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Extraordinary Women
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Group L
Date c. 1930
Origin Beasain
Brand Legia Euskalduna
Source (DFG) Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa
License Copyleft

Letrero (poster)

Sexism and gender discrimination in advertising have been persistent problems since the birth of modern publicity, although significant changes have occurred in recent decades. The 1950s and 1960s are considered the “golden age” of advertising, but they were also the era of the rise of sexism as a marketing tool.

During this period, women were often portrayed as submissive housewives, with no aspirations other than keeping the house clean and pleasing their husbands. Female sexuality was used as a sales tool for any excuse, turning women into sexual objects. Advertisements perpetuated harmful gender stereotypes, showing men as authority figures and women as subordinates.

Some notoriously sexist ads from the time included advertising that encouraged gender-based violence. One of them is a Lucky for Men ad in Spain, ads that suggested women should “cry a little” to get what they wanted from their husbands or images that showed women in subordinate positions or being groped by men.

Although the situation has improved, sexism in advertising remains a problem. In a 2018 study, Emakunde analyzed 250 ads from Father’s Day and Mother’s Day campaigns, revealing the persistence of sexist undertones in advertising. Advertising continues to assign traditional gender roles, especially in advertisements for cleaning products and household appliances.

In recent years, there have been efforts to address this problem. Some brands, such as Budweiser, which used women’s bodies as posters to display their messages, have revised and updated their old sexist advertisements to reflect more egalitarian values. Awareness of the negative impact of sexist advertising on society has increased. However, despite progress, combating sexism in advertising remains a significant challenge today.

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