Catty: The Feral Feminine in Advertising

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session and Reception
  In Interactive Paper Session: Popular Communication Interactive Paper Session

Abstract

This paper explores the history of the representation of women as animals in general and as cats in particular by critiquing how both have been encoded with an erotic allure. This includes a textual analysis of two commercials: (1) Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes mascara, and (2) Yves St. Laurent’s Opium fragrance. The goal is to reveal the connections between femininity and felines by critiquing the coding that suggests sexual availability. The theory of the male gaze is used to unpack the ambivalence patriarchal culture has about female power, sensuality, and danger. Findings suggest at least three areas of concern with the conflation of the feline and feminine: (1) The intersectionality of sex, race, and species, (2) decontextualizing species disguises the real conditions of their lived experiences, and (3) representation in media potentially alters public perceptions of conservation status.

Author

• Debra L. Merskin, U of Oregon