I tape most of what I watch and I skip the commercials. If I am watching "live", sometimes I'll mute it and go on my laptop. Or I'll flip on the radio and see if there's a good song playing and I'll move a little bit. I do like all the various Geico commercials, though, even though I don't own a car.
The caveman, Charo, the movie announcer guy, the gecko...cute stuff.
But, yes, I have noticed the kinds of ads they aim at audiences they expect are primarily women. I agree that it's purely a matter to them of us being consumers. The whole point of marketing is to convince consumers that they will somehow be better off with whatever product is being hocked. They know how to exploit weak spots in people and strike nerves. And it's not just commercials. There are various media that, through the years, have really done numbers on people's psyches, I think, especially women.