Morales1

IngridMorales
ProfessorBeadle
English115
December,8,2016
JimmyChooAdvertisement
JimmyChooisaverypopular,highendshoebrandwhoisextremelyinfluentialin
todaysmedia.Womenstrivetoobtaintheluxuriousproductsmadebythisbrand.However,this
companyusesmanyquestionabletacticstoadvertisetheirproductstothepublic.Inthespecific
JimmyChooadvertisementthisessaywillfocuson,awomanisdepictedasifshehasbeen
murdered,orraped,byamanwhoisabouttoburyherbody.Theviolenceshowninthisimageis
quitecommonamongadvertisements.Womenareobjectifiedandsexualizedinalmostevery
aspectoftodaysculture.Asthemediacontinuestoportraywomenashelplesssexobjects,and
menasdominatingviolentcriminals,anacceptanceandnormalizationofviolenceagainst
women,sexualandotherwise,hasbeguntoariseinoursociety.Thishascreatedthefoundation
fortherapecultureweseeinoureverydaylives.Thisculture,representedbytheJimmyChoo
advertisement,hasforcedwomentoliveinfear.Imagesofthisnaturehighlightthe
sexualizationofviolenceagainstwomenthatisencouragesandinfluencesthemisogynistic
attitudesthatfueltherapecultureweliveintoday.
Todaysmediaportrayswomenasoversexualizedobjectsinordertoadvertizeandsell
products.TheJimmyChooadvertisementiscenteredaroundascantilydressedwomanintall
highheelshoes.Womenattempttolookanddresslikethemodelsinmanyadvertisementsfor
theacceptanceandapprovalofmen.Theoversexualizatonofwomenhasledmentoidolizeand

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desirewomenwhopresentthemselvesassolelysexualobjects.Oursocietyfocusessocloselyon
womengettingmarriedandhavingchildren,theyarerequiredtodress,move,speak,andactin
waysthatmenwillfindattractive(Devor,40).Asmensdesireschangewiththeinfluenceof
media,womenareforcedtoconformtoandemulatetheimageofanattractivewoman.
Femininityingeneralcanbedescribedasbestsuitedtosatisfyamasculinevisionof
heterosexualattractiveness(Devor,41).Inorderforwomentoproperlyfulfillafemininerole,
theymustsatisfytheneedsandwantsofmen.T
hisisshownbytheJimmyChooadvertisement,
femininityisseenasastandardforwomentostriveforinordertopleasemen,thisbeliefinour
culturehascausedmenandwomenaliketodegradeanddevaluefemininityitself,andallwomen
whodonotexemplifythisimage.Womenareseentobevulnerableandhelplesstothepowerof
menduetothisstereotypicalbelief,whichc reatestheinaccurateconclusionthatfemalesmay
appropriatelybeviewedassexualobjectsforthepleasureofmaleconsumption(CapellaEtAl,
37).Themediasuseofovertlysexualgesturestowardwomenreinforcesandinfluencesthe
sexualizationofwomeninsociety.Ourculturetodayholdsagreatdealofresponsibilityforthe
stereotypicalqualitieswomenareexpectedtopresent.Womenarepresentedasdependent,
ornamentalobjectswhoseprimaryfunctionsaretolookgood[and]pleasemen(Wood,33).The
mediaobjectifieswomenbecausetheyareseenasinferiortomen,thereforetheymustserveto
meetalltheirneeds,sexualandotherwise.Thisideaofwomenandfemininityasweakand
helplesshascreatedthepathwayforviolenceagainstwomeninoursociety.
Theviolenceagainstwomenthatispresentedinmanyadvertisements,suchastheJimmy
Chooimage,canbedirectlylinkedtotheflawedgenderrolesoursocietyhasconstructed.
Societyasawholedegradesandbelittlesfemininequalities.Thisdegradationofwomenbegins

