Why Car Ads are Sexist

Page 1
Esther Curtin 
Candidate Number: 000713-0019

As an employee in an advertising agency and a feminist at heart, I am absolutely appalled at a recent BMW ad I encountered. The car industry should be ashamed at how shocking this ad is. I was so horrified that I decided to take a closer look into the brand’s campaigns, which led me to the horrifying discovery of BMW’s long history of discriminative advertising.

Source: http://msmagazine.

com/blog/2011/08/29/st

Firstly, let us analyse the atrocious advert, which is shown on the right. Let’s not beat around the bush, the advert is alluring, authoritative and provocative. But we need to ask ourselves, why is this? Is it the elegant car? Is it because it is for BMW, a widely known brand that plays on our ethos? No. There isn’t even a car to be seen. It is in fact the seemingly naked woman who is staring directly. Into. The. Lens. This technique is hardly innocent when it comes to gender equality, especially as the woman looks extremely young. But there is something even more shocking. Just below the woman’s hand that is caressing her chest, there are 11 words. 11 words that are so powerful and so alarming that they would not only antagonise feminists, but women all over the world who strive to be respected and treated as equals to males. 11 words that paint a picture of 1000 words.

Those 11 words are as followed: “You know you’re not the first. But do you really care?” Even though their literal meaning refers to how the cars are as good as new, the comment is clearly a sexual innuendo, saying that the woman depicted has lost her virginity already but is open to further sexual partners. Thus making her a sex object, a common technique the male-orientated industry uses in their adverts. This is also a prime example of the sheer power and authority that language choice holds. The rhetorical question leaves the audience wondering, a) what their personal answer would be, and b) what is the link to cars, if any?

Source: http://pixgood.com/sexist-ad-bmw.html

Now, if that 2008 ad didn’t provoke the feminist inside of you, take a look at one that was released in the 1970s for the BMW Mini Automatic. The 1970s was a decade that was supposedly known as a “pivot of change”, when women were rising in numbers in economics and politics, and the United Kingdom even elected their first and to date only female Prime Minister. This advert depicts a woman with a carefully styled ginger bob, wearing multiple rings, freshly applied polish of a magenta-bubblegum hue and an outfit that exposes her cleavage. Her hands are gripping a steering wheel, and her facial expression implies nervousness or fright. If you haven’t already, can you guess now what BMW is trying to articulate? Yes, thank you. Women are hesitant and doubtful, and I dare say bad drivers, who care more for their appearance than their everyday competence.

Now, as in the 2010 advert, the written text is simply the cherry on top of this disgraceful advert. This time it is 6 words. These 6 words make the message that bit more obvious and therefore that bit more hurtful, “The Mini Automatic. For simple driving.” The word “simple” here is key. It refers to how women cannot handle complex activities and prefer the simplistic way, if any way at all.

As I am working in the advertising industry in the modern day, I am not only horrified by the sexist nature of these ads, but I am also surprised. Feminism has been prominent in society since the suffragettes helped to pass the “Representation of the People Act” in 1918, the entering of American women in the army in 1945 and the more recent support from celebrities, such as Emma Watson’s speech as part of the United Nations HeForShe campaign in September 2014. In spite of this, adverts are still expressing notions of sexism in their pieces. In the context of BMW, their adverts have not changed, and have actually become worse. They have perhaps adapted to the social norms of the modern day by altering the composition and appearance of the advert, but they have not, I repeat have not changed their attitudes towards women. Advertisements exist to entertain and persuade, not to be looked down upon as indecent and vulgar.

Before I conclude this post, I wish to reflect on the adverts with a more open-minded approach without allowing my feminist views to get involved. The language choice in these ads is very specific and minimalistic, but is it successful? That is the question I keep asking myself. The 2010 advert’s “You know you’re not the first. But do you really care?” aggravates me, due to my personal views, preferences and experience. But perhaps to those who do not hold strong views about objectifying women, the words do not produce the same sentiment. Instead, the individual words play on their emotions. The verb “to know”, expressing assertion, along with the pronoun “you” forms an immediate personal bond between the advert and the audience, which thus attracts them to the product, as it feels familiar. Furthermore, from the fragmented sentences “The Mini Automatic. For simple driving” the word “simple” stands out. The audience could be attracted because it touches on the longing for more simplicity in ones life that many people feel.

The language use in these adverts not only shines light on their sexist nature but also targets the audience’s personal sentiments.

Some say, if people are talking about the product, the advertisement has worked. However, on completion of this post I disagree completely. Advertising should undoubtedly be discussed, but not only when the advert is as controversial as these.

I now question the validity of car advertisements, as these two adverts do not show improvement, instead they show an increase in their discriminative nature.

Thank you for reading and please follow me for more posts like this one! 

Word Count: 988

Page 2
Esther Curtin
Candidate Number: 000713-0019