Male and Female representation in advertising

The present dissertation examines the representation of both genders (male & female) in commercials. In the era we live, where many of the stereotypes are being collapsed, we will examine how men and women are being represented in advertising from 1985 till the present and to what degree they are often illustrated stereotypically. We will also explore some of the most famous theories that are related to this issue, such as Feminism and the Feminist Media Theory forms of toxic masculinity, and moreover how family is represented in adverts. Our case study will be the representation of both sexes in the advertisements of the famous fashion house Dolce & Gabbana. We will study if men and women are represented in a stereotypical way and whether this portrayal is part of the culture of the Italian lifestyle. In this dissertation, the methods we are going to use are literature review for the theoretical background and semiotics for the analysis of the adverts of Dolce & Gabbana, based on advertising campaigns and videos. Based on the visual, audio, gestural and linguistic content of these ads we will come to our conclusion.