Selling Empowerment

Abstract

This thesis explores the impact of femvertising on representations of women, its relation to and conversation with third wave feminism as a growing social movement, and its extension of a brand’s dedication to corporate social responsibility. Feminist critical discourse analysis from a third wave perspective was used to conduct qualitative visual and textual analysis of three different femvertising campaigns: Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty,” Always’ “Like a Girl” campaign, and Pantene’s “Shine Strong” campaign. Although femvertising diversifies the representation of women and girls in the media by challenging restrictive beauty standards and damaging rhetoric, it fails to accurately represent or reference the third wave movement by shying away from the feminist label and omitting mentions of intersectionality, sexuality, and storytelling. In addition, in order for femvertising to seem genuine rather than manipulative, the campaign must reflect a sustained effort on behalf of the brand to empower women and girls through philanthropic efforts and organizational partnerships.