Kaitlyn Regehr on depictions of gender in advertising

Dr Kaitlyn Regehr delivering her Think Kent lecture

Dr Kaitlyn Regehr, Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies, has as delivered an online lecture for the Think Kent series entitled ‘Diverse Women’s Experiences of Advertising in London’s public Space’, which is now available on YouTube.

The Think Kent lectures are a series of TED talk-style lectures produced with the intention of raising awareness of the research and teaching expertise of Kent academics and the international impact of their work.

The Mayor of London’s #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign is focused on tackling gender inequality in and around London. Last year, Jessica Ringrose (UCL) and Kaitlyn (Kent) were commissioned to carry out a study, exploring how women experience gender in London’s out-of-home advertising. ‘The Women We See’ research project collected the stories of women and teen girls from a range of backgrounds to explore how they experience advertising content that they see in London’s public spaces. A quantitative survey also captured the views of 2,000 women and men on gender and diversity in London’s advertising. While there have been some important positive changes in advertising content, the research found that gender equality and diversity in advertising remains a problem for all media channels across London.

This talk focuses on the findings of the Ringrose and Regehr study, specifically on the impact of out-of-home advertising and the recommendations for advertisers on how to tackle this issue. The ‘Women We See’ report encourages that advertisers tackle this issue by considering the intersecting issues of age, ability, culture, religious, ethnicity, gender and sexuality shaping Londoners’ identities and experiences.

The talk may be viewed below or on YouTube via the link:
https://youtu.be/u5pWmVtkjWU