Concepts in Advertisements Research Paper Example
Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to persuade readers that there’s something more in print advertisements. Besides a product that is being sold, there is a concept or ideal that is being sold along the side the product, even when readers are not aware of it. That concept is that this advertisement contributes to the concept of beauty, by implying that it is creepy and unnatural for women to have masculine traits. The advert that is being used to reveal this concept is a Y&R razor ad. This advertisement is the primary evidence used to reveal that women who had masculine traits aren’t seen as feminine, but creepy and unnatural. A scholarly article written by Francis J. Davis is also being used as proof to support the main concept of the essay. This essay will show that the way that advertisements display women with masculine developments are shown and creepy and monstrous, and that women must be feminine and innocent.
Concepts in Advertising
Whether we are browsing the internet on the computer, scrolling through social media, or even walking down the street, there are advertisements that are trying to shape the way we think. Due to the numerous forms that advertisements take, it is impossible to go through our day without being sold a product by a corporation. We might think to just ignore advertisements because we aren’t interested by their products, however there are be messages that are going on in advertisements. Advertisements are saying something more substantial about our society that a majority of people just ignore. In this essay I will be looking at a Y&R Razor advertisement that has a deeper message than just a product that they want to promote or sell. Through dark colorations, the subversion of gender norms, and the font choice this advertisement contributes to the concept of beauty, through implying that it is weird and unnatural for women to have masculine characteristics.
One of the most notable things that are featured in this advertisement is the woman inside the vehicle. The advertisement is set in a vehicle in a dark forest. Inside the vehicle sitting across from the viewer is a woman. She is a slender white female, who we will assume we just had a date with considering the context of the advertisement. This woman is wearing a revealing orange dress, and she is leaning her arm on her seat so she will be able to face the viewer. She has lengthy wavy blonde hair that reaches the bottom of the advertisement, and she is wearing some earrings. Her facial expression is very determined, with the help of her facial expression and the manner in which the woman is sitting the advertisement is trying to show us that the woman is confident. However, the most unsettling feature of the lady is that she has a complete thick blonde beard that covers most of her face. (Y&R)
Everything inside the advertisement, wants us to be attracted to this woman, however, all of her feminine features are offset by the full beard that she has. This subversion of gender stereotypes flips the tone of the ad on its head, it is not common to see a woman with plenty of body hair, and the advertisement makes us see the female as bizarre and unsettling. Women with masculine traits are seen as freaks in society for a long time. Another instance of a woman with masculine traits being seen as weird and freaky is the carnival bearded lady stereotype that is usually portrayed as being freaky and unnatural. The Y&R ad is playing into this by displaying this woman as an unnatural freak. In our society women aren’t supposed to have masculine traits. They’re expected to not have any body hair or they’re seen as freaks. This also applies to women with other masculine tendencies like the “Tomboy” stereotype due to the fact they’re seen as not ladylike. This is unfavorable to our society by not letting women break free from the expectation that society has for them.
There are different aspects of the image, including the darkish colors that strengthen the unsettling tone that this print advertisement gives off. The darkish colors are used to emphasize the unnatural appearance of the woman. The advertisement takes place in a very dark forest. In contrast to the darkness of the car is the bright orange dress that the bearded woman is wearing, that draws the viewers’ attention. The interior of the car is slightly illuminated. Through the window of the car, it is nearly impossible to make out any details due to the darkness. To further add to the unsettling tone of this print advertisement, there’s fog outside of the car. The only light source in this print advertisement is the car light that is positioned on the roof of the car, and this light is giving off a tiny glare. This light illuminates a small portion of the interior of the car and the face of the woman with the full beard. (Y&R)
Not only was the woman with the beard unsettling, but the atmosphere around this woman additionally gives off a creepy and bizarre feeling. This is because of the darkish colors which are in this advertisement. The darkish colors only add to how unnatural the woman with the beard appears. The darkish colors only confirm that the message of the advertisement is that it is unnatural for women to have masculine characteristics. The advertisement is making this woman with a beard seem like a monster with these dark lighting fixtures. When we see creepy monsters in horrifying movies they also include darkish and creepy forests, and this print advertisement is making an attempt to present off the same tone that the darkish lighting and fog create in those other forms of media.
Unlike the darkish lighting within the print advertisement, there is a certain component that contrasts with the unsettling tone of the advertisement. The component is the textual content of the advertisement. This text contrast with the unnatural tone of the woman with the beard, by representing all of what the woman should be. Within the print advertisement, there are a few lines of text, however, the most prominent text that is displayed is the text that asks “Would you kiss you?” this text is displayed in an interesting way. The color of the font is white, while the font itself is this very stylish and it is written in cursive. At the same time as the bearded woman is positioned on the left side of the print advertisement in darkness, and the text is positioned on the right side of the print advertisement. The text is being illuminated by way of the light that is coming from the car light. (Y&R) YYY
While at first glance the text itself is saying that the woman is a man or has masculine traits through saying “would you kiss you?” however if we examine where the text is positioned on the print advertisement a deeper message can be seen. The text is white and is written in a more feminine font on the right of the print advertisement, however the bearded woman is positioned within the darkness on the left of the advertisement. The white text is in contrast to the bearded woman within the darkness. The text is what a woman should look like, and that is elegant and innocent looking. The factor that advertisements rely upon the contrast between genders stereotypes can be seen in an article written by J. Francis Davis (n.d.), “Contrast the traditional sex roles of advertisement for Chivas Regal, showing successful professional men in business suits with the stereotypic portraits of woman and men in food ads that cast women as kitchen ‘experts.’ Many other media images depend on predefined roles based of gender and race” (p.3). Many advertisements depend upon common gender stereotypes and that deviating from those stereotypes is unnatural. There is a clear contrast of the white and elegant cursive writing to the dark and unsettling bearded woman.
All in all, there is a whole lot more than a product that is being offered within the advertisements that we see on a daily basis. Due to the fact we see so many advertisements each day, they have an impact on us whether we realize it or not. The concept that if women have masculine traits they will not be seen as beautiful by society as a damaging message that can be spread. Those advertisements use gender stereotypes to put into our heads what is normal or what is not normal to be like or appear like. These advertisements are using those stereotypes to shape our society while we should be attempting to break those stereotypes. It is crucial to understand those messages which are being shown to us and not just to focus on the product that is behind bought. There’s something greater in advertisements, and we need to recognize what that is in order to be who we are.
References
Davis, F.J. (n.d.). Power of images: creating the myths of our time. Medialit, Retrieved August 28, 2010, from http://www.medialit.org
Y&R. (2013, February, 10). Razor advertisement. https://www.adsoftheworld.com/media/outdoor/schick_would_you_kiss_you_2.
