LTCC students learning the impact of gender bias in ads
By Susan Wood
While politicians declare war on women’s issues, the battleground actually started long ago in the media world.
This is what longtime Lake Tahoe Community College sociology Professor Scott Lukas has discovered.
A decade ago, Lukas focused on gender bias in advertising for one of his sociology classes. His students became so widely interested they asked him for the PowerPoint presentation. The topic became so intriguing, Lukas took the 50 images he gathered depicting women in compromising, denigrating positions and installed them with analysis into a website.
The exploitation of women in ads is the subject of a class at LTCC. Photo/Provided
The site has grown to more than 3,000 images. Lukas still calls it “a work in progress” despite having worldwide readership.
The topic that now features television shows has morphed into its own class – and started this week at LTCC called Gender. (It’s under the Sociology Department.)
Lukas, who has made presentations on the project, including one before the LTCC board, went on a sabbatical from teaching last year to complete the project. This enabled him to delve deeply into how simple images may spur sexism, violence, child abuse, homophobia and even torture.
Noting a curious situation, the project’s report asks: “Why should we accept the association of a product, such as a stereo system or a table and a sexualized woman?”
So why should we care and why can’t we tune out what we don’t want to hear or see?
“Everyone is impacted by gender issues because the effects can be tragic,” Lukas told Lake Tahoe News, further citing the Jerry Sandusky case as an example. The former Penn State assistant football coach was convicted of severe child abuse charges, including rape.
A major concern is in a society where the population picks up a barrage of images that show women and children being abused, objectified or sexualized (even in the mildest form) desensitizing effects take place. One exhibit on the website highlighted a television show called “Toddlers and Tiaras” in which a young girl is dressed up as the prostitute character in the hit movie “Pretty Women”. And in an episode of “America’s Top Model,” models were asked to pose as crime victims.
These images are prevalent in “Big Daddy” ads with professional racecar driver Danica Patrick breaking the mold for women in the workplace resorts to her looks to sell the product.
“In a sense, ads have gone backward,” Lukas said of the pendulum swinging for women’s equality.
“We laugh at it all the time,” South Shore veteran ad man Bruce Rettig said of the times he and his wife watch ads on television.
In the big picture, Rettig called objectifying women as the “Barbie syndrome” in which girls want to obtain the body of a perfect model and that if you look at the demographic the ad is reaching, one might find that “maybe a large segment” looks to the images to tell them who to look up to or aspire to be. Then, there’s the obvious – sex sells.
“It seems that way as a part of human nature. It’s a shame,” Rettig said.
Even a small town like South Lake Tahoe cannot escape stereotypes that perpetuate the images – no matter how innocent they seem. Take the casino ads that show women in tight-fitting outfits wildly dancing and partying. Sure, they look fun. But they represent something larger going on at a societal level.
“Everyone is impacted by gender issues because the effects can be tragic.” — Scott Lukas
“We have nothing to the level of Las Vegas or Los Angeles, but it’s still there,” Lukas said, referring to male-dominated sexism. “Awareness is key. We should be aware we’re under the influence of these ads.”
When Lukas first brought the topic to his classroom, he encountered a mixed reaction from students.
“The men felt more threatened. They learned the material, but they thought of it as propaganda,” he said. Their behavioral theory was: “If you have differences in the sexes, men are perceived as weaker. That’s part of their resistance,” Lukas added.
The professor especially witnessed resistance when the class discussed how former President George W. Bush brought back the “macho president” after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The subject of machismo hit close to home for one of Lukas’ male students, Jose Pena.
The origin of “machismo” comes from Spain, however its influence as an exaggerated display of male dominance over women spans many nations.
The conversation struck a chord with Pena because of his Hispanic background. Although he said he didn’t witness these types of relationships in his family, Pena has seen the behavior in some of his male friends when it comes to how they view their mates.
“This kind of goes hand-in-hand with the aspect of treating women as second-class citizens,” Pena said, citing the lack of equal pay for women and few breaking the glass ceiling. “I guess this would be the American equivalent of machismo.”
Nonetheless, Pena said he’s optimistic about what the future brings, but agrees it’s “an uphill battle” for society to accept the notion of “all totally equal in this land of opportunity.”
Progress may start with one person.
“I am a male that will forever recognize the hardships that females face on a daily basis. Like my mom always said: ‘For every bad person out there, let’s just hope that there (are) two more good ones to replace the bad one.’”
This sounds like an excellent and important course. Thank you Professor Lukas and LTCC!
While I certainly agree there is gender bias in the media and the real world, I take issue with the opening line of the article.
There is NO “war on women” in this country. Women are free to work or not, come and go, have abortions, use birth control, whatever they want to do. It is a purely fabricated issue by the left to create a deeper rift between the two sides. This so-called war on women is about control over our money. The left wants other people to pay for women’s WANTS. You are free to pay for your own stuff. You are not free to force other people to pay for everything you want. That is NOT war.
