representation of women in advertisements

A comparison of how Women are represented in fragrance advertisements from 1970’s, 2008 and 2011

I have chosen to compare three different advertisements (two print and one moving image) depicting the representation of women through different decades of perfume advertising. The three advertisement I have chosen in clue, Charlie (1970 print), Love-struck (2008 print) and Paco Rabanne one million (2011 moving image).

Charlie, print, 1970

The first advertisement I chose was Charlie, released in 1973. The advert represents a young women dressed in smart, masculine clothes that would look suitable for a women or man. She walks with a large stride which is noticeably different to how women usually stood and posed in photographs of them. Usually in perfume advertisements, the women would show themselves as attractive and glamorous, however, this advertisement contradicts this. I think it was refreshing, especially at this time to see women being represented in a new way, it showed that you didn’t have to be dressed in beautiful clothing and posed in a sexual, luring manner to be a women.

You can see men in the background of the image, dressed in similar clothing to the girl, this is to show that men and women are equal. She is also clearly in the middle of the street, perhaps on her way to work not at home cleaning the house or cooking dinner waiting for her husband to return home.