Media Portrayal of Lesbianism - Advertising

Advertising

The Millennium has brought forth new types of modern advertising. There has been a shift towards highly sexualised and sexually explicit advertising materials in print, fashion, art, music, television, and movies. It would seem that most advertisements featuring two or more women have a negative context to them. They almost possess a soft-core pornographic theme to them.

Gill (2008) presents a shift in the representation of women by breaking advertising segments down into several different identities. Of the three, the most common in female advertisements is the “hot lesbian”. The “hot lesbian” identity is normally conceived from the mindset of a heterosexual man. The ads portray the fantasy of two or more extremely beautiful, lesbian women (usually thin, white, blond hair, larger breasts) engaging in “suggestive” lesbian behaviour, or flat out sexual activity to sell products or an image. Many of these women are not actual lesbians, but heterosexual women modelling for pay. There are many notable examples of ads portraying hot lesbians in them (Versace clothing, Skyy Blue Vodka, Pornstar clothing, Nikon camera, American Apparel clothing, Calvin Klein products, Miller Light beer, etc.). However, there is a double standard given that the very same group of people who enjoy this form of lesbianism would be completely disgusted by homosexuality portrayed in the same manner. The reason for this is the ads are never about furthering lesbian rights, identity, or equality. Gill (2008) argues the hot lesbian is “constructed primarily for a straight male gaze” and “designed for male titillation” (p. 50). The ads are directed towards heterosexual male fantasy (or heterosexual women), and the idea of joining in on the fun, or simply watching. Women in modern advertisements must be seen as sexy, beautiful, and desirable. They must be shown to be sexually available and experienced. They must produce a fantasy to sell products to mostly male viewers. In doing so, many women believe they must portray a certain character by being lesbian, but also show as much of their bodies as possible in order to show value.

Sender (1999), Ingebretsen (1999), and Bhat et al. (1998) point out that there are advertisers who do use gay and lesbian models to promote directly to the gay and lesbian community, but wish to remain innocuous to heterosexuals. Gay and lesbian advertisers do not actively pursue national recognition (which is essentially to a much larger demographic of heterosexuals) mostly due to fear and criticism. However, some very notable corporations such as, “Sony, Toyota, Microsoft, Levi's, Banana Republic, American Express, Miller, and Absolut now commonly use gay media. Some firms (IKEA, Calvin Klein, Benetton) have gone further into using homosexual imagery in advertising to more general audiences” (Bhat et al., 1998, p. 10). The gay and lesbian advertisers should be creating ads that appeal to all sexual preferences, even though this may be easier said than done. The gay and lesbian advertisers must go beyond their select audience for ad campaigns targeting gays and lesbians to look at the inclusion, instead of exclusion, of heterosexuals. Sender (1999) suggests that on the heterosexual side, “images which are arousing for lesbians, but which may not have originally been intended for, may actually offer greater pleasure than those which are implicitly coded to suggest a lesbian reading” (p. 191). If such is the case for “hot lesbian” advertisements, then there is nothing to say that actual lesbian advertisements might find heterosexuals left wanting something as well from them.

Academics such as Diamond (2005) Wirthlin (2009) take exception to the role of “hot lesbian” in advertisements, and what has turned lesbianism into a commodity. As Diamond (2005) states, “media representations signal a new appreciation and celebration of women’s sexual freedom and diversity. On the other hand this is not necessarily the case…by portraying it as a fashionable ‘add on’ to otherwise conventional heterosexuality” (p. 105). They argue that women view these advertisements and images as a true reflection of what it is to be lesbian, thus making it much harder for real lesbians to acknowledge their sexuality. Furthermore, Wirthlin (2009) points out that, “In order to resist this we must first recognize the ubiquitous presence of “fad” lesbian images and then problematize their use in popular culture. Next, there needs to be an active resistance against these images through counterculture advertisements and the performative act of resistance, such as through the act of writing as oneself, by utilizing multiple voices and subjectivities” (p. 113). In both academics view, lesbian or bi-sexual women must be sure of what media means to them, and call into question things that do not appear “authentic”. Lesbians must also be educated on the topic of the “hot lesbian”, and ensure they do not fall into the “heteronormative appropriation” of advertising’s effects.

Jhally (1989) and Jackson (2009) on the other hand do not see the portrayal of women being objectified as commodity or “hot lesbians” necessarily wrong. Not in the literal sense, but advertisements are reflective of what our views are. In turn, this may open up women who were unsure of their sexuality (even though most lesbians would state that they were lesbians from birth) and let them experiment without the boundaries. As an example, older advertisements from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s are made up of ideologies of what men wanted, and what they believed to be their ultimate dreams. Those ads supposedly portrayed what women dreamed about, when really this was only because they were being told what to dream about by men. Women were just heterosexual in everyone’s eyes, as being lesbian was a major taboo during that time. Lesbians were always in the background, just not front-and-centre. Nowadays, you have postfeminist women who want to be free from labels, experiment sexually, and use fashionable lesbianism in advertising as it does not affect their heterosexual ways. It has become a “fad”, or “cool” to be bi-curious, or tri-sexual. This in turn may open up other avenues for women who were once shunned upon. Sexuality and gender have been elevated to a privileged position in our cultural discourse, and thus powerful media campaigns only further this cause. It is natural that the “hot lesbian” would be at the forefront because sex always sells, and the “hot lesbian” theme in advertising is what is taking place now. As such, people can view the advertisements as just advertisements, or it can peak their curiosity.