Women, Advertising, and the Illusion of Agency

This book critically examines the notion of female sexual agency in advertising, exposing how postfeminist discourses co-opt feminist language to sell products while reinforcing patriarchal norms. Combining feminist theory, poststructuralism, and interviews with feminist consumers, it dissects the illusion of agency and the panoptic systems of surveillance that discipline women into self-policing their bodies and desires, as well as each other.

Through original frameworks (the Agency Spiral and Postfeminist Panopticon), the book reveals how ads reduce women’s agency to consumerist performances of sexuality that are perpetually negotiated and shaped by norms, perceptions of choice, the gaze, and spatiality. The author integrates key theoretical insights within relevant discussions to reveal how advertising both reflects and shapes cultural understandings of gender, power, and sexuality.

This unique, insightful book is a valuable read for scholars and students in gender studies, media/cultural studies, and marketing; feminist activists and educators; media professionals, and general readers frustrated by the gap between feminist ideals and commercial realities. A provocative and accessible critique, it arms readers with the tools to see and start dismantling "the prison of empowerment" that is postfeminist advertising.