Feminism Used For Advertising

Many ads and movie trailers have been using the powerful feminist movement as a way to attract more people. Ads like the one presented above help attract people who want to support women or feel empowered. Yet this begs the question, is it okay for the media to use such movements as a way to make money? I don't believe it is, however I also have felt the positive impact that the feminist ads can have on people. Some of these ads actually make me feel like I can do anything, but I still believe it is the wrong way to empower and represent people.
The recent Captain Marvel and Aquaman trailers have focused their attention on the strong females in the movies. This of course is not a 'bad' thing, it does help people feel strong and recognized in the media. However, many people believe it is with the wrong motives that these ads and trailers are used. An article on Vox, 'Why "feminist" advertising doesn't make us better feminists', discusses this question. One of the interviewed moms, Sarah Banet-Weiser showed her little girl one of the ads from Cover Girl. Her daughter had a reactions that Sarah did not expect. Her daughter was incredibly empowered by the ad, Sarah had thought that the ad abused the power the feminist movement has. I myself believe these ads are wrong, many of them are only using the feminist movement to sell their product, to advertise their shows or movies. I however, do not deny the empowerment these ads give many people. For instance, the Gillette commercial where it displays the negativeness of the phrase "Boys will be boys". This ad has an amazing message, one that I know everybody needs to hear. Yet, this is still the wrong place for this message, it should not be used as a marketing tactic, it should be used only to impact the people who do not share these opinions, not make money.
In conclusion, ads made by companies like Dove, Cover Girl, and Gillette all have been abusing the power of the feminist movement in order to make money. These ads often help people feel empowered and represented, however the motives for the ads are not to make people feel strong, but to make money. Even I have felt empowered by the trailers for Captain Marvel, where Brie Larson portrays a strong female character, yet I have also realized that this trailer is not purely trying to make me feel empowered. It is trying to get me to watch this movie, buy this product, the messages are good and helpful for people yet the creators of the ads are not trying to help us, they are only trying to make more money.

Comments

  1. NeKayla IrvinApril 27, 2019 at 8:14 PM

    I understand what you are saying and I agree with you, but my question is how do we find a balance? We do not want to feel that we are being manipulated into buying something because it promotes a feminist idea but we also want to make sure that feminism is still represented correctly in media. I believe that the issue lies in the sincerity of the advertiser. Most people would feel better if the ad they were watching that promotes feminism was promoting it because of it views not because "feminism sells".

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