In these advertisements images of violence against women are used to sell products. These marketing tactics are subliminally perpetuating the victimization of women.
American Express ad from Gourmet Magazine
“Why does the media insist on presenting women in such abusive situations. Perhaps if we took an animal, like a deer or labrador retriever, and put it in the mouth of the shark, we could see how ludicrous the ad is! Animal rights activists would be all over us. But somehow for women, we just let it go...
...I myself have been so successfully brainwashed by advertisers that these images often escape me too. It usually takes an enlightened person to reveal to me the subliminal cultural message - women are second class and expendable.”
This ad is clearly suggesting a passive woman lying down with a man towering over her. This ad is advertising a european clothing line, yet the ad is so incredibly shadowed that you barely notice the apparel.
It is estimated that every year in the United States, approximately 3 million women are assaulted by their partner. One in four women in the U.S. will be assaulted by their partner over their lifetimes
In Constant Fear...
This advertisement is just emphasizing that women are in constant fear of rape and abuse. Walking down the street alone is not an option.
One in six American women are victims of sexual assault, and one in 33 men & about 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.
*Statistics on rape are the most unreliable for serious crimes because of false accounts and underreporting.