Please write a concise, well-thought out 500 word response to the following question. Please include a picture or illustration that you feel works well with the topic.
Jean Kilbourne comments that the impossible, ideal image presented by advertisers “wouldn’t matter so much if it didn’t connect with the core belief of American and Canadian culture that such transformation is possible; that we can look like this if we just try hard enough, buy the right products. If we’re not beautiful, or thin, or rich, or successful, it’s because we’re just not trying hard enough.” Explore this statement further. In what ways is transformation a central principle of American and Canadian society? What is the connection between advertising’s impossible image of ideal beauty and the American/Canadian belief in transformation?
Kilbourne discusses the different personalities that companies use for men and women when advertising their products and the ideal person that we desire so badly to be. These ideal persons are in commercials, videos, movies and TV shows that are shown to us every day. We can try so hard to reach this goal of the ideal being but in reality it is most likely impossible to copy and achieve, this is transformation. Kilbourne analyzes many advertisements and clips from movies to display the many gender stereotypes. She shows us that there is a relationship connecting advertising and the many more broad issues related to the media and makes us question how much of what we do is influenced by this content that we are exposed to every day.
The way others perceive you will contribute to transformation. The media and all of the screens, posters, and advertisements you see will influence you, but also your peers. You will want to look good for the people around you because you know that you will be judged. I believe that the desire for beauty is much greater for women because we see these ideal women in our everyday lives and have a desire to be or to have that woman. Of course, this should not be how it is but this is how the media made it out to be. Kilbourne helped us realize this.
She states that the women are often seen as objects and further, they focus on a certain part of the female, such as the breasts or buttocks. This statement is very strong and outlines what the companies are basically saying when we read between the lines. Many advertisements or movies will show female breasts, buttocks, and the crotch to attract the man and get the consumers to buy their product. We see this a lot in beer commercials. An example is shown on the next page. As you can see, the woman in this photo is basically a part of the beer. This is completely objectifying her. Also, there is a seductive and sexual look to her, to try and attract men even more. This is an attractive ad for many men and they will want to look at it when they see it. This is exactly what the advertisers want. When we as consumers buy the products of these companies they use these tactics more and continue their advertising on a similar path.
This shows us that this method advertising where they choose target market and advertise specifically for that market it is effective. An example is shown on the next page. It is an Omega watch ad with James Bond as the model. They chose this man as the model because he is a sign of excellence, success, bravery, and numerous traits that many men desire to be. This is, as well, a stereotype. Men would be attracted to buy this product because it is a sign of wealth and a sign of power.
