In most of the Indian advertisements, women appear to cater to domestic and beauty products. While men are shown as taking important decisions and calling out the big shots, women are mostly confined to fulfilling household commitments. In 2021, UNICEF made a statement that: Indian ads promote Gender Stereotypes instead of products. The "MEN WILL BE MEN" approach has crept into our houses through such ads. These ads need to be reformed in order to bring change in the perspective of people for women.

1. GENDER STEREOTYPES
IN ADVERTISING
Disclaimer : The aim behind including some pictures in this presentation is not to promote any sort of obscenity or damage
the reputation of any Company brand, but to portray the harsh reality of SEXIST Ads.

2. “Advertisements guide thinking, action and behaviour because people accept
mainstream ideas through visuals. The most crucial of these is what it means
TO BE A MAN OR A WOMAN. Ideas about how to feel, dress, look and
behave and how to interact with other men and women is the bedrock of culture
in which we live”
Indian advertisements promoting gender stereotypes instead of
products: UNICEF
Source: Article in THE HINDU published on Apr. 22, 2021

3. Male Stereotypes
• Males dominate sports related advertisements.
• Powerful image of men in advertising. They are mostly showed as the sole bread
winners.
PUMA ad by
Virat
BOOST ad by
Sachin and
Sehwag
LIC of India ad where a
middle aged woman is
grateful to her deceased
husband for taking life
insurance which made it
possible for her to educate
the children, marry their
daughter and run the
household the after death
of her husband
CEAT Tyres ad
Most of ads related
to cars and other
automobiles show
men on the driving
seat

4. • “Men will be men”
Over the years, Seagrams Imperial Blue portrayed women as objects of desire and
dehumanized men to an extent that they think it is okay for men to be greedy,
possessive, full of lust and materialistic.

5. Female Stereotypes
• ‘Stay at home’ role
Woman with six hands!!!
This popular MTR ad reinforces the
idea that it is the woman who is
supposed to take care of all needs
and wants of the household.
An ad of government which apparently
asks to stop female foeticide, so that the
girl survives to cook food for the family
The advertisements always depict women doing household chores and activities like
cooking, cleaning, shopping kitchen appliances, taking care of their children, etc.

6. • Women in ads meant for men
Man force condom ad Cobra Deodorant ad Close up toothpaste ad
 Deodorant and condom ads have tried to stimulate men by presenting women as one-
dimensional objects of sexual desire
 These ads have always featured under-clothed women
 When a man sprays a particular brand of deodorant, the women are drawn to him like
metal to magnet.

7. Observations
• Female characters – represented as housewives, decorative objects or sexually
provocative figures
• Today the women are playing a diversified role in socio-economic context in the society.
• Hence, the portrayal of women in advertising is an issue that has received a great deal of
attention.
• Advertising has been criticized for stereotyping women and failing to recognize the
changing role of women in our society.
• Gender stereotyping in ads has varied a little over the period of time.

8. Other literature
Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media has released a study titled “Gender Bias and Inclusion in Advertising in
India”. The research measures over 1,000 television and YouTube advertisements aired across India in 2019. The ads
analyzed were those that received the most reach.
Key observations of the study
Features of advertisements
More likely
Female Male
Screen time ✔
Speaking time ✔
Married character ✔
Parenthood ✔
Decision making and future planning ✔
Shopping ✔
Cleaning ✔
Light / medium skin tone ✔
Invariably thin body ✔
Strong muscular look and biceps ✔

9. “Misrepresentation and harmful stereotypes of women in advertising have a
significant impact on women — and young girls — and how they view
themselves and their value to society. While we do see female representation
dominate in Indian ads, they are still marginalized by colourism,
hypersexualization and without careers or aspirations outside of the home”
Geena Davis, American actress
&
Founder, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

10. Indian ads that broke gender stereotypes
Havell's 'Hawa Badlegi’
A couple is sitting at a registrar's office.
Instead of the wife changing her surname after
their marriage, her husband expresses his wish to
take the wife's last name.
LINK FOR THIS AD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Ix2_-_-sg
Ariel's 'Share The Load’
A father watches his daughter managing her office
work and household chores. After instrospecting his
own role at house, he tries to bring a positive
change in the family.
He agrees to share laundry duties with his wife.
This ad is a perfect challenge to gender stereotypes
in our society.
LINK FOR THIS AD -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwW0X9f0mME

11. Titan Raga: '#Her_Life_Her_Choices’
The ad shows us a strong and independent woman who is
capable of making her own life choices. She has aspirations
and is not afraid to take control of her life in her hands.
LINK FOR THIS AD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXRobOjVI9s
Airtel-Boss
This ad features a modern day couple. The woman is a
multi-tasker who handles her office and juniors at work
(one of her juniors is her own husband). She comes back
home to prepare food for her husband who is still at
workplace on her own orders.
The ad beautifully portrays a relationship where a
woman knows how to handle her work and personal life.
LINK FOR THIS AD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9BlI9nhqTE

12. Ford
The woman in the ad, Kalki Koechlin, shows that she
loves Raksha Bandhan and also tells us that she is
capable of looking after herself and her safety.
The ad beautifully portrays that a modern day woman
doesn't just depend on her brother but also takes the
wheels in her own hands with a dependable safe car like
Ford EcoSport.
LINK FOR THIS AD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJzE96tk7nM
Myntra - Bold Is Beautiful
This very simple yet powerful ad hits the nail on the
head.
Debunking the old rules to make her own way, Radhika
Apte shows us how bold is beautiful and it should be a
philosophy we should live by.
LINK FOR THIS AD - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz5rAFAvqCs

13. Mihir M. Desai
MA-MSC (2021-23) batch
Roll No. 2
+91-9930358681
desaimihir2000@gmail.com