Essay About Ideal Image And Visual Images

Advertising
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Advertising
Advertising promotes more than mere products in our popular culture. Because
images used in advertising are often idealized, they eventually set the standard
which we in turn feel we must live up to. Advertisements serve to show us what
the ideal image is, and further tell us how to obtain it. Advertisers
essentially have the power to promote positive images or negative images.
Unfortunately, most of the roles portrayed by women tend to fit the latter
description. The irony lies therein since it is these negative images which have
been most successful in selling products. It is easy to understand the appeal
which these ads hold for men, as they place women in an inferior role; one
characterized by helplessness, fragility and vulnerability. Certainly one can
not deny that visual images serve to create the ideal female beauty within the
material realm of consumer culture. The problem is that if one strays from this
ideal, theres the risk of not being accepted by men. Advertisers, by setting
ideals, not only sell their products, but in fact reaffirm traditional gender
roles in mainstream America. Women portrayed in sexual ads are depicted as
objects and commodities, to be consumed by men for visual pleasure and by women
for self-definition. Any depiction of a woman in scant clothing ultimately makes
her look vulnerable and powerless, especially when placed next to a physically
stronger man. Studies show that advertisements will concentrate primarily on a
womans body parts rather than her facial expressions. Also, it was proven that
over 50% of commercials portraying women contained at least one camera shot
focusing on her chest. Men enjoy these images, and sadly, women tend to try to
embody them, regardless of the extent to which they degrade themselves. Perhaps
one of the most recent, successful, and controversial ad campaigns of the
nineties is that of Calvin Klein. Ironically, in contrast to the normal,
objectifying advertisements that deface women altogether, Klein focuses on his
models expressions. However, these expressions are similar to those of a scared
child. The naked female model in turn looks even more vulnerable than when she
was faceless. Here, in this ad Kate Moss is depicted as an innocent scared
child. Her fingers touch her lips as if she is not permitted to speak, while her
eyes look as if they are bruised. Moss breast is exposed in this image, but
instead