War on women is in Islamic Countries where they kill women for dishonoring their male family members by showing an ankle, or driving a car, or getting an education. Female genital mutilation is war on women. Being tried and put to death for having been raped is war on women.
The fact that a Catholic may not want to pay for an abortion for you is not war on women.
Real simple, it’s called “target marketing”.
First, I would like to say kudos to my colleage Dr. Scott Lukas for his important work on gender studies in the media.
But I would also like to say this to Mr. Dogula:
Seriously? In a world where an earning gap still exists between women and men (women making 80 cents to a man’s dollar), where women hold fewer political offices, are published less often; in a world where women are sexually objectified and called “*****” for wanting access to birth control; in a world where politicans are working to redefine rape and limit women’s health care choices? This is a world where women are equal? Your assertion that women in this country are being treated fairly because in other places, they are being treated horribly is a false analogy, Mr. Dogula. While it is true that women live in terrible, shameful conditions in other parts of the world, that does not mean women should be happy to just “work if we want and come and go.” Also, the assertion that “the left” wants people to pay for other people’s “wants” is a straw man argument and a red herring besides. Did you even read the rest of the article? Perhpas you should take one of Dr. Lukas’ classes? You just might learn something.
Suzanne, I was referring to Ms. Wood’s (and most of the rest of the media’s) assertion that the right is engaging on a war against women. It is false. I wasn’t even addressing Dr. Lukas’ class. I took my first class analyzing advertising techniques when I was 10. I understand how it works.
In my opinion, the WORST treatment of women in America comes from the left, in its assumption and treatment of them as helpless victims who are unable to care for themselves or realize their ambitions without the aid of the benevolent government. It is insulting.
Oh, and by the way, I am a woman. Not a young one, either.
Why must this turn into a left versus right issue? This is not about politics. This is an article about how women are objectified and how it affects society as a whole. Which I feel, is very beneficial for all of us to understand and come together so we all have equal opportunities to succeed in life.
Thank you for all your hard work Scott!
Sno, it wasn’t supposed to be. I simply objected to Sue’s opening statement about the war on women. The class has nothing to do with that, but it was introduced by the columnist, unnecessarily, I thought.
We may be able to say we are free of gender bias when there is a giant sign on the casino corridor that portrays an overtly sexy man with his legs parted and his rear end submissively up in the air. I won’t hold my breath.
I hope the “Lucky Beaver” sign is part of Dr. Lukas’ PowerPoint presentation. It’s shameful and a perfect LOCAL representation of the point he is trying to make in his class.
Dear Ms. Dogula,
I don’t think Susan Wood ever discussed left versus right–that was your interpretation. And as a “youngish” woman, I don’t think we want anyone to take care of us. I am happy, actually, that you are a woman, and would love to discuss all of the above with you over coffee (I have used my real name and am quite easy to contact). I don’t mean to be condescending, and please don’t take it that way, but I do think you are not fully aware of what is going on with women’s rights in this country at the moment. I am sure, as a woman, you would be quite horrified.
Okay, I will make this my last comment on this thread, much to everyone’s relief I’m sure.
Ms. Wood said, “While politicians declare war on women’s issues…”
The general consensus is that it is the right making war on women, not the left, though that is untrue. The whole idea of there being a war on women in the US is a fantsy, as I explained in my first post. The question of left/right is basic to the issue. It is the left making the accusation, not the right.
And I’m sure you didn’t mean to be condescending, suzanne, but you were. I’m fully aware of what is going on with women’s rights in this country and am actually more concerned with citizens’ rights here, and perhaps women’s rights in other countries. America has become a country of special classes and special rights and women are one of those special classes. Women have all the “rights” they need. All you need to do is exercise them and quit whining.
And sure, I’ll meet you for coffee. I’m sure you are the only Suzanne in all of Tahoe.
That argument sounds like what my mother used to say: “Eat your dinner — there are starving children in China.” Because women are suffering horrifically elsewhere, gender bias in America is a trivial or “left wing” propaganda issue.
Try to move beyond the opening sentence in an article and focus on the main concept being presented: Gender bias is alive and well in the U.S.
Suzanne identified herself as a colleague of Scott Lukas at the college. She is indeed the only Suzanne at LTCC. Connect the dots.
Dogula, getting thoroughly served yet again.
Ask them how old granite is and about their views on Islam.
Dogula-Susan Wood’s opening statement, that you seem so offended by, does not mention any side of the political isle. You are the one who brought that in to the comments. That is your own assumption, which always appears to be political. If you feel the need to jump on the band wagon of “left v. right”, own it and stop making excuses for why you did.
Statistics is like a Bikini; what is revealed is suggestive, but what is concealed is vital.