"The Codes of Gender" - A Brief Summary and Analysis

The film The Codes of Gender provides a deep dive into how the structure of gender is developed within our modern society. In particular, there is a deep analysis of how photography featured within advertisements create a two-gendered society, with distinct differences between the two. There are several specific examples used as to how in this structure, clear definitions of "masculine" and "feminine" are created, portrayed, and upheld.

Examples from the Film

Women will often be shown prone in order to emphasize submissivity. Image via Pixnio.

For one, women in photos used in advertising more often than not are shown as submissive to men. They appear in positions that portray them as weak and sexualized in contrast to men, who are strong and ready for anything. Note that there are some times in which this is slightly strayed away from, such as female action movie roles, but it almost always leads back to a state of sexualization.

The woman in this image is once again in a weak position and not incredibly alert. Image via CreativeCommons.

Second, women are often detached from the situation, almost unaware of their surroundings. Men, on the other hand, are always alert and watching intently for anything of note.

Compared to women, men are always shown upright, alert, and with a grown-up demeanor. Image via Pixnio.

Finally, women are portrayed to have a connection with their childhood, with adults dressing and acting like a child (and vice versa). This is not the case for men, who are always distinctly grown-up and far from their days of childhood.

Further Thoughts

There is a clear standard in the body types of the women featured in advertising. Image via CreativeCommons.

When looking at these examples, I can't help but think about how all of them seem to try to promote a single standard of beauty. Almost every image I have come across shows a woman that is incredibly skinny and with absolutely no imperfections to be seen. Indeed, a study conducted in London showed that almost half of all women surveyed indicated that the depiction of women in advertising made them feel pushed to match that standard of beauty (Simpson, 2017). There is little doubt that this is done "not only to promote slim equals beautiful, but also to suggest slim is the only beauty" ("Brands sending unrealistic images", 2014).

Connecting with Foucault

With all of this in mind, there is something to be said about last week's discussion on Foucault and how it ties into these advertisements. There are certainly very strong normative powers at play here, with these advertisements pushing, promoting, and reinforcing societal norms and encouraging others to do the same. Power is indeed everywhere, and advertising allowing this two-gendered, hierarchical society to prosper is just one example of that.

Works Cited

Brands sending unrealistic images to young women. (2014, July 31st.) Marketing-Interactive. https://www.marketing-interactive.com/brands-sending-unrealistic-images-to-young-women.

Simpson, A. (2017, March 8th.) 49 per cent of women think advertising puts pressure on them. WeAreTheCity. https://wearethecity.com/49-per-cent-women-think-advertising-puts-pressure/.