It is human nature to experience envy what you want but do not desire. In Western culture, it is apparent that fashion and fame is one of those most desirable, and often envied among others. It is made apparent through the use of advertising. More often than not, advertisements consist of luxurious people and beautiful surroundings. These are all “things”, and we want these “things”. Advertisers tell us “You want to BE this ‘person’. You NEED whatever we are showing you. BUY our product.” This is always what is shown throughout various ads and commercials. The question is: If we’re aware of how they’re communicating to us, then why are we still roped in? The answer is: Beauty.
It is human nature to experience attraction. Whether that attraction is to the opposite sex, the same sex, or (God forbid) an inanimate object. For objective purposes, I will discuss an ad featuring an opposite sex: Woman. I am a heterosexual male who enjoys the finer things in life: fancy automobiles, expensive watches, and beautiful women. Unfortunately, I only see these “finer things” on TV. I will not deny that an ad featuring an attractive woman helps me focus a little more, but I can admit to seeing her as a person, not an object, especially if I have seen her in previous forms of advertising/TV programs/movies. The ad I plan to discuss can be seen below:
 |
| Emma Watson for Lancôme Perfumes |
Does she look familiar? If she doesn’t, then stop reading this blog and go read any of the Harry Potter books. Those will in turn make you watch the movies, and only then will you recognize my favorite of the group: Hermione Granger. In real life, she is Emma Watson. Watson has been acting since 2001, when she filmed the first Harry Potter film, The Sorcerer’s Stone. She appeared in every Potter film until the series ended last year. As I’ve grown, so has Miss Watson, and I gotta say, she has been one of my biggest celebrity crushes. At one time during her Potter career, she admitted to wanting to quit acting and go back to school and be “normal”. That didn’t work because, I believe, once you’re that big of a star, you can never just “go back to normal”. She has been in several other films including The Tale of Desperaux, and she has been modeling since winter of 2009. Currently, she is still modeling for Lancôme and she will appear in the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Now, the ad seen above is quite simple, and at first glance, you wouldn’t think that it’s the common “degrading woman” advertisement. You would be mistaken. There are a few things that point out as “the norm”. First off, Watson is not looking right at the camera, but completely focused “off screen”. What she may be looking at is a mystery, but I can bet that she is probably admiring a very attractive man. This leads to my next point: the breath-hold. In Codes of Gender, Professor Sut Jhally (who uses Erving Goffman’s book Gender Advertisements as a guide) explains that in most magazine ads, the female is often looking like she is holding her breath. He notes that this gesture shows that “the world is too much for them to cope with”. Watson demonstrates this posture very well in the ad. Another key visual is her exposed neck, which (according to Goffman) makes her powerless and ready to become victim to any opposing threat. Finally, in the film Killing Us Softly 4, it is brought up that the color red can be seen as a passionate color. I also believe that purple can be seen as passionate and virginal. Both colors are vividly used within the ad. In fact, they are the ONLY colors.
It is human nature to view advertisements as real or natural. Actually, that’s probably not correct, but people still strive to be what they see in advertising, nonetheless. Personally, I view them as fake and off-color, but entertaining. After all, their only purpose is to make money for the people who made them.
No comments:
Post a Comment