Progress?

It is common knowledge that women have notoriously been sexualized and objectified in the media, especially in the advertisement industry. Many, however, would like to say progress has been made and would like to move onto new topics of discussion. 

A disclaimer: This post contains heavy sarcasm, this is not with the intention to demean this topic. I believe in women's rights and I am an avid feminist. I can't believe that in some places, even in our country, people accept what is fed to them through media and the advertisement industry without any real thought to what they are experiencing. 

Let's take a look into the past...

Here we see portrayed the idea that to be a man is the ultimate goal and the ultimate service to one's country. What more could you possibly want?
I believe that women are strong. This piece of propaganda is just one of many that suggest women are inferior to men because they are weak. This image is suggesting that men should join the navy because it is a manly thing to do and women should support men in this goal because if they were a man then they would be joining to. But women are not men.
(https://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/09/these-45-shockingly-sexist-vintage-ads-will-make-you-glad-to-live-in-2013/)

You didn't know a woman's place was in the kitchen? Well now you do!

I believe that women have purpose. I do not believe that a woman or any human being for that matter should be subject to a limited amount of possibilities for their life. This Hardee's ad suggests that women have one purpose, I do not believe this to be the case. Women have a right to choose where they wish to spend their time and invest their efforts.

(https://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/09/these-45-shockingly-sexist-vintage-ads-will-make-you-glad-to-live-in-2013/)

What more could you want? You can still complete all the housework you were born to do and have a slim slender figure to please your man!

I believe that all women are beautiful. This image depicts the commonly accepted social concept that women need to have a certain body while simultaneously maintaining the home. Women are beautiful in all shapes and sizes.

(https://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/09/these-45-shockingly-sexist-vintage-ads-will-make-you-glad-to-live-in-2013/)

 Congratulations! If you were born female then you were born to serve the superior gender!

I believe that women are independent. A woman is not a man's servant. She should be able to choose her own path in life and should not be subject to the will of someone else. It is never right for one human to have dominion over another.

(https://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/09/these-45-shockingly-sexist-vintage-ads-will-make-you-glad-to-live-in-2013/)

I just can't with this one. It's like if you give a mouse a cookie then he'll want some milk, if you give a girl some implied sex she'll be your loyal servant.
I believe that women are in control of their sexuality. Women have the right to choose what they are attracted to. By suggesting that it is easy to gain a woman's affections by blowing cigarette smoke in her face is a vial and horrific notion. 

(https://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/09/these-45-shockingly-sexist-vintage-ads-will-make-you-glad-to-live-in-2013/)

But progress has been made! Right?

Let's take a look at our progress:

A vogue vanity advertisement. What message does this give today's women? What message does it give to the man? Violence is acceptable? Women must be subjected to the probing and force of men?
I believe that women should stand up for themselves. It bothers me terribly when women subject themselves to images like the one depicted above. In this vogue vanity photo this woman has lost control of her situation. She has succumb to the will of the man and does not seem to be in a position where she is comfortable or respected. 

(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/331577591297258951/)

A jewelry company sends the message that a woman will not commit to sex unless she has the promise of a long term commitment. The solution? Propose! Then you can have all the sex you want! 

I believe that women have the right to be respected. This advertisement is so incredibly suggestive. Women are told that if they have sex before marriage then they are a slut. If they wait until marriage they are a prude. Why do these labels exist? Why can't people respect others' choices and understand that each individual's take on reality may be different but that that does not make them wrong? 

(http://www.newsactivist.com/en/articles/gendered-world-views-fall-2016-section-9/never-again-natan)

American Apparel is known for having suggestive and promiscuous advertisements but this takes it too far. The image above showing a woman and a man in a flannel is great right? Unisex clothing that does not belong to either gender. But the man's is buttoned up & he is wearing pants while his fellow female model is practically naked and essentially wearing the flannel just to cover her nipples. It's ridiculous that to sell clothing the woman must be sexualized in order to make the fabric barely covering her body more appealing. This second ad reduces a woman to her legs and is also extremely suggestive. Open legs=??? Sex! You know you just can't sell clothing unless you make it sexy! 

(http://www.americanapparel.com/en/)

Never fear, the jewelry and fashion industries are not the only businesses that sexualize women to make their products more appealing. The food industry does as well! Phew! That was close! They almost missed out on the bandwagon. 

(http://uofh1304ateleventhirty.blogspot.com/2011/04/burger-king-blowing-your-mind-or-your.html)

Want to know how to be a perfect woman? Here you go ladies. Men's Health magazine gathered all "relevant" data to figure out the perfect formula for what you should be. So be sure to follow these 11 steps because otherwise you could end up alone and we all know a woman cannot survive by herself! 

(http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/11-qualities-of-the-perfect-woman)

So, you decide. How much progress have we made?

The following video is a clip from the film Mona Lisa Smile, which was released on December 19, 2003. The movie is set in 1953 with a woman from California coming to teach at Wellesley college. She is under the impression that she is coming to a place of progress, a place where she and her futuristic ambitions for women will be welcomed with open arms. To her disappointment she discovers that Wellesley is no better than a glorified finishing school preparing its students for marriage. She tries to be an influence for change but one of her students will not stand for her west coast shenanigans. This student writes an article in the school paper about how this teacher threatens the essence of what it means to be a Wellesley girl. This clip shows how her class goes the day after this article is released. 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-XR3cMPd5I&t=10s)

What will the future generations think of us when they look at the way women are portrayed in our media? I do not mean to say that no progress has been made in regards to women, their rights, and the way they are treated in society, however, there are still many improvements that need to be made.