talk about the unethical act of publishing advertisements that not only objectify women but also devalue their role and part in our society.

The advertisements that I have chosen to analyze in the text to communicate my message more effectively are, firstly the Tom Ford advertisement that is used to show the objectification of women, it highlights on how the display of female body as sex toys is used to create sexual desire in men .

The Duncan Quinn Suit advertisement is further used to create an image in the readers mind by depiction of a headless and faceless women to portray the message that by removing it, women would also lose their individuality.

This letter is written by Laur ie Adams who is the Chief Executive Officer of Women for Women International (WfWI) to the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine. My audience will be the editors of Cosmopolitan and others involved in the immoral act of objectifying women. This will be a formal letter which will allow me to communicate my message in a formal tone yet in an effective manner.

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Use of metaphors as well as adjective will be seen in the text to describe the emotions felt by the female readers.

My name is Laura Adams, the Chief Executive Officer of Women for Women international (WfWI). Our group is working with a new initiative with the United Nations Women Organization, to give voice to the women through practical and moral support. I feel highly motivated while writing to you in hopes of making a significant change in today’s world of mass communication that focuses specifically on advertisements that uses sexual female depiction to sell products. Published each year in high numbers, these adds are seen by people around the globe and portrays women as mere stereotypical sex toys rather than individual and integral parts of the society.

In Cosmopolitan’s 2007 September issue, the highly acclaimed fa shion brand Tom Ford published the advertisement of its first men’s fragrance. The advertisement accomplished the task of creating sexual arousal in many men. The fragrance bottle is placed in between the breast of the women which is in the mid -frame or ce nter of the overall advertisement and thus the focus is on her exposed chest which is oiled and pressed together which further increases the allure of her body as well as provides a perfect place for the fragrance to sit on. Her hand barely covers her brea st but cover just enough to spark arousal and curiosity in the viewer. The fragrance is a symbol that represents a mans genitals that are placed in the center on the womens breast as well as at the center of the advertisement providing the most emphasis on the product. The models lips are in an oval shape which refers to an orgasm but can also be interpreted as forceful oral sex. This actually depicts the stereotype of society as women being submissive towards males and depicting modern patriarchy.

Initi ally this advertisement is perceived like any other however when further analyzation is done, we see that in the models picture her head is specifically removed. This particular notion makes us believe that it was done for the purpose of depicting the wom en with lack of individuality. The faceless model is a way of expressing the creators feeling as he believes any women would be the same as this woman and thus this woman has no significant value as an individual. This allows society to objectify women and view them as vulnerable, defenseless and bare.

As a woman I feel that this is a grave issue that we need to address as soon as possible and should not be avoided because in the current time we have become numb to these effects and feelings. Sexualizing to sell product is now a very common marketing way and thus effects our common way of thinking and builds up this stereotype in our subconscious. Therefore, Cosmopolitan must make sure that they reject any and all advertisements that promotes the idea of fem ales as sex toys. Women go through a lot in their life times and rather than being a valued member of society the males in society define them as mothers, sisters and wives but never what they really are as a person and what defines them independent of the ir relations. Their value in society is demeaned so much more when they face this stereotypical advertisement making them feel dehumanized.

If immediate actions for these atrocities are not taken, we may end up living in a society that ho novalue for women and rather than being looked towards as humans, women would be seen as property and sex object that serves only one purpose, the pleasure and comfort of males of the society. The relationship of men and women will be fixed with males being forcefully dominate.

Another example of such unethical advertisement is the Duncan Suit Advertisement of 2008 that became an example around the world that you can too be an alpha male and dominate women just by buying this suit. The positioning of the women tells us a lot as the women is laying on her back on the front of a luxury car and is dressed in a highly revealing undergarments that make her look more sexually appealing. A tie has been tied around her neck and the man is holding the ends of the tie as a leash showing complete control and dominance over the women. This treatment shows that her value is no more than that of a caged animal. The picture is taken in a way that the models face is hidden and is not visible which is a metaphor for lack of individuality and the model can be perceived as someone with no identity. Again, the female body is used to create arousal in men and the women is being lusted after by many men. I speak for all the women who feel ashamed when they walk the street, feeling the eyes on them. Eyes of men who look upon them as sex toys to be lusted after, as animals to be controlled and as slaves that only existed for their pleasure. This heinous crime must be stopped at all cost as it changes the mindset of over 3 million Cosmopolitan vie wers and we believe that Cosmopolitan holds the key to shaping a new mind set in millions of people as well as holds the responsibility to not only take action against these acts but promote positive adds that will incorporate a new culture in our society, one that fosters women’s individuality and value as respected members of our society. We hope you take our letter into consideration and we highly wish that you act upon the matters discussed. Sincerely, Laura Adams.