This old CoverGirl lipstick ad, found here, illustrates the infantilization of women we often see in ads-women (provocatively) licking ice cream cones, eating fruit, and so on. Thanks to Krystal-lynn M. for sending it in!
These Kenzie ads (available at the University of Michigan’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center’s website) also have women in childlike poses, with their mary-jane shoes and ruffled socks. Thanks for sending them in, Laura L.!
These images illustrate two common trends in advertising: on the one hand, women are portrayed as little girls, as coyly innocent, as lacking in power and maturing. On the other hand, child-likeness is sexy, and girls are portrayed as Lolitas whose innocence is questionable.
NEW (Mar. ’10)! Jeff H. sent along this photo from a GQ spread in which Reille Hunter is posed with Kermit the Frog, Barney the Dinosaur, and Dora the Explorer:
Comments 33
dreikin — May 15, 2008
You missed one other trend: they are portrayed as slightly more realistic manikins - stiff, unmoving, mindless, emotionless, but 'living'. Notice that the fembot in the ads for that alcohol you showed recently had more 'life' to it than many fashion models exhibit.
Sociological Images » Girls Should Be “Easy” — May 22, 2009
[...] are simultaneously sexualized and infantilized with the use of passive poses and white cotton: here, here, here, and [...]
Sociological Images: Women Dressing Up Like Little Girls Dressing Up Like Women « Social Inequalities — October 31, 2009
[...] more material showing the conflation of women and little girls, see these creepy posts: the cover girl mouth, innocence is sexier than you think, and compete with your daughter’s little girl [...]
Women Dressing Up Like Little Girls Dressing Up Like Women » Sociological Images — October 31, 2009
[...] more material showing the conflation of women and little girls, see these creepy posts: the cover girl mouth, innocence is sexier than you think, and compete with your daughter’s little girl look. [...]
Sally — November 6, 2009
How is the first ad infantilizing women? I can see it as dehumanising, since only the woman's sexy sexy-times mouth is displayed in pose after pseudo-sexy pose, but nothing in the image or the commentary explains what is childlike about it. Do adults not eat fruit? Is there something I'm missing?
Sara Blake — November 18, 2009
I second Sally.
Jessica Cohen — November 18, 2009
I think it negates women's desires and puts them in their place which is to gawk at the phallus. So much that they can't remember how to function. I think the phallus involves the unconscious morbid fascination with death that many men have.
German Frat Sexes Up the Nursery » Sociological Images — March 17, 2010
[...] more infantilization of women, see here, here, here, here, and here, and here. var addthis_language = 'en'; 10 Comments Tags: [...]
Leela — April 1, 2010
"This old CoverGirl lipstick ad, found here, illustrates the infantilization of women we often see in ads-women (provocatively) licking ice cream cones, eating fruit, and so on. Thanks to Krystal-lynn M. for sending it in!"
I don't know about that. I think they specifically chose ice cream and fruit because they aren't complicated foods. Also because it's a good way to exaggerate the color of the lipstick since ice cream and fruits can be the color of the product. There's one there where it looks like she's eating a quesadilla or something...I focused on it and thought, "Ew...I don't wanna see a close up of someone's mouth as they eat that." Which is why I think they choose "cute" foods. Plus if she was eating a burger or something else I would think of the lipstick as it gets smudged by the act of eating. If it's something that's easy to get in the mouth like ice cream or fruit I don't get that idea so much. But with a quesadilla I keep thinking the cheese will ooze out and ruin the lipstick.
Also, the last one is a bubble blower I know...but at first I thought it was a key and I was like "ew, don't put a key next to your mouth..."
Infantilization, a Collection of Images | P.a.p.-Blog, Human Rights Etc. — October 22, 2010
[...] (source) [...]
Breast Milk Baby! — July 20, 2011
[...] away with child pornogrophy. Or maybe we should do something about all of the ads that continue to infantalize women because (gasp!) these issues are [...]
“Baby Lips”: Thanks for the Infantilization, Maybelline : Ms Magazine Blog — December 21, 2011
[...] it’s directly related to the sexualization of young girls. As I wrote in a previous post: …on the one hand, women are portrayed as little girls, as coyly innocent, as lacking in power [...]
Hollie — February 25, 2013
Hi, really like your article though I'm not sure the first picture makes the point very well - fruit isn't childish? But thought I'd share a similar though via video. Not exactly the same, but along the lines - this was on radio 4 PM about the 'kiddy'dress of grown ups: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaL2tN-M6s4
Stereotype Threat | (Art)ifacts — March 11, 2013
[...] girlish women misses the point entirely. Our media is awash with the sexual fantasy of the infantilized and therefore submissive woman. (Watch a delicious satire of the trope from Community here.) [...]
Why Women Are Supposed To Be Sexy And Cute | Business news — August 9, 2013
[...] tween years for Disney star prodigies, but I always want to add into the mix the infantilization of adult [...]
The Deconstructions of Popular Music: ‘Blurred Lines’, by Robin Thicke Literary Ramblings Literary Ramblings — September 8, 2014
[…] patriarchal rhetoric. He employs words like ‘baby’ and ‘girl’ throughout, which tend to infanticize the belusted. We assume that the belusted is an adult, and therefore referring to her as […]
Dressing Like a Grown-Up. – High Heels in the Wilderness — January 14, 2019
[…] as little girls. Gwen Sharp PhD, professor of Sociology and co-founder of the website The Society Pages, which in part examines current imagery in our society and what it says about our assumptions, […]
Dressing Like a Grown-Up. - High Heels in the Wilderness — March 25, 2019
[…] of women as little girls. Gwen Sharp PhD, professor of Sociology and co-founder of the website The Society Pages, which in part examines current imagery in our society and what it says about our assumptions, […]
In Order to Fight Child Sex Abuse, We Need to Stop Fetishizing It | — December 13, 2019
[…] grown women and sexualizing the innocence and vulnerability of youth is very much alive today. Plenty of brands feature advertisements that toy with the idea that child-likeness is sexy, […]
Para combater o abuso sexual infantil, precisamos parar de fetichizá-lo - Pornografia Destrói - Angola-Brasil-Portugal — April 26, 2020
[…] mulheres adultas e sexualizar a inocência e a vulnerabilidade da juventude está muito vivo hoje . Muitas marcas apresentam anúncios que brincam com a ideia de que a semelhança com uma […]
1 — April 28, 2020
alon, the 23-year-old Italian is bound for the Nou Camp after club officials were given the formal green light to try to bring him in from Italy.
ct133.aspx — June 6, 2020
Likelihood rating: 3/5Getty Images7Jose Mourinho worked with Lukaku at Chelsea but barely gave him a.
The ugly sides of the beauty industry — November 17, 2020
[…] younger. It is creepy if you analyze the advertisements and the trends that are targeted at women. Women are often portrayed in childlike situations, with rosy cheeks and big eyes like one would expect only a child to have. These trends translate to […]
Angry Crip — December 1, 2021
Too many people assume disabled women aren’t interested in cosmetics, perfumes, jewelry and secy lingerie. Victoria’s Secret consultant treated me as if I was a weirdo for wanting a corsetand silk panties.
My own family, until I finally shared my hurt, gave all the women lovely jewelry and pretty clothes, except me. I got Sick People Presents like wheelchair lap blankets, infomercial exercise gadgets and aromatherapy kits. My aunt finally got it last year. “you keep asking to see Sister’s cashmere sweater. You wanted one too, didn’t you.” Yeah. I am a woman and it hurts when you give me a wheelchair backpack instead!
We are not large toddlers or unsexed dolls