Content Analysis: Gender Stereotypes in Cosmetic Television Advertisements in French-speaking Belgium.

Abstract

In 2015, the population witnessed the creation of the 17 goals of the United Nations sustainable development program, the goal of which is to improve by 2030 the daily lives of all people in the world as well as to protect the planet. One of the 17 goals is gender equality. In recent decades, progress has been made in this area. Considering this progress, it is therefore surprising to observe that in the world of advertising, there are still several stereotypical issues. Women in advertising are under-represented, and when it is not the case, they are represented as someone dependent, unemployed, with an ideal body, usually sexualized or even victimized, whereas men are portrayed in roles of authority or dominance. Their bodies are also eroticized. Is it therefore possible to avoid exposure to advertisements and therefore their consequences? According to some authors, “we cannot escape it”, but it is possible at least to improve the thoughts and increase the awareness of the existence of these gender stereotypes. This research thesis will focus on the presence or absence of gender stereotypes in French-speaking television advertisements for cosmetic products in Belgium and will only focus on economically gendered cosmetic products which are products with a gender differentiation while meeting exactly the same needs.