How Are Women Represented in Advertising? Evaluating consumers’ attitude in Brazil

Abstract

This article aims to analyze how interviewees express their evaluations about the representations of women in advertising pieces that were the object of denunciations to the Brazilian Advertising Self-regulation Council (CONAR). We conducted three focus groups with a total of 22 participants and around 180 minutes of recorded material. For the analysis of the participants’ speech, we used the Appraisal System (MARTIN; WHITE, 2005). Results indicate a strong presence of disrespect, irony, offenses, insults and constraints in the advertising pieces analyzed. This study contributes to the reflections on advertising practices, as it shows that pieces of advertisement presenting women in scenarios of inferiority and disrespect tend to be disliked by consumers.