Symbolic violence against women in advertising on free-to-air television in Mexico

Abstract

Advertising messages are an omnipresent part of daily life, conveying symbolic meanings that influence human behavior. Within advertising, relationships of dominance and inequality are reproduced, exerting power both directly and unconsciously, often with the implicit consent of the audience. This phenomenon is known as symbolic violence, which has historically been directed toward women. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyze its manifestations. To this end, an analysis of advertising content was conducted on the two main free-to-air television channels in Mexico. The findings show that women had a greater presence in advertising content (66%) compared to men (34%). Among the main manifestations of symbolic violence, the role of women as caregivers stands out. Likewise, gender stereotypes associated with beauty are evident, such as youth (53.8% of characters were between 20 and 30 years old), skin tone (60% light to medium-light skin), and body type (88% slim body type). Furthermore, visual objectification is strongly present through the focus on erogenous body parts and revealing clothing. Finally, some attempts to include egalitarian domestic activities were observed, as well as advertisements focusing solely on the product without representing any characters, which represents an alternative approach to deconstructing messages that reproduce inequalities between women and men.