Two objectified bodies: equality in advertising representations?

Abstract

Gender and sex social constructions encompass historical power asymmetries that can be conveyed through advertising. In this article we aim to analyze and reflect about contemporary advertising representational practices and their possible contribution to gender power imbalances. Through literary review and a comparative case study, we aim to answer to two questions: the first is, if both the female and male bodies have been objectified and sexualized in advertising representations; and the second is, if these representations convey gender stereotypes in power symmetry. We conclude that, despite the shy and ultra recent equality to what comes to bodily objectification, the femininity and masculinity representations are still built upon archaic idealizations that are kept in the visual cultures, and that have a determinant impact on the real life of both men and women, helping to maintain the social power imbalances between individuals.