Stereotyping is everywhere. Although our society has come a long way from negative stereotypes, they still exist here in America.
I believe it's not wrong for advertisers to stereotype. A lot of the time these stereotypes are not offensive and are used to get a point across. Some are even hilarious. Whether we know it or not, it's in our human nature to stereotype other people. You can say "no stereotyping is wrong I never stereotype" but the reality is, we all do it.
Some examples of this are when we're driving and somebody cuts us off, someone might just assume they're Asian. Or if a white lady is carrying a Louis Vuitton bag someone might just assume shes snooty, rich, and thinks she is better than somebody else. Another example is when a Mexican doesn't speak English well or at all. Most of our society would believe that person is uneducated and crossed the border. We all do it, and all psychologists know it's in human nature to make generalizations about objects and people.
I'm not saying all stereotypes are true, but these advertisers want to make their product more identifiable to their target market and sometimes they use these racial or gender generalizations to do so. I believe there is a difference between generalization of certain people and offensive stereotypes. Companies should stay away from any demeaning towards a certain group of people, but I believe other harmless stereotypes are okay.
Some examples of this are when we're driving and somebody cuts us off, someone might just assume they're Asian. Or if a white lady is carrying a Louis Vuitton bag someone might just assume shes snooty, rich, and thinks she is better than somebody else. Another example is when a Mexican doesn't speak English well or at all. Most of our society would believe that person is uneducated and crossed the border. We all do it, and all psychologists know it's in human nature to make generalizations about objects and people.
I'm not saying all stereotypes are true, but these advertisers want to make their product more identifiable to their target market and sometimes they use these racial or gender generalizations to do so. I believe there is a difference between generalization of certain people and offensive stereotypes. Companies should stay away from any demeaning towards a certain group of people, but I believe other harmless stereotypes are okay.
Advertisements have come a long way since the past. There are a lot of old ads that depict African-Americans as servants or women as housewives. We don't have that here in America anymore, I believe that racism in advertising is a thing of the past. Now whenever individuals have a problem with an advertisement, the company usually complies and takes it down. I don't believe there is a huge problem with racism in advertising today.
Since these companies and advertisements are in the public eye, I believe they do have a responsibility and they can't be offensive. Technically they can be just as offensive as they want, but if the public views them in a negative way they won't buy their products. I love to use the United Colors of Benetton as perfect example of this. They did whatever they wanted with their advertisements and many people found them offensive. In turn, the sales of their sweaters declined and they are not the company they were 20 years ago.
Overall, companies should stick to positive stereotypes. If advertisements end up being sexist or raciest it is not only hurtful but is bad for the company too.
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