Sunday, February 27, 2011

9. Stereotype persistence in the media:


Wonderbra Ad. Available http://www.inboxity.com/view.asp?id=483&title=I-can%27t-cook.-Who-cares?-Wonderbra. February 28, 2011.

The media is a prominent force in shaping the world’s perceptions of gender, race, cultural norms and other stereotypes. Wonderbra, produced an ad clearly promoting female stereotypes. The advertisement shows an attractive woman, wearing their Wonderbra product; across her chest bold script reads, “I can’t cook. Who cares?”
The ad plays on the female domestic stereotype that women are supposed to be domestic servants.1 It speculates that all women know how to cook; if they are not Martha Stewart they are considered defective.  The message they want to convey is, wearing this bra will make your body attractive and miraculously diminish your flaws. This advertisement also assumes women are fulfilled by domestic life, to escape this realm you must be glamorous.
This advertisement is just one example of negative female stereotypes found in the media. The media has a powerful influence on society’s perception of women and how they view themselves.


1. Lester, Paul Martin. Visual Communication: Images with Messages (Belmont: Thompson Wadsworth, 2005), 99-101.

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