Positive Ads

After reading all of the articles and realizing how sexist most advertising is, I was pleasantly surprised when I came across these ads. In these ads Laila Ali is being portrayed as a positive role model for not only girls but boys as well. And the children vary in their ages and ethnicities. Now I'm sure that she is photo shopped to "look her best", but that's a very small detail of what one can get from looking at this ad. When I first saw the ad I actually stopped to take a second look. The reason that I did so was that I must admit that I was shocked that a women of color was being depicted as the role model for these kids. Something that I really liked about this ad was that Subways picked a female boxer, a figure that is not usually chosen to advertise anything. 

In the first ad they depict her showing her strength, shes not just someone who is looking after kids in the playground, but rather she is a figure that they are trying to be like. In the Second ad one can concluded that they are trying to recreate the very famous Rocky scene, a scene that is iconic and associated with a "man's sport" (boxing). And with a role model like herself they will be able to reach the top. I like that finally a women, a female boxer (someone that doesn't pop into your head when thinking about a "standard role model"), is being represented as someone that kids of both genders want to be like through her examples.

Jesus likes commercials too.

After reading some of the articles provided in class, my eyes began to open to all of the sexism in media, especially in advertising. I believe it was the article entitled “Beauty and the beast of advertising,” really made me take a second look at commercials that I hadn’t even thought of. These people (people in the advertising industry) really do believe we are in the palms of their hands and in many ways they are right. They tell us what to think of ourselves. Media tells us what we need, not because we need it, but because if we have it, others will envy us and for a moment, we will have power. What geniuses! What a pity.

The most astounding fact was how even in history, in paintings, there are moments when women are being manipulated. John Berger’s book, “The Ways of Seeing,” was such an eye opener, how women were painted not just as art, but to be looked at. It was the fact that we prepare ourselves to be seen by men; when I go shopping, I no longer think about what I like, I think about and envision myself dressed how my boyfriend would like. This notion boggled by mind because it was so true and I thought no one knew about it! I’ve been so brainwashed. I’ve been bamboozled!

As I began to work with a certain organization, helping to put together a youth leadership conference for next year, I began to pay closer attention to advertising geared towards young women. I realized that the conference was in no way appealing to my demographic (18-24 year-old Christian, educated, urban females), but why? Because there was no need; we want to be cool, we want to be wanted so we will go where the guys are, such a sad fact. So I have decided to do something about that… Now I’m in the brainstorming phase. I will keep you updated.

The only advertising that I actually like is Dove’s beauty campaign. I wish it wasn’t the only one, but its great. This by far is my favorite advertisement of theirs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FowHP01j-Oo

I wish there were more ads that were like this, so I'm going to do research and create one for my specific demographic. I've found some inspiration in "The Merchants of Cool." That's what I need to do for my demographic. Its time we had more positive reinforcement for us. I'm thinking of mixing a taste of an organization/movement like "The Revolve Tour"and Dove's beauty and campaign. Something that reaches Christian girls everywhere...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXW9Cm__B4g

I know, I know what you are thinking, but as a young Christian woman, we have even more to face, not only do we dislike the ads that are sexist against us, we also feel that we can't relate to so many other things like sex before marriage, see through clothing, etc. We need something specific, something that we can relate to and feel comfortable with. I will make it... I will.

Post #3

Most advertisements like to depict sexy perfect males and females with the most gorgeous, naturally tan bodies. The males with their muscular, athletic build. The females with the big boobs, and perfect ass. They have the most beautiful hair that glows, with no-frizzes, or split ends. Their faces have no acne or blemishes; it is like they have no pores. These ads grabs anyone’s attention, and make them believe that they need to look like that; when in reality the people in the ads do not really look like that. Featuring a normal average person in these ads without make-up or Photoshop would not sell, because who wants to be average in this superficial world? No one, we want to look hot, we want to grabs peoples attention, we want to look good for others because then we feel good about ourselves. Though advertisements do tend to knock us down because no matter how hard we try and what types of products we buy, we can never look like the way these sexy, hot advertisement people look.

Some companies like dove try and use real men and real women to get people to buy their product. It is risky, but it works. These people in the ads are in their under garments and all their flaws are exposed, yet they are smiling and are happy with who they are. These give individuals the idea that nobody is perfect, and we all have flaws, yet this product is going to make you happy and feel good about you. It is an alternative to the regular misleading ads on the perfect male and female. It makes for a healthier world. Individuals will realize that we all have flaws by looking at these ads and even though they would probably buy the product for the sexier perfect male or female, because that’s what we want to strive for; these Dove ads go in a different direction and try to show everyone that we are all flawed and we are not perfect and can always look great, and that is what is going to help sell them aside from the perfect, I always look good ads.

"Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need." – Will Rogers

It is very difficult to take down a marketing company when they are trying to do something that is admirable and undeniably good with their advertising. The Campaign for Real Beauty is an admirable idea, but it has been a disaster for Dove because it has diluted a brand positioning that was already wobbling under the weight of questionable line extensions.
The Campaign for Real Beauty Ads, for soap, shampoo and now Dove Nourishing Lotion have taken this error a step further. In these spots, Dove is trying to substitute the brand positioning of the campaign (women come in all shape and sizes and that is great) for the brand positioning of Dove. And Dove is trying to morph into a generic empowerment message. But it just doesn’t fit. The message is that you need to add something that you don’t have to make you whole. And that means you aren’t whole already.


