Advertising and the Image of Women Search old magazines and newspapers to create a scrapbook of how marketers can use gender negatively (to encourage stereotypes, for example) or positively (to create new images). Gather several magazines with lots of advertising that you have permission to cut up. (Waiting rooms in doctors’ and dentists’ offices and car repair shops are good sources—just be sure to ask permission!) Carefully cut out twenty ads that feature women. Paste each ad to a sheet of paper. Then label each ad accord ing to one of the negative or positive criteria listed below. Feel free to make up your own categories if needed.
a. reinforces a female stereotype
b. uses sex appeal to sell a product
c. encourages a women to be beautiful
d. idealizes youthful appearance
e. reinforces gender roles of children
f. generally offensive, degrading, or insulting
g. shows a woman in a leadership role
h. shows a woman in a nontraditional role
i. shows a minority woman in a professional capacity
When you have completed your “scrapbook,” analyze the ads for negative and positive uses of gender marketing. Write a brief paragraph summarizing your findings.