Advertising, PETA and Activism: Analyzing Objectification and Sexualization in Social Justice Causes

• In Event: 336 - Section on Body and Embodiment Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 02. Bodily Representations

Abstract

This project seeks to examine the ways in which PETA engages the public and social justice activists with their messaging and advertising. As activists working towards total social justice for all beings (or at least we should be), we should understand that all oppressions are interconnected and one does not outweigh another. First, this project seeks to unpack advertising, focusing on PETA and how their advertising frames the cause. This study uses a content analysis to examine the types of advertising and messaging. The key parts of this analysis include an examination of each advertisement’s perceived gender, the display of gender (whether nude or clothed, photo props), the content of the ad (what does the photo or commercial try to say), perceived class, race and the positionality of race in relation to the goal of the advertisement. Second, this project also seeks to find other ways social justice activism can support change without transferring oppressions from one recipient to another. Social justice work should never be complacent or satisfied with its work. Organizations such as PETA can co-opt the well-meaning intentions of real social change with their messaging tactics. Therefore, as aspiring social justice activists, we should always be aware of the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality in the organizations that we support. The fundamental understanding of intersectionality is that we do not exist in a vacuum and all of our interactions and avenues of support make an impact.

Author

• Stephanie Baran, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee