Communications and Media

Michelle Lazars article, Discover the Power of Femininity, takes a unique look at certain gender roles in the realm of media. Lazar invests time exploring how the role of women in advertising in Singapore has been modified over the years. The exploration of this subject is done in such a way that it presents a unique vision that carefully details the new approaches to female empowerment as evidenced by changing media roles.
What is interesting about the article is that is somewhat departs from traditional feminist critiques regarding advertising often wallows in sexism. Of course, it is easier to take this approach when the author is examining non-sexist advertisements and, quite honestly, is defining non-sexist by her own parameters. Understanding these points is a key to understanding the material that the author presents.

It is necessary to point out that the aforementioned commentary is not a harsh critique of the authors work. Rather, it simply puts it into a clear perspective so as to understand some of the main themes of Lazars article. One of those main themes is that some of the advertising in Singapore is actually rooted in female empowerment a bit more than it would be in the more common sexist approach.

This is quite the provocative statement on the part of Lazar because it points out that the gender roles reflected in the advertisements have been expanded. Women are not locked into a stereotypical role that quite commonly occurs in most media. This, in turn, can have an empowering effect on those that view the advertisement even if the impact is on a more subconscious level. But, as long as the impact is there it can have a profound impact over time.

Another very interesting approach that the author takes is the inference that beauty aids are a form of empowerment. There can be much to disagree about when discussing this particular notion. One reason for the disagreement would be that beauty aids only create a superficial appearance improvement. While it is possible to argue that there is merit to such criticism, it would also be accurate to state that there is much truth the notion that anything can be a source of empowerment as long as it delivers on the desired result. Beauty may credibly deliver in this regard even if it is derived from external sources such as consumer products.

Lazar also points out that cognitive understanding of the advertisements leads to a form of knowledge is power. This further promotes the notion that there is nothing wasted to the presentation of empowerment in the ads. In other words, the very existence of the advertisements contains a multifaceted level of positive awareness that contributes to empowerment. This is a brilliant assessment of how the commercials can maintain value through promoting cognitive awareness via social consciousness and consumer attitudes.

It is clear that Lazar takes a very unorthodox approach to her subject matter. This allows the material to be thought provoking and original. Some may find Lazars concepts to be a radical departure from various other published works of feminist theory and that is not a negative. Lazars article does alter certain preconceived opinions about gender roles and the media which is why the article is so intriguing.