This review integrates semiotics, gender and feminist theory, and behavioral microeconomics in order to examine the impact of gendered advertising on consumer and brand behavior. I first examine how advertising, especially done through visual mediums, is produced by their social context and can be analyzed as cultural texts. I then explore how firms utilize gender norms and ideals in their advertising to build a brand image and establish a consumer base. As a part of this discussion, I investigate a specific kind of gendered advertising: sexual advertising, which commodifies the female and male bodies to intentionally illicit different consumer responses based on gender. Referring to Jill J. Avery’s research in marketing, I scrutinize specific instances of gender contamination and the ways that consumers and businesses respond economically to defend stereotypical gender roles.
Gender Sells: The Microeconomics of Gendered Advertising and Gender Contamination
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