Gender and advertisements: The rhetoric of globalisation

This article is about advertisements and gender images in the English print media in India, and rests on the assumption that the shift in the Indian s tate's economic policy in favour of globalisation has accompanied a shift i n public discourse as evidenced in the media. Although some images of India n women are traditional (the homemaker and mother), many are new (the globe trotting corporate leader), and suggest a break with earlier models. Male models are far more conspicuous in the adverts today, and it is argued that liberalisation has heralded new notions for malehood that include traditio nal and newer notions of power and success. There is a definite effort to i ncorporate very strong notions of individual achievment, pleasure, and iden tity for both men and women. The stress on success and a glamorous lifestyl e has effectively displaced the larger section of Indian men and women from public discourse. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.