For my post this week I have decided to examine the portrayal of the female body within advertising. I must warn you that these images may be considered offensive or vulgar and consideration should be taken before a child sees them.
While most people go about their day not contemplating the impact that advertising truly has on the American consumer, there are many who have seen the images these ads contain and are repulsed, disgusted, offended, or at least confused by the messages that are sent. One cannot help but wonder why designer companies like Versace, Adam’s Boots, and Christian Dior would continuously exploit the female body within their advertisements. The answer is simple: profits. These types of ads work on two levels to suck the dollars out of the American consumer’s pocket.
For men, these ads state that if they buy the advertised products, then women who look like the models in these images will be attracted to them. Take, for instance a magazine advertisement for Versace couture containing a nude woman. This ad is used to market clothing but, perplexingly, the woman in the picture isn’t wearing any. The answer to the question of her portrayal within in the ad is clear. It alludes to an equation used by many advertising agencies to boost sales:
Man + Sexy Ad = Profits, Profits, PROFITS!
This Versace ad is meant to lead men to daydreams in which wearing Versace makes naked, pool-playing women appear. I don’t know about other people, but I can surely state that I have never seen a woman play pool naked, let alone a model.
Despite its blatant intent to attract men, this advertisement also works to bring in women consumers. The image perpetuates the American ideal of the woman’s body. It teaches women that this is the way in which their bodies should look. Many women who see this ad will begin to believe that, by this logic, they are less of a woman because they do not look like the model featured here. To compensate they may develop eating disorders or obsessive dieting and exercising strategies. Women may also decide that the buying of Versace products will, in a way, make them sexier and thus more attractive to the opposite sex.
The underlying message of this advertisement for Adam’s Boots would be hard to mistake: “Buy our products and she will get down on her hands and knees and lick your boots.” This advertisement is a clear example of the portrayal of the woman’s body in the media. She is depicted here as subservient and animalistic. She is posed in an almost dog-like fashion with her face low to the ground and her tongue extended. This type of animalization is not uncommon in advertisements containing women of color.
While most people go about their day not contemplating the impact that advertising truly has on the American consumer, there are many who have seen the images these ads contain and are repulsed, disgusted, offended, or at least confused by the messages that are sent. One cannot help but wonder why designer companies like Versace, Adam’s Boots, and Christian Dior would continuously exploit the female body within their advertisements. The answer is simple: profits. These types of ads work on two levels to suck the dollars out of the American consumer’s pocket.
For men, these ads state that if they buy the advertised products, then women who look like the models in these images will be attracted to them. Take, for instance a magazine advertisement for Versace couture containing a nude woman. This ad is used to market clothing but, perplexingly, the woman in the picture isn’t wearing any. The answer to the question of her portrayal within in the ad is clear. It alludes to an equation used by many advertising agencies to boost sales:
Man + Sexy Ad = Profits, Profits, PROFITS!
This Versace ad is meant to lead men to daydreams in which wearing Versace makes naked, pool-playing women appear. I don’t know about other people, but I can surely state that I have never seen a woman play pool naked, let alone a model.
Despite its blatant intent to attract men, this advertisement also works to bring in women consumers. The image perpetuates the American ideal of the woman’s body. It teaches women that this is the way in which their bodies should look. Many women who see this ad will begin to believe that, by this logic, they are less of a woman because they do not look like the model featured here. To compensate they may develop eating disorders or obsessive dieting and exercising strategies. Women may also decide that the buying of Versace products will, in a way, make them sexier and thus more attractive to the opposite sex.
The underlying message of this advertisement for Adam’s Boots would be hard to mistake: “Buy our products and she will get down on her hands and knees and lick your boots.” This advertisement is a clear example of the portrayal of the woman’s body in the media. She is depicted here as subservient and animalistic. She is posed in an almost dog-like fashion with her face low to the ground and her tongue extended. This type of animalization is not uncommon in advertisements containing women of color.
While all female bodies are portrayed as being inferior to those of men, the bodies of women of color are also portrayed as being less civilized than those of white women. This is done mos
t notably by placing the body of a woman of color in a scene where she is either with an animal, is posed like an animal, or she is exclusively in the surroundings of nature. The equating of the bodies of women of color with nature is saying that, in a way, they are inferior to white bodies in the same way that nature is inferior to the "civilized," modern world. This image of Adriana Lima, a Brazilian supermodel, was featured in GQ. It is a prime example of the way in which the body of a woman of color is made more inferior by its portrayal. Not only is she surrounded by nature, but she is also nude. Nudity is also shown within the media to portray an inherent inferiority to "modern living" in which people wear clothing to cover their bodies--though the amount of clothing need to be considered "decent" has been changing drastically over the years.
t notably by placing the body of a woman of color in a scene where she is either with an animal, is posed like an animal, or she is exclusively in the surroundings of nature. The equating of the bodies of women of color with nature is saying that, in a way, they are inferior to white bodies in the same way that nature is inferior to the "civilized," modern world. This image of Adriana Lima, a Brazilian supermodel, was featured in GQ. It is a prime example of the way in which the body of a woman of color is made more inferior by its portrayal. Not only is she surrounded by nature, but she is also nude. Nudity is also shown within the media to portray an inherent inferiority to "modern living" in which people wear clothing to cover their bodies--though the amount of clothing need to be considered "decent" has been changing drastically over the years.With the multitude of ads such as these that I found while researching for this blog, it is a wonder that more people aren't parading around spouting blatantly biased comments as it concerns the bodies of women, especially those of women of color.
1 comment:
I have never really paid attention to how women of color are depicted in advertisements compared to white women. I have noticed that a lot of ads don't seem to be portraying the products properly. The add that you have posted of the naked woman for Versace makes not sense to me unless they are in cahoots with plastic surgeons to actually help women look like that. It's unfortunate that women including little girls become infatuated with the sexiness of ads and magazine covers. The models in these photos don't really look like that, but for some reason the fantasy of us wanting to look that good or wanting to have someone who looks that good goes through everones mind.
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