A photograph can tap into our emotions that are buried into our subconscious . When this happens, people have a learned response to these images. In advertising, entertainment, and news industries stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation.
Examples of the instant thoughts that images in the media make people think are that women have to be sexy, are weak and powerless, women should be tall and skinny, women should wear make-up, and women should let me do all the hard work. Men are not excluded from the stereotype created through the media and advertisements; Men should be tough, men should not be compassionate or show weakness, men are responsible for making money to support a family, and so on. Basically, using stereotypical (and unreal) images makes it easier for marketers to get the message across.
Drawbacks
Some of the drawbacks of using stereotypes in the media include their ability to:
• Reduce the existence of any differences among people
• Places people into simple categories
• Makes assumptions about particular groups acceptable
• Spread social prejudice and inequality
• People being portrayed have little to say about how they are represented (until recently)
