Advertising is a medium built on image. In fact, the whole purpose of advertising is to create a brand image that attracts customers to a product.

However, as brand image intertwines with viewers’ self image, and advertisers consistently rely on idealized images of perfect women, many feel advertising fosters unrealistic self images and devalues normal women.

“It is all so pervasive,” said Susan Stewart, associate professor of sociology. “It is all around us and people’s expectations are to look like those portrayed and people are disappointed. It’s not reality.”

According to media activist Jean Kilbourne’s video “Killing Us Softly 3,” “advertising attempts to sell women the myth they can, and should, achieve physical perfection to have value in our culture.”

“I think we’ve all become numb to it,” Stewart said. “It hurts and puts a lot of pressure on women. It’s not good enough to get a good job; we are creating women to be superwomen.”

Aleson Teichroew, junior in dietetics, has noticed unrealistic images of women in advertising, but is not bothered by them.

“There is a lot of focus on their physical attributes, not personality, especially when it comes to beauty products,” Teichroew said. “These women are a standard that no woman can live up to. They are starving themselves and that is something I don’t want to do.”

Of course, advertising should not take all the blame. Television shows such as “America’s Next Top Model” force women to compete to mold themselves into model human beings, Stewart said.

Stewart said the show “Desperate Housewives” even has 40-year-old women portrayed as something other than the typical 40-year-old.

While Kilbourne argues that advertisers intentionally objectify women, others believe advertisers are just following the motto “sex sells.”

“I think there is some validity about the sex aspect to sell things to men,” said Drew Thelen, freshman in music. “It’s not so much that it is appropriate or fair. It gets the job done.”

Lauren Monahan, lecturer of journalism and communication, said advertisers are always looking to please their target audience.

“Advertisers feel that if women see what they aspire to be then they will look at that message,” Monahan said. “I don’t feel their intent is to objectify women, but they are trying to appeal to their audience, and in a way that ends up being that sex sells.”

Although Monahan believes advertisers are only trying to appeal to their target audience, she agreed that women are not always portrayed as they should be.

“I think that media and advertising could both be held accountable for the way women are portrayed,” Monahan said. “But we owe it to society to have society be a true definition of who we are able to be.”

Considering the average American is exposed to more than 3,000 messages per day, Kilbourne said in her video, advertisers have to find a way for their particular message to stand out from the rest.

Stewart said it would be nice to see advertisers aim for a fresh take on messages.

“I think they would actually discover they could capture more attention,” Stewart said. “The Super Bowl commercials are smart and funny – why can’t they be more like that?”

Monahan said a change in advertising would be nice to see.

“It would be nice to have a refreshing approach that celebrates who we are instead of an unlikely image,” Monahan said.

Stewart said even though she thinks advertising is getting a little bit better, she encourages women to stand up and voice their concerns with advertising companies that create offensive messages.

She also said both men and women should work together and support one another to encourage individuality and diversity.