Women, Beauty, & the Media WS10 Discussion questions

Killing Me Softly, dir. Jean Kilbourne (2000)

Mirror, Mirror, dir. Jan Krawitz (1990)

While and after viewing these films, consider the questions below. Write down some brief notes for discussion on Monday. This week, keep an eye out for images of women in advertising, and bring in a piece of media exemplifying any of the trends discussed here—objectification, reducing a woman to a single body part, sexualization of youth, etc. By “piece of media,” I mean a magazine ad, a brief written description of a tv commercial or bulletin board, a flyer or pamphlet, anything used to sell. Your example might be a blatant example of objectification, or it might be a company specifically trying a different approach, going against the norm.

  1. How many advertisements do you think you see in a day? Where do you see advertisements? (Think of as many places as possible.)

What makes an advertisement remain in your memory? (images? words? music? phrases?)

  1. Which products are sold using images of women and femininity?
    Which products are sold using images of men and masculinity?
    Are these ever switched around? If so, when?
  2. What products are sold by people of color? What is the setting in these advertisements?
    Kilbourne comments that women of color are disproportionately shown as animalistic and exotic. What does this suggest about the nature of women of color? What effect(s) might this have on the way that others view girls and women of color?
  3. What products are sold using sexuality? Why do you think advertisers use sexuality to sell? Can you identify typical marketing strategies that use sexuality to sell?
  4. Advertisements rarely feature women over the age of 35, and there are many advertisements for beauty products that claim to help women look young, even when they no longer are. What does this suggest about older women? Are these ideas supported or countered elsewhere in society?
  5. Do advertisers have a responsibility to society? Why? Why not?
    What does it mean to be a consumer? A conscious consumer?
  6. How does Kilbourne link media images to violence against women?
  1. In her closing comments, Jean Kilbourne states that change will depend upon "an aware, active, educated public that thinks of itself primarily as citizens rather than primarily as consumers." What does it mean to think of oneself primarily as a citizen rather than primarily a consumer? Can one be both a citizen and a consumer? How?

Some key numbers from the video:

  • In 1979, companies spent $20 billion on advertising. In 1999, companies spent $180 billion on advertising.
  • The average American views 3000 advertisements in a day.
  • The average American will spend 3 years of his or her life watching television commercials.
  • One recent study of fourth grade girls found that 80% of them were on diets.
  • Four out of five women are dissatisfied with their appearance.
  • Almost half of American women are on a diet on any given day.
  • Americans spend more than $36 billion dollars on dieting and diet-related products each year.
  • 95% of all dieters regain the weight they lost, and more, within five years.
  • 1 in 4 women will be raped in her lifetime. (U.S. Dept. of Justice, March 1998)
  • 66-80% of victims know their offender. (FBI, 1990)
  • More than 50% of all women will experience violence from intimate partners. (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1992)
  • Wife beating results in more injuries requiring medical treatment than rape, auto accidents, and muggings combined.
  • 30% of women murdered in the U.S. are murdered by their husbands, ex-husbands or boyfriends. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1995)