Critical Analysis of Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt by Jean Kilbourne Article

Critical Analysis of Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt by Jean Kilbourne - Article Example Portraying women as seductive and helpless reaffirms the notion that men are superior to women in an already male-dominated culture. This does not help the cause of women fighting for equal rights, opportunities, wages and representation in the real world. Jean Kilbourne’s main hypothesis is that using women as objects of sex appeal in advertisements to promote consumer products objectifies them, shows them as commodities that are easily available, makes their position vulnerable and exposes them to aggression. She has used several examples of advertisements that expose women to near pornographic depiction and shows women as having little resistance towards male attraction. She claims that using woman’s body as an object to enhance sales of commodities like perfumes, some companies use women in erotic, fantasy settings which in reality have no bearing with the product they are endorsing. However, the advertisements leave images of nude women in the minds of customers who start to associate perfumes with these models and in a bid to be like them, buy more perfume. So what is meant to be a delicate olfactory experience is converted into a visual stimulant quite disassociated from the product. For an advertisement meant to promote a tender and light perfume, the use of nude women is quite unnecessary. According to Kilbourne, images of this kind use women’s bodies as objects of desire rather than the product. It is not surprising then, that women are used as symbols of sex which leads to crimes and harassment against women. These pictures are suggestive and when put up for public display may be taken literally, demeaning the image of women and create confusion in people’s minds about women’s right to say no to unwanted attention.  Ã‚