A Critical Analysis of Gender and Cultural Representation

Media is the largest mean has an influence on people in all societies. Media do with many functions such as informing and influencing people. This functions made an openness for all countries because they make a connections between human and the events of the world. Media helps people to create their political, economic and social values and expectations and all these things established economically, intellectually and culturally active citizen. This essay analysis different groups of stereotyping in commercial advertisements.

After watching about thirty commercial advertisement in different topics within five hours of in Egyptian TV. I noticed that many different groups were represented by many differences such as gender. Advertisements choose young women to express happiness. For example, I saw an advertisement about the magic of chocolate called (Galaxy Jewels) the advertisement shows a young woman in the middle of the night feeling bored. She took a piece of chocolate that she ate and then wore her dress and invited her friends to dance and have fun and remember their old memories. I think in many advertisements the media try to use young women if wanting to deliver a message about happiness. I think that the appearance of women in advertising in the present time in a way that enjoy life with happiness because the advertisements in the past were offensive to women have always been portrayed as second-class citizens and housewives. But these days’ women's role in women's affairs has changed a lot because women simply enjoy large purchasing power as groups and these groups over time become trademarks of women's purchases. Experts talked before about old stereotypes between men and women by saying that:

'Despite of gender roles are beginning to develop in media, old stereotypes are still common and a point of contention in gender equality movements. Women's roles inside the advertising agencies affect the way ads are developed, but for the time being gender stereotypes remain pervasive in advertising culture. The Women's Rights Movement organized invitations to ban certain products or companies using stereotypes in their advertising campaigns. Purchasing power and regulation are an effective means of removing the advertising industry from gender and ethnic stereotypes'. (Lazzari)

Media influences culture values by smart and interesting way I noticed that when I saw an ads called (Abu Shanab). An Egyptian actor appeared in Michael Jackson's style as a rural man wearing a jilbab and a large flap. The Abu Shanab ads about this rural man who entered a clothing shop with a large group of children, while suffering from the inability to make them comic way where he took the boys trying clothes on them but in the end he told them that the experience is more enjoyable to buy. In order to raise awareness of the importance of birth control in Egypt and the large numbers of the sons to be unable to meet the needs of the family. The ads asks Egyptians to be satisfied with having only two sons so that they can provide a decent life for them. Media has a high impact on culture values. Countries should have an advanced level of education and media to be able to control citizen’s values. Governments use media to reinforce the right culture values on people which helping in the development process of the country. And the evidence for that in the saying:

'These values must be to promote human social development, not traditional patriarchal values that preserve the uniqueness of cultural groups. The import of media programs from foreign countries appears to be the most prominent form of cultural control. The reason for the over-reliance on imported programs is the high cost of local production, the lack of trained staff, and the lack of will and determination on the part of the governments of third world countries. The successful cultural assimilation of media in third world countries depends on cultural values that help to develop and promote them in society'. (Goonasekera)

I see patterns of peoples are different in Abu Shanab because it has a topic to influence people to follow not to buy like other ads and that is the opposite of the ads of chocolate above because the pattern of the ads of chocolate is repeated many times and that is happened when I watched another ads about the butter called (Rawabee) this ads shows the women is the happiness maker buy making a food in sample and delicious way so this pattern is repeated about play on the concept of gender in ads.

Media plays an important role in perpetuating stereotypes. People should learn to think carefully and independently of the messages that ads are trying to deliver to us. By understanding the concept of stereotypes and the power advertisers have to perpetuate or fight stereotypes. In this part the ads of residential compounds were more sophisticated or glamorous roles than others. I saw about five ads about compounds but there were a different one about compound called (Skyline) where an Egyptian actor and his wife appear in the ads and begin to talk about the pressure of the daily work and traffic congestion and a lot of traffic. He begins to ask himself whether there is a rest time in the day to enjoy. He responds to himself that there is a time for food in Skyline and a stroll with his wife. Or enjoy time with himself if he is in disagreement with his wife. Or walk with her and have no worries that he left a child. Or courting his wife with a valuable gift or invitation to dance. And all of this were in Skyline compound because it has large commercial malls and private guard. Public gardens and all entertainment facilities are located next to the house so he chose Skyline. He has explained all the qualities that a person needs to feel comfortable in a day that affects the view of many who face daily pressure like him. This ads is concerned with a sensitive social issue and this has a positive impact on citizens if it presents a solution to their problem. We can say here media could make a reflection for reality in two minutes.

In conclusion, far from stereotypes, brands remain focused on ads campaigns that sell products and services. It is ultimately a message they send to their audience to increase their sales. If a group of people in the stereotype want to see a change in messaging, the brand is likely to change when purchasing power becomes a brand. Strategic shopping and buying from brands that represent a variety of people in a positive way is the only way to change the way stereotypes are used in advertising effectively.

Works cited

1. Lazzari, Zach. 'Types of Stereotyping in Advertising.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-stereotyping-advertising-11937.html. Accessed 6 March 2019.
2. Goonasekera, A. “The Influence of Television on Cultural Values -- with Special Reference to Third World Countries.” Media Asia, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1987, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12281002/. Accessed 7 March 2019.
3. “Stereotypes in Advertising.” Teaching Tolerance, www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/tolerance-lessons/stereotypes-in-advertising. Accessed 7 March 2019.