To begin with, let’s take a lay of the land and understand how we got here.

Over a quarter of young women aged 16 to 24 in the UK are grappling with mental health issues, a stark increase from previous generations.

Research from the Mental Health Foundation paints a rather worrying picture:

• Young women are three times more likely to suffer from common mental health issues compared to young men
• Self-harm has become much more common among young women, with rates tripling since the 1990s
• It's also three times more likely for a young woman to experience the trauma of post-traumatic stress disorder than a young man
• This problem is even worse for young women from disadvantaged backgrounds

Source: Mental Health Foundation UK

As marketers exclusively serving impact-driven categories, wonderwork takes an interdisciplinary approach to marketing and how it impacts women’s mental health. This includes curating research from academics in communication studies, behavioral economics, and feminist studies as well as looking at regulatory frameworks in the domain.

We did our homework. This is what we found.

Feminism: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once?

Feminism is everywhere today. It’s splashed on our screens, sits on our shelves, and fuels endless conversations. We can see and purchase feminism through countless empowerment-coded t-shirts, mugs, concert tickets, and more. The list is truly never-ending.

But does the visibility of feminist thought really allude to changing patriarchal structures? The headlines we see in our newspapers and screens tell a different story.

So where did we go wrong?

Is modern advertising failing women?

Feminist literature is often critical of cultural capitalism, where brands champion women's empowerment solely for profits to chase the winds of change, undoing real feminist work. Similar to greenwashing, brands often pinkwash without taking any real steps to uplift women. While emphasising women's empowerment is not problematic on its own, the commodification of this movement often does more harm than good.

White Feminism

An unassuming peril of feminist advertising is the targeting of women with purchasing power. For decades, feminist discourse has cautioned advertisers about ‘White Feminism’, wherein brands and celebrities champion white-washed, heteronormative and elitist feminism that is conveniently based on consumerist self-empowerment. All while doing little to no work for the most vulnerable women on the planet – often women of color in the Global South.

The Politics of Visibility

With the visibility of feminist messaging around us, it might seem to us that things are really changing, but visibility doesn’t equal impact – in fact, it can be even more damaging by painting an untrue picture of progress or exempting those who do not conform to our ideals of being a ‘woman’. Studies suggest that the visibility and popularity of feminism can also fuel ‘popular misogyny’ both online and offline.

The Women-Can-Have-It-All Trope

Feminist advertising often promotes the "women can have it all" trope, suggesting that women can achieve career success and maintain a perfect home life. This overused narrative often fails to highlight the continued unequal distribution of housework and childcare.

Shame, Guilt & Confidence Tropes

Shame, guilt, and underconfidence are major tropes in feminist advertising, but agencies and brands don’t always notice the harm – this is where they need intervention and real feminist literature to guide their work.

Take the 90s for example. The 90s birthed a toxic blend of empowerment and body dysmorphia for women. While the era celebrated female ambition, it was simultaneously obsessed with thinness. Catchphrases like "calories in, calories out" became mantras, and women were bombarded with unattainable beauty standards.

Yes, we still remember.

Xenia Muether, Founder and Director at wonderwork, said: "Growing up as a woman in the 90s was wild. We were the first generation of women to hear that we could do, or be anything. But we were also the first to be subjected to a toxic diet culture. Phrases like 'a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips', or 'nothing tastes as good as thin feels' are etched into our collective memories, leaving indelible scars on the psyche of us all.”

What can marketers do for women’s health?

Great question! If you want to create real change as a brand, start by taking the necessary steps to empower women by participating in the larger community. By partnering with organisations dedicated to women's education, health, and safety, marketers can create impactful campaigns that create real change.

The next best thing to do is to read feminist work that is often shrouded and shunned due to its complexity. Contrary to popular belief, feminist literature isn't confined to dense academic texts. There's a wealth of accessible and engaging books written for a general audience. A great starting point is Popular Feminism by Sarah Banet-Weiser.

Lastly, ask yourself these important questions when launching a campaign.

• Who are the women I’m talking to in my ad?
• Am I excluding any groups of women?
• Am I making generalisations about women?
• Am I creating real change that impacts women?

To truly make a positive impact, we as marketers must move beyond surface-level representation and engage in prioritising the well-being of women over profit.

We know that this isn’t business as usual. But think for a moment…

Isn’t this how it should’ve always been?

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