Within the framework of ‘International Women’s Day’, some linguists analyzed different expressions and words present in advertising campaigns to refer to women and girls.
Different linguists analyzed the evolution of advertising discourse in relation to women and girls, focusing on the use of words and expressions that reinforce, in the language used in advertising, the image of women in unequal and stereotyped positions and functions.
“We promote mutual understanding between people through language and different cultures, which is why we believe that one of the ways to achieve this is through communication without gender stereotypes. Language is deeply rooted in social structures and is sometimes the most used tool when thinking about gender biases: it is Through words and phrases that sexist ideas can be constructed, even without us realizing it. Prioritizing one gender is simpler and may not be important when it comes to objects, but when we talk about women or girls, that choice can be interpreted as discriminatory. Therefore, nThere is nothing better than promoting new ways of communicating without stereotypes and pigeonholing of roles or functions, especially in the field of advertising and the media.”commented Dr. Rita Santoyo Venegas, linguist.
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Through language, stereotypical preconceptions are reinforced, a part of the population is excluded and asymmetric, hierarchical and unequal relationships are reproduced.
Below are some of the linguistic examples with which, for a long time, a discriminatory position towards women and girls has been reinforced through the use of expressions and words in advertising:
“With c for cook or flirt” in advertising inside the supermarket, “the best gift for mom” next to the image of a sensual woman holding a rag and a bucket or “Every day more women call me, looking for advice on washing.” in a cleaning product advertisement. A few years ago, it was normal to see advertisements where Women or girls are pigeonholed into roles or functions that were believed to be exclusive to them.. Thus leaving them out of tasks linked to leadership in work teams and professions or other activities. For more inclusive communication it is essential not to link roles or functions to only one gender..
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“Women cry for everything”, in a soda advertisement. Attributing stereotyped qualities and behaviors such as sensitivity, fragility, emotional instability or delicacy exclusively to women, under the pretext that it is natural, leaving them out of strength, sexual desire or job success, reinforces the idea of how a woman should be or act and builds a discriminatory image about those who are or act in a different way than what society expects.
“All the ladies are from Roa” or “I wish everything would happen so easily”, are some of the phrases that were present in advertising pieces for beers and family basket products a few years ago. Advertisements that equate a woman’s body to the product being sold or show it as an object of sexual desire for men through images, phrases and words, feed the idea that a woman, being an object, is not a subject of right: he does not feel, he does not think, he is not a person with his own desires. Presenting them as a sexual object contributes to reinforcing the relationship of submission between women and men and identifying them in this way, and also increases sexist violence.
“Be prettier than your ex’s girlfriend…”could be seen in a public street advertisement for a brand of coffee or “After Christmas you have to start the diet, achieve your ideal weight” present in an advertisement for a dietary supplement, they reinforce stereotypical images about the bodies of women and girls, which has very serious consequences on their self-esteem from a very early age. For a long time, women were shown to be happy and successful based on having or achieving a physical appearance within the hegemonic canons of beauty. It is essential from the language, through the use of phrases or words linked to images of women and girls, to avoid suggesting that happiness or emotional well-being depends on conforming to a certain body figure or idealized physical features.
“Your friend, he wants you… just think about taking off your clothes.” in a soda advertisement, naturalizes the exercise of violence based on gender, it is one of the most serious problems in our society. One of the ways to avoid this is not to portray situations of sexist violence in advertisements unless it is as a way of raising awareness. Also, care must be taken with symbolic violence, which tends to conceal violent situations behind a joke, a detail, a popular or everyday saying or behavior.