User:Ariana sage/sandbox

=Gender Advertisements= This book was written by Erving Goffman during the 1970's. In his book he suggests that there is a clear pattern found in the ways gender and gender roles shown in advertising. In these advertisements he categorizes different representations of gender into several theories that include: Relative Size, Feminine Touch, Function Ranking, Licensed Withdrawal, and Infantilism.

Relative Size
This theory explains how in traditional advertisements women are in most cases shown smaller or farther away from the camera to make the men in the advertisement appear larger and or more masculine.

Feminine Touch
This theory shows us that in most advertising involving women with products, such as perfume bottles or hand bags, are shown grasping the object in a very light manner, in delicate and harmless way. While men are usually shown strong, handling the object with a stern grip.

Family
This theory explores how families are portrayed in advertisements, the "traditional" view of the mother as the house-keeper while she cooks, cleans and takes care of the children while the husband is at work providing for the family. These advertisements use these traditional roles to sell their products, for example, cleaning supplies are often geared towards women rather than men.

Function Ranking
A theory describing how advertisements showing actions being done, the man will most likely be the one doing the action while the women assists or even just stands in the background. Some will women shopping and the man holding all her bags as if the woman is incapable of holding her own bags. Car advertisements will often show the man driving, while the women is passenger.

Licensed Withdrawal
The theory describing how women are often shown in advertisements with a dreamy gaze, as if to show them not in tune with the world around them--as if they are not able to handle reality or real world.

Infantilism
Advertisements often show women in touch with their childhood, as if women never lose ties with their childhood even as full-grown adults. Women are even sometimes shown in child-like manners, either in their positioning in the picture or the way they are dressed, even certain expressions they make will be shown as child-like and playful.