The use of female sexuality in Australian alcohol advertising: public policy implications of young adults' reactions to stereotypes

Abstract

Coinciding with the rise of raunch culture, a new female stereotype has emerged in advertising -the lusty, busty exhibitionist who exudes sexual power and confidence. Previous research has generally found that women react less positively to female sexual images in alcohol advertising than males, but different sexual stereotypes have not been explicitly examined. The present study utilizes different types of sexual appeals in three televised advertisements for alcohol brands and investigates the relationship between types of sexual imagery and attitude to the advertisement, stated reasons for (dis)liking the advertisement and purchase intention (PI) among 268 Australian university students. Surprisingly, an advertisement using the new stereotype was actually liked less overall by females than an advertisement using the traditional passive demeaning/sex object stereotype. Females liked all of the advertisements significantly less than males, although there was considerable variation in male attitudes towards an advertisement that was generally perceived to contain sexist or demeaning humour. The findings of our study raise two important cautions for the alcohol (advertising) industry and for public policy. First, advertisers and policy makers need to be aware that a substantial proportion of consumers are offended by such portrayals. Second, in a climate in which consumers and advocates are increasingly voicing concerns over the ineffectiveness of the self-regulatory system, policy makers need to consider the introduction of a regulatory framework.

Beauty Ideals, Myths and Sexisms: A Feminist Stylistic Analysis of Female Representations in Cosmetic Names

“…One of the major criticisms of advertisements today is that women are not only portrayed in sexually-stimulating ways, but also wrongly represented. Jones and Reid (2010) indicate that women are constantly portrayed in 'problematic' and 'unacceptable ways' (p. 34). There have been considerable studies that investigate sexist advertisements that define women with reference to men (see Ferguson, Kreshel & Tinkham, 1990;Nagaletchimee, 2005;Gill, 2008, Nagi, 2014.…”

“…Apart from being depicted as sex objects and lacking in abilities, women are also represented alongside men or surrounded by them in print advertisements or commercials. These kinds of depictions convey the idea that women have to appear in the presence of men and eventually are dependent on them (Jones & Reid, 2010). While biased gender ideologies affect women's self-esteem, long term exposure to the society's different evaluations of men and women cause gender roles to be internalized and accepted as 'normal' (Mohd Faeiz Ikram Mohd Jasmani, Mohamad Subakir Mohd Yasin, Bahiyah Abdul Hamid, Yuen, Zarina Othman & Azhar Jaludin, 2011, p. 71).…”

Publicidad ilícita en la mira: las denuncias como mecanismo de control

“…En los públicos, la presencia de ciertas imágenes no solo generan reacciones adversas (Volkov, Harker & Harker, 2002a, 2005, que pueden ir desde la denuncia (Amy-Ching, 2006;García-Muñoz & Martínez-García, 2009;Harker, 2000; Informes del Observatorio de la Imagen de las Mujeres, 2000Mujeres, -2009Volkov, Harker & Harker, 2002b) hasta el boicot (Ford, LaTour & Middleton, 1999;Kerr et al, 2012;Lysonsky & Pollay, 1990), en especial entre las mujeres (Jones & Reid, 2010). A nivel estatal, el uso de ciertos estereotipos también provoca que se adopten medidas reguladoras (Balaguer, 2008(Balaguer, , 2010Boddewyn, 1985Boddewyn, , 1991Salvador, 2008).…”

Adults′ Alcohol Consumption Behaviour and Support for Restrictions on Youth-Oriented Alcohol Advertisements

“…Although a causal relationship between alcohol advertisement and onset of alcohol use or increased rate of alcohol has not been definitively established, some researchers caution that depiction of alcohol in media normalizes alcohol [36,37] and often portrays drinking in ways that are appealing to young people [38,39]. Yet, in spite of the apparent influence of alcohol advertising on youth, it appears that not all youth respond to alcohol advertisement in the same fashion [35].…”