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whenparentsareteachingtheiryoungsonsanddaughtersaboutgendernorms.Sonsaretaughtto
bestronganddominantovergirls.Parentsdoeverythingintheirpowertoestablishgenderwith
theirsonsanddistancethemfromfemininity(Kane,95).Althoughindoingthis,parentsraise
youngboysintomenwhohaveastrongsenseofsuperiorityoverwomen.Thismayleadto
increasedviolenceagainstwomenbecausetheybelievethattheyarepredominantanddeserve
power.IntheJimmyChooadvertisement,thewomanlooksasthoughshehasbeenrapedor
murderedandthrownintothetrunkofacar,themansittingnexttoherwithaverypleasedlook
onhisface.Imagessuchasthisinfluencethenormalizationofviolenceagainstwomenin
society.Thevastmajorityofviolentcrimesarecommittedbymen.Oursocietybelievesthat
malesareinnatelyaggressiveandcompetitiveandthereforewilldominateoverfemales
(Devor,43).Thisisusedasjustificationforthefactthatmenarecommittingviolentcrimes
againstwomen,andothermen,atalarmingrates.Menarebelievedtobenaturallymore
aggressiveandangrythanwomenduetobiologicaldifferences.Althoughmenandwomenhave
manybiologicaldifferences,menareencouragedtobestronganddominantoverwomenandin
turnbecomeincreasinglyviolenttoasserttheirdominanceandpower.Themediasportrayalof
sexualizedviolenceinadvertisementsmaytriggerorprompttheseaggressivescriptsandactas
positivereinforcementforpreviouslyheldattitudes(CapellaEtAl,39).Theaggressionand
violencethatisportrayedbythemediaprovokesandincitesmentoactoutthebrutalviolence
theyareexposedtobythemediaeachandeveryday.Manydepictionsofrelationshipsbetween
menandwomenemphasisetraditionalrolesandnormalizeviolenceagainstwomen(Wood,31).
Modernsocietyhasbegunton ormalizethehostilityandcombativenessofmen.Personal
relationshipsbetweenmenandwomenoftenbecomeviolent,a ndresearchhasshownthatif

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depictedrelationshipsinvolveaggressiveorviolentbehavior,thenthesevaluesmaylikelybe
adoptedbyaudiencemembers(Capellaetal39).Somanyaspectsoftodayssocietyare
influencedbythenormalizationofviolenceagainstwomen,itcanbeseeninmovies,social
media,andeveninpersonalrelationships.Thishostilitytowardswomenhasbeguntocreatea
cultureinwesternsocietythatnormalizes,evenencourages,theabuseofwomen.
Whenviolenceagainstwomenissexualizedandglorified,asitisintheJimmyChoo
advertisement,therapeandabuseofwomenisprovokedandencouraged.Sexualassaultisa
seriousissuefacingallwomentoday.Thesocietywehavecreatedthroughtheoversexualization
ofwomeninthemediahasheightenedtheaggressivenatureofmen,normalizedsexualviolence,
andplacedtheblamevictimsratherthantheirassailantsthisisrapeculture.Womenhave
alwaysbeendescribedbymeninpowerfulpositionsasweak,dependent,submissiveand
overemotional.Femininitywasconstructedaroundtheideathatwomenarenothingmorethana
setofreproductiveorgans( Hubbard,46).Thishasleadmentobelievethatwomenwillalways
bewillingtointeractinsexualactivityforthepurposeofreproduction.Theideathatinorderto
befeminineawomanmustcommunicatetheavailabilityforsexualoremotionalservice,has
alsoconditionedmentoexpectanddemandsexualservicefromwomenduetotheinfluenceof
themediaportrayingwomenassexualizedobjects( Devor,41).Throughthissetofbeliefsthe
rapecultureinsocietyhasgrownandprogressed.Consequently,falsenotionsregardingsexual
assaulthavearisenthroughoutthenation.Womenarebeingheldresponsiblefortheviolenceand
sexualabusetheyexperience,asifitistheirobligationtoprotectthemselvesratherthansociety's
dutytofindawaytocombatsexualviolenceagainstwomen.Inoursociety,rapistsassumelittle
tonoresponsibilityfortheiraggressiveactions(CapellaEtAl,37).Althoughnoonewould

