Morales1

IngridMorales
ProfessorBeadle
English115
October30,2016
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
fortherapecultureinoursociety.Imagessuchasthishighlightthesexualizationofviolence
againstwomenthatisencouragingandinfluencingtherapecultureweliveintoday.

Todaysmediaportrayswomenasoversexualizedobjectsinordertoadvertizeandsell
products.TheJimmyChooadvertisementiscenteredaroundascantilydressedwomanintall
highheelshoes.Womenattempttolookanddresslikethemodelsinmanyadvertisementsfor
theacceptanceandapprovalofmen.Theoversexualizatonofwomenhasledmentoidolizeand
desirewomenwhopresentthemselvesassolelysexualobjects.Oursocietyfocusessocloselyon

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womengettingmarriedandhavingchildren,theyarerequiredtodress,move,speak,andactin
waysthatmenwillfindattractive.(Devor,40)Asmensdesireschangewiththeinfluenceof
media,womenareforcedtoconformtoandemulatetheimageofanattractivewoman.
Femininityingeneralcanbedescribedasbestsuitedtosatisfyamasculinevisionof
heterosexualattractiveness.(Devor,41)Inorderforwomentoproperlyfulfillafemininerole,
theymustsatisfytheneedsandwantsofmen.AsshownbytheJimmyChooadvertisement,
womenareseentobevulnerableandhelplesstothepowerofmen.Thisstereotypecreatesthe
inaccurateconclusionthatfemalesmayappropriatelybeviewedassexualobjectsforthe
pleasureofmaleconsumption.(CapellaEtAl,37)Themediasuseofovertlysexualgestures
towardwomenreinforcesandinfluencesthesexualizationofwomeninsociety.Ourculture
todayholdsagreatdealofresponsibilityforthestereotypicalqualitieswomenareexpectedto
present.Womenarepresentedasdependent,ornamentalobjectswhoseprimaryfunctionsareto
lookgood[and]pleasemen.(Wood,33)Themediaobjectifieswomenbecausetheyareseenas
inferiortomen,thereforetheymustservetomeetalltheirneeds,sexualandotherwise.Thisidea
ofwomenandfemininityasweakandhelplesshascreatedthepathwayforviolenceagainst
womeninoursociety.

Theviolenceagainstwomeninthatispresentedinmanyadvertisements,suchasthe
JimmyChooimage,canbedirectlylinkedtotheflawedgenderrolesoursocietyhasconstructed.
Societyasawholedegradesandbelittlesfemininequalities.Thisdegradationofwomenbegins
whenparentsareteachingtheiryoungsonsanddaughtersaboutgendernorms.Sonsaretaughtto
bestronganddominantovergirls.Parentsdoeverythingintheirpowertoestablishgenderwith

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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)
Modernsocietyhasbeguntonormalizedthehostilityandcombativenessofmen.Personal
relationshipsbetweenmenandwomenoftenbecomeviolent,itissocommonthatwomen
everywherearestrugglingtofindwaystoprotectthemselves.Somanyaspectsoftodayssociety

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isinfluencedbythenormalizationofviolenceagainstwomen,itcanbeseeninmovies,social
media,andevenpersonalrelationships.

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
arguethatsexualassaultisaheinouscrime,itisnotproperlydealtwithinoursociety.Menare
obligatedbysociety'sdefinitionofmasculinitytoexudestrength,confidence,anddominance

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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.TheJimmyChoo
advertisement,andmanyotherimagesproducedbythemedia,playalargeroleintheever
growinganddevelopingrapecultureweliveintoday.

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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.