DISCOVERY SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
Seeing is believing?
Pamela Morris, PhD, studies representations of women in advertising
A Morris
dvertising is powerful. It affects much more than just what we buy—it can also affect how we think of others and of ourselves. Pamela Morris, PhD, researches
the portrayals of women in advertising and how those portrayals are internalized by viewers. Morris, assistant professor of advertising and integrated marketing communications in the School of Communication, believes that both advertising agencies and the public have a responsibility to question the ways women are represented. Generally, Morris says, women are portrayed in
supportive or submissive roles. “They’re also shown smaller than men, indicating less power or impor- tance,” she says. It will not come as news to anyone who has read a magazine or driven past a billboard that depictions of women in advertising are also frequently highly sexualized. “Women are seen laying around
on floors and couches, looking sexually available,” Morris says. She also identifies what she calls “body clowning”: “Women’s bodies are often shown in bizarre posture—
wide open mouths, limbs at unnatural angles. And we barely look twice at it,” Morris says. “Men are not por- trayed this way. Does this mean that we see women as silly or strange?” Morris, who worked in advertising for 20 years and
has great respect for the industry, understands that advertisers have to strike a balance between what the client wants, what is profitable, and what she believes is responsible marketing. She suggests that advertisers start with transparency, and that consum- ers question the images they’re seeing. Although Morris credits companies like Dove, whose “Campaign
Pamela Morris, PhD, calls for more responsible depictions of women in advertising.
for Real Beauty” challenges unattainable beauty standards, she says it’s important to remember that even those depictions are manipulated. “Images in advertising aren’t real,” she says. “Pho- tographers shoot from different angles; they use filters and software to manipulate what people look like. Not everyone knows that.” Morris says that advertisers should not only
be more transparent about the ways they use images of women, but should also start to amend their practices. “Good advertising does not need to create silly images of women,” she says. “Future
practitioners need to ask themselves, ‘What is the ad world doing to people?’ There should be some kind of standard for what they create, so that we can get the message out that you don’t have to judge people, especially women, by how thin their bodies are and how long their legs are.” She argues that this will not only be better for
society, but for the brands advertised. “Sensa- tional advertising does not establish a long-term brand image,” Morris says. “You can capture attention in other ways that are better for the brand.”
30 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
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