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arguethatsexualassaultisaheinouscrime,itisnotproperlydealtwithinoursociety.Menare
obligatedbysociety'sdefinitionofmasculinitytoexudestrength,confidence,anddominance
overallothersaroundthem.Althoughthisflawedpracticehascreatedamaliciousselffulfilling
prophecy,resultingfromthefactthatthequalitiesthatmenareurgedtoexemplify
(aggressiveness,dominance,sexuality,andstrength)areidenticaltothoselinkedtotheabuseof
women(Wood,36).Thecombinationofsocietalinfluencestobemasculineandthemedias
sexualizationofviolencecreatesaculturethatiscenteredaroundbrutalityandabuse.Images
suchastheJimmyChooadvertisementinciteviolentactionsandtendenciesinmenbecausethey
aspiretobestrong,dominantandconfidentinthemselves.JimmyChoo,andmanyother
companies,areinstigatingthebrutalsexualviolenceofmenwithcontroversialmarketing
strategies.
Thesexualizationofviolenceagainstwomenthroughthemediahasimpactedoursociety
negatively.TheJimmyChooimageisundoubtedlyglorifyingeverythingthatisflawedinour
societysbeliefsregardingmasculinity,femininity,andviolence.Although,ithasbeensaidthat
thecauseofthisviolenceandrageinsociety,mainlyinmen,issimplybiologicaldifferences.We
liveinaculturethatcentralizesmediaandentertainmentaroundbrutalityandaggression.This
fixationevokesaggression,sexualassault,andcrimeinsociety.However,ifthecauseof
violencewassolelybiological,allmenwouldcommitviolentcrimesagainstwomen.Yet,thisis
notthecaseonlymenwhohavepredisposedtendenciesofaggressioncommitcrimesofthis
natureafterincreasedexposuretosexualizedviolenceinthemedia.T
heauthorMichaelCapella
deliniatesthisinhisresearchasheconcludesthattheevidence[hegathered]istangentialand
suggeststhatanyemphasisondominanceandaggressionbymenbasedonstereotypicalsex

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rolescausesdevelopmentofrapepermissiveattitudes(Capellaetal39).Thedepictionof
womenassexualizedobjectsleadsmen,andsocietyasawhole,tonormalizeandaccept
violenceagainstwomen,suchassexualassaultordomesticabuse.Thisconcepthasbecome
evidentintheJimmyChooadvertisement,andmanyotherimagesproducedbythemedia,as
theyexaggerateandfurtherthedevelopmentoftheevergrowingrapecultureweliveintoday.
TheadvertisementbyJimmyChoocentralizesaroundmaledominanceoverwomenand
thesexualizationofviolence.Theimagedepictedahelplesswomanwhohadbeenmurdered,or
raped,byastrong,confidentman.Imagessuchasthispromotetheviolenceagainstwomenthat
oursocietystruggleswitheveryday.Whilemenareexpectedtoexpressthemselvesinwaysthat
portraydominance,strengthandaggression,thesequalitiesaredirectlylinkedtotheabuseof
women.Consequently,thesexualizationofwomeninthemediahasalsocontributedtothe
objectificationandabuseofwomen.Theerroneousbeliefsandnormsoftodayssocietyhave
contrivedtherapecultureweassociatewithsexualizedviolence.Theimagecreatedtoadvertise
productsfromJimmyChooistrulypromotingideasofviolenceagainstwomen.

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WorksCited
Capella,L.MichaelEtAl.TheImpactofViolenceAgainstWomeninAdvertisements.The
JournalofAdvertising,vol.39,December2010,3739.Routledge(Taylor&Francis
Group),h ttp://dx.doi.org/10.2753/JOA00913367390403
Devor,Aaron.BecomingMembersofSociety:TheSocialMeaningsofGender.C
omposing
Gender,Ed.RachaelGronerandJohnF.OHara,Bedford/St.Martins,2014.4043.
Hubbard,Ruth.RethinkingWomensBiology.C
omposingGender,Ed.RachaelGronerand
JohnF.OHara,Bedford/St.Martins,2014.46.
Kane,Emily.NoWayMyBoysAreGoingtobeLikeThat:ParentsResponsestoChildrens
GenderNonconformity.ComposingGender,Ed.RachaelGronerandJohnF.OHara,
Bedford/St.Martins,2014.95.
Wood,T.Julia.GenderedMedia:TheInfluenceofMediaonViewsofGender.G
endered
Lives:Communication,Gender,andCulture,Stampford,CT:CengageLearning,2015.
3136.
JimmyChooAdvertisement.T
heAdvertisingArchives,2006,
www.advertisingarchives.co.uk/en/page/show_home_page.html.