While I understand Doves’ initial reaction to the seeming hypocrisy of the campaign, I don’t think it’s entirely without good cause. Yes, Dove is still a brand and yes, it relies on an inadequacy to sell its products, and its main aim in advertising IS to sell. On the other hand, low-self esteem and the quest for self-improvement are not entirely linked. I think there’s a difference between wanting to appear healthy (which feeling and looking younger is a major part of) and looking a specific ‘right’ way.

I also admit the debate about "real" women is highly questionable. On a wider scale, although it aims to comfort women pressured to conform to extreme practices such as surgery and diets, it still ultimately focuses on creating an ideal which women are then either included in or excluded from. In other words, is a woman less of a woman because she has small breasts? If she chooses to get breast implants, does she become more of a woman by adopting a "traditional" figure or less of a woman by altering her natural female figure?

Unusual Ads

We are used to seeing the typical ads in which women are the subordinate object, are sexually objectified and silenced, and displayed in countless other expressions of inferiority.

I find the portrayal of women in the following ads to be unusual with respect to what is the norm for women's role in advertising.

The following ads portray gender role reversals for man and woman. Where normally the woman is the inferior "object," in these ads, the woman takes on a role of power --power over the man.

The following ads portray other gender role reversals. In the first ad the man is shown to be the homemaker and the woman is shown as the couch potato with a TV remote in hand and empty beer bottles on the floor and a provocative magazine next to her.

In the second ad for vodka, it shows the man as being pregnant, taking on the burden for the woman so that she can be allowed to drink alcoholic beverages, making it an "absolut world".

The following ads I find to be misleading and not really clear on the message they are trying to communicate. They are yogurt ads from Brazil. They show attractive curvaceous woman taking the place of thinner actresses in their respective movie roles. The tagline for these ads reads: "Forget about it. Men's preference will never change. Fit light yogurt." So, it's a big contradiction. I can't figure out if they are encouraging women to be content and proud of their fuller figures and maintain their weight by eating light yogurt. Is it saying that even though these women are still attractive despite being curvaceous, men will still opt for the thinner version? Or are they making a mockery of the women, saying that they look ridiculous trying to fit the role being a curvaceous woman and should eat the light yogurt to become thin like the actress in order to be what men prefer? The ironic thing is that these women are still photoshopped in these ads...

The last ad campaigns by DOVE and NIKE were created with the idea of countering the message that is traditionally sent in advertisements dictating what beauty is. In these ads (the DOVE ones we saw in class) women are portrayed as having real beauty, showing that they shouldn't have shame about aging and getting wrinkles or athletic women having a fuller, muscular physique. The last ad is showing exactly what they are trying to counter--the "photoshopping" of older women who have wrinkles, which is not seen as beautiful. They need to be flawless.

Advertisements with Photoshop!

Many advertising magazines are made to sell their product, but they sell more than just their product. Take a look at this Ralph Lauren magazine that shocked everyone when it was revealed. This model is meant to sell Ralph Lauren clothing, but that is not what is so shocking to viewers. Take a look at this model's waist within the magazine. It is abnormally thin and makes her look disproportioned. Are the people at Ralph Lauren magazine trying to tell us that women need to be unhealthy to wear their product? This picture is obviously been manipulated using photoshop. It has been said that every single picture you see in a magazine is manipulated, but this one takes it to the extreme. It is adds like these that make women ashamed of how they look. Even if they buy these Ralph Lauren clothing, they will still not love themselves until they can achieve this anorexic-like body.

There are also photos in magazines that try to tell women that their body is fine the way it is. The photo to my right is not one of them.

You would think that this Vanity Vair cover of a pregnant Demi Moore shows that it doesn't matter what you look like. But if you really look into this photo, you see that even though she has a "big-belly" she still has a perfect body. This ad makes women think that even if they are pregnant, they must still have these perfect bodies, whether or not they are pregnant. All of these magazine covers show the life of woman as perfect and glamourous, but what they don't see is how these photos are photoshopped into these perfect images from the original. The creators of these ads are shaping the images into what they believe women should be presented like rather than letting them be what they truly are.

-Matt Van Tine-

Distorted Images of Ourselves Caused by Media

How many times have we found ourselves looking in the mirror and unhappy with the reflection? We may be at a healthy weight, but for some reason we see an obese person in the mirror staring right back at us. It is an distorted image that people who suffer from anorexia and bulimia see because they are trying to achieve an unrealistic image of the ideal woman. "She is made to feel dissatisfied with and ashamed of herself, whether she tries to achieve 'the look' or not" (Kilbourne, 122).



As Kilbourne said in Beauty and the Beast of Advertising, "The image is artificial and can only be achieved artificially...." and that artificial device being photo shop. Like the photo of Madonna before and after photo shop or this photograph to the right >>>>
The image on the left of Kim Kardashian is the closest to what she really looks like, tanned, with not so perky breasts, and with cellulite in her thighs. The photo shopped image on the right makes Kim lighter, thinner waist, and smoother, cellulite-free legs. This dispels the idea of the "perfect provocateur" because these beautiful women we see in advertisements (naturally) do not meet the standards of "physical perfection." Between Madonna and Kim they do have pores, wrinkles, blemishes, and possibly scars. As an alternative, instead of using photo shop to alter the true image in order to make the subject/ model look "perfect," leave the picture as it is. Everyone has physical "flaws" and as media consumers, we wouldn't have to feel inferior to these deceiving images because in reality, human perfection does not exist. Also, if magazines don't want to reveal Madonna's sagging skin or Kim's cellulite legs, dress them appropriately!