Introduction: An advertisement is a notice or announcement in a public medium that promotes a product or service (“advertisement”). Companies use various forms of media to spread their advertisements, such as on television, on billboards, in newspapers, in magazines and are even heard through the radio. Print media advertising refers to the use of advertisements in physically printed media. This includes platforms such as newspapers, magazines, billboards and posters. While consumers may not always pay attention, the repetitive flow resulting from the constant bombardment of advertisements they receive becomes ingrained in their brains (Berkers, 2014). The power of advertising and the vast scale of its production allow it to shape opinions. With the constant access to advertising through various media platforms that people now have access to, the influence that advertising has on a person's individualism or values has increased. Many products are purchased not because they are "necessary", but rather because strong advertising for that product has made consumers want it. If companies are able to influence people to purchase products simply through smart and innovative advertising campaigns, who's to say that the perpetual stream of product promotions that are seen hasn't influenced society's perception and shaped opinions. Advertisements found in magazines alone provide more ad impressions than TV or the Web in a half-hour period (McPheters & Company), meaning they often mirror and shape society's values, creating and supporting misinformed ideals and stereotypes . Gender in advertising influences how individuals are shaped and encourages taking on an appropriate gender role... middle of paper... the portrayal of women in advertising is due to the hyperreality in which the world of advertising is set , which requires clearly demarcated gender roles. Advertisers' use of gender rather than sex creates this hyper-realistic world. The term “sex” refers to the biological distinction while “gender” is specific to the cultural disposition of men and women. Conventional representations of men and women in society are what advertisements rely heavily on as they are an extremely concentrated reflection of aspects of society. The images presented in advertising are constantly debated regarding how true or false they are, but it must be considered that advertisements “are neither fakes nor true reflections of social reality because in reality they are part of social reality… as they are”. hyper-ritualized that emphasize some gender manifestations and de-emphasize others.”
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