I feel unprepared for this debate because I did not grow up with a television and my parents didn't have magazines or other forms of print media in the house. However, in regards to advertising towards females I sense two main categories. Let's take the Old Navy sweater ad. Although the women are completely dressed and there is only a slight undertone of sexual content, the overall theme is that women have to live a certain way to be beautifull. Oprah magazine is a larg proponent of this idea. Regardless of the large amounts of "self-love" she promotes, you're only alloud to be okay with yourself if you fit within the guidelines of what constitutes the modern woman: thin, dressed stylishly but unassumingly, with understated makeup. Heaven forebid someone put too much makeup on or dress in something that doesn't flatter their figure. Now, don't get me wrong, I think a lot about what I put on in the morning, but I wear what's comfortable to me. I also have been trying-once in a blue moon-to wear something that doesn't match to make sure I don't get too caught up in striving to meet other people's expectations. How are we supposed to educate the young women of this coutry to be comfortable with who they are when we aren't comfortable with who they are?
The other side of the spectrum is the anti-femenine woman. I am extremely femenine. It's a trait in myself that I've always felt comfortable with. I enjoyed playing dress-up as a child and I love to wear make-up as an adult. However, there is an aspect of female society today that criticizes women who wear dresses, shave their legs or the completely unforgiveable bear children. Again, the message that we're sending to the young females of our society is that we're not comfortable with who they are. We have to change them. They have to mold into what society expects them to be to be accepted. No wonder we have problems with teenage pregnancies. Instead of living under the pressure to live up to society's expectations they simply completely rebel and live in shame. Good job America.