MENT

by Beth Cagan

changed their attitude about themselves as well as their economic relationship to society does not mean that the older images of women in advertisements are no longer useful or that they will disappear. What it 'does mean is an increase in the variety of different kinds of appeals made to "the woman market," as advertisers begin to recognize that the traditional sexobject or homemaker,image is not only inappropriate for many women, but may even be met with hostility by some female viewers.

The "new woman" may require a different sort of sales pitch and may be interested in different kinds of products, but she is reachable and she is a highly desirable consumer. Not only is she reasonably affluent, but she is also personally ambitious. She seeks and expects-a comfortable lifestyle and an attractive environment, which she views as part of her right to self-fulfillment and happiness. While the housewife could be reached by arousing her guilt over not doing enough for her husband and children, the "new woman" has left all that behind and is motivated by assertion of self and satisfaction of personal needs.

Today's working women, according to market surveys, are "interested in self-improvement, travel, leisure, and their own individualism. They tend to be more independent and confident" and are likely to express this "in terms of their future-oriented, individualized, cosmopolitan outlook on life and living." They can be reached by products which offer the promise of personal fulfillment and selfexpression: motorcycles and automobiles, tennis rackets and jogging suits, stereo sets and cameras.

Thus we begin to observe an increase in ads which feature female models and address themselves to the aspirations of women for the "good life," but which in actuality might just as easily have been written for the male market. Witness this ad for Nikon cameras:

Photography is my way to express myself, iny opinions, my experiences. Photography has become an important art form in the twentieth century-but to me, it's even more than that. It's my forum-my way of telling the world what I think, what I feel, and show what I've scen. My camera has become so much a part of the way I express myself, I'd be lost without it.

The "new woman" who more frequently greets us in the pages of magazines and newspapers and who sells us products on television is, in fact, in many ways the opposite of the oppressed female who provoked the battle cries of the new generation of feminists in the 1960's and early 1970's. She is independent, confident and assertive, finding satisfaction in the worlds of work and recreation, seeking excitement, adventure, and fulfillment. The fact that the "new woman" is no longer home-bound does not mean that she is unconcerned about her residence. Indeed, the business community has learned that it is not only the traditional nuclear family which spends money on home furnishings and appliances, but all sorts of arrangements of individuals and couples who can be reached by the household goods market.

While Madison Avenue executives are retooling their sales maneuvers to attract the new female consumer, other forces are working to provide her with a more visible public image and to groom her for the new advertising approach. In the past few years there have been a number of new magazines, such as New Woman and Working Woman, which attempt to appeal to the career-oriented or "liberated" woman. The deliberate appeal to the "fantasies of liberation" of many women can be seen clearly in the content of these magazines, from their frequent articles on sexual discrimination and women's rights, to their

preoccupation with alerting their readers to the facts of changing roles and lifestyles for women. The focus of the magazines is on advice and information for women who seek to move independently and successfully in their personal, professional and social lives. The tone is decidedly optimistic and congratulatory rather than critical, angry or concerned. Theirs is a feminism of rising expectations, not analysis and critique; feminist ideals are expressed almost entirely in personal terms and are totally depoliticized. There is virtually no coverage of current events, social issues, art or literature-indeed, there

on Commission,' "Typing: First Step to a Fortune,' "Getting Ahead," and "Success Clothes." In addition to these features, the magazine runs departments offering such items as "Working Your Way Up," "On Top" and "Money Talks.' The "Up: Who's Ahead and Where" section displays photographs of women who have recently been promoted to executive positions, so that the reader is offered concrete models to emulate.

As with the self-help orientation of New Woman, this magazine provides a highly visible and attractive format for "liberation," one which apparently

"The image of the 'new woman' as it has been shaped by the | commercial culture ends up being remarkably similar to the image of the sucessful male in a competitive, materialistic society."

is very little in these magazines apart from recipes for personal success and individual happiness.

In New Woman, success is defined in its broadest terms; the magazine deals less explicitly with position and income and more generally with the psychological aspects of happiness and fulfillment. Its departments include such titles as "Relating to Others,' "Self-Assertiveness," "Self-Discovery," "Self-Love," and "Successful Living." The contents of these departments are typically excerpted segments from current popularized self-help books, including such best sellers as How to Take Charge of Your Life, I Just Met Someone I like-And It's Me! and Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Energy But Were Too Weak to Ask. The formula for success offered by the authors of these books is not complicated. It reflects the preoccupation with the self which characterizes the current national mood: . To be happy you need only to understand and like yourself and be willing to take actions to make sure that your needs are met. This might involve divorcing your husband, changing jobs, seeking new friends and lovers, or changing your wardrobe. The steps are not difficult since they depend entirely on one person: yourself. You have the power to find fulfillment, the magazine proclaims: all you need to do is to find the courage and the proper techniques. The opportunities are there if you are prepared to take advantage of them; the barriers to fulfillment reside only in yourself.

Working Woman is less concerned with the psychological requisites for the new female role, focussing more on the information, facts and skills necessary for women to advance in the world of business. The magazine appears to assume that its readers are not in need of the same kind of cheerful boosterism and hand-holding encouragement which is offered to New Woman readers, and therefore provides a more straightforward formula for success. Its message, however, is predicated on the same set of psychological assumptions: the world is yours if only you'll adopt the right kind of attitude-which means, of course, putting yourself and your interests first. There are many women, Working Woman asserts confidently, who are just as capable as men in assuming important social roles, and they should be encouraged to fulfill their ambitions. This is what liberation is all about: competent, assertive women who can assume their place alongside men in business, government and other important places.

The titles of articles in a recent edition of Working Woman convey the magazine's intentions: "Selling Insurance Offers Lucrative Careers Nationwide," "How To Become An Entrepreneur," "Selling Big

depends upon no more than personal qualities of self-confidence, assertiveness and ambition, combined with a measure of practical know-how. The image of the "new woman" as it has been shaped by the commercial culture ends up being remarkably similar to the image of the successful male in a competitive, materialistic society.

Thus far, I have argued that the "new woman" is a creation of the commercial culture's attempt to reconcile the demands of feminism with the realities of corporate capitalism. It is important to recognize, however, the extent to which the image of the "new woman" is a product of the women's movement itself, for that movement has always reflected a strong middleand upper-class influence. Indeed, many of the executives and market researchers who have urged businessmen to appeal to the "new woman" market are themselves self-conscious feminists who see their role as helping to open up opportunities for women in business and forcing advertizers to be more responsive to the needs of women. The logic of a feminism which does not assume a critique of capitalism leads to the demand that men at the top share their positions of power and privilege with women, not the rejection of those positions altogether. Upward mobility becomes the primary measure of liberation, and upward mobility in a highly stratified society like ours means that those. women with the proper credentials-which include (continued on page 14)

March, 1979/What She Wants/Page 9