content2=Duality/polarized View of Women in History: Women through history were often depicted in two rigid stereotypes. Traditionally the image of woman has been polarized as good and bad, saintly and evil, bringing benevolence and compassion to causing seduction and manipulation. Women in history are representations of the ideal woman, they are not ³real people², and usually women in images are a projection of menıs images or fantasies of women. These were not real images of how women saw themselves. 

Female Image of Evil: Depictions of Eve:
The image of females as evil dates back to the first image of woman in the Bible, Eve. It is possible that men in history needed a female character to blame, and that they chose Biblical Eve. Even today she is a symbol of sex, evil, temptation and a male scapegoat. And the story has become a justification for the restriction of women, and has allowed for women to be the scapegoat for many women.

The tale in Genesis is that God made man in his image. Then the dominant man, Adam created Eve by giving her one of his ribs. And from this early story, woman is placed in a subordinate role. With the story of the Garden of Eden, Eve makes Adam succumb to temptation. And the serpent who is actually evil is often interchanged with the female nature. 

We see the depiction of women as evil in art through the ages. In the Renaissance, for example Michelangelo painted a fresco, Fall and Expulsion of Adam and Eve where the serpentıs upper body is in the shape of a woman, equating the image of the woman as that of the Biblical snake: evil and manipulative. Similarly in Masolinoıs Temptation, the painting links evil to women.

As art moved away from religion, the image of Eve was represented differently, often as a peasant. The peasant girl became the symbol of Eve because peasants were supposed to dirty. Due to the this depiction of peasant women and menıs belief in the inherent evil in women, peasant girls were often abused, assaulted and raped. There was no punishment for the male perpetrators. 

During the Impressionist period there was a move to depict ³real² modern life. One of the female images that was prevalent at this time was woman as a dirty prostitute, such as in Degas Ballerina. Although he candidly trying to depict modern urban life which included prostitution, he typecasted women as dirty sex objects, another depiction of Eve. Furthermore, during this period images of the female nude became predominant and mainstream. Not necessarily as beautiful, but caught in everyday life and often as sex objects, setting the stage for the female nude in current culture.


Female Image of Nobleness and Benevolence: 
In history there has also been the characterization of women as benevolent, righteous, docile, obedient and even modest, dating back to the symbol of the Virgin Mary.The story of the Virgin Mary is one of sexlessness and sacrifice. Her character embodies nurturing qualities and compassion for humanity.

The image of Mary has translated to secular painting, manifesting in the Renaissance time in portraits of courtly women. Courtly Female portraits represented women as symbols of beauty and virtue. During this time it was believed that women were able to help a manıs status, by choosing her knight to impart nobleness upon.

Domenico Ghilrandaio s Giovanna Delgi of 1498 portrays a courtly woman dressed in upper class clothing set in a lavish background. The painting focuses on her physical beauty. Her identity was seen as a virtuous and beautiful, a woman pure and attached to her family.

Above, we made mention that Impressionists depicted women in an Eve like role, but they also depicted women in a courtly, Mary like fashion. Some Impressionists depicted the rich upper class flaneur female enjoying the upper class social activities reserved for the elites (a similar motif to the one of courtly women.)

The duality of depictions of women sets the foundation for female portrayal in advertising.

See advertising and effectsŠ