PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN ADVERTISING INDUSTRY OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Advertising is one of the most powerful and effective tool that directly affect the buying behavior of consumers also it shapes people's perception of beauty, gender roles, and societal norms. Women representation and their objectification in advertisements have received attention throughout the world in general and particular in Pakistan. In Pakistan, the advertising industry has historically depicted women in stereotypical and objectified roles, perpetuating gender inequality and reinforcing traditional gender roles. In many Pakistani advertisements, portrayal of women is as subservient and passive with dependency upon men. Furthermore, women are often sexualized and objectified in advertisements, reducing them to mere objects of desire. This study emphasizes that how media build objectified descriptions of beauty gadget of desire, leisure rather than human. This study argues that how the stress of beauty and perfection build by media can be harmful for women and especially for young girls. This study discus the ethical issues of operating women as a sexual object by advertisers in marketing industry. This study also discuss despite these negative trends, there are some positive developments in the advertising industry in Pakistan. Some advertisements have started to challenge traditional gender roles by showing women in non-traditional roles and promoting gender equality. However, these examples are still few and far between. A semeiotic analysis through purposive sampling technique has been adopted to analyze the data.

Keywords: Sexual Objectifications, Famine Beauty, Women in Advertisements, Gender, Stereotype.