Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Visual Rhetoric



These are my five visual rhetoric advertisements, they are all about the portrayal of women. Now I'm not a girl who's sexist and super for women's rights and all that, but I don't agree with how women are put out there on advertisements and things in the media. They are all shown to be super skinny, sex objects, and that we are in charge of everything in the household.

My first and 4Th pictures are very sexual, one is a girl up on a tree with a man standing next to her, and the other is a woman lying on the ground with a man over her and 4 men standing around staring down at her. Both of the women are ridiculously skinny and i sexual positions. I think that this is saying to girls that 1) you need to be really skinny for men to be attracted to you and 2) if you are a girl, you should wear skimpy clothes and act in this manner to attract a guy. I think that this is dumb, because imagine if you are 12 years old, and don't fit in, but you see all these pictures in magazines and things on TV of women doing things and looking like this, they're going to want to mimic that look and action. Also, if that 12 year old feels like she is overweight because of how those girls in the media look, there is a chance of developing eating disorders.

My second photo is of a couple on their honeymoon, and the statement says something along the lines of wanting to be skinny again. Again, this is going to show to girls and women that they need to be a certain size, and that can turn to eating disorders or depression or plastic surgery and a lack of self-confidence in women who don't look like those in the media, which is most people.

My third photo is a woman flexing her arm saying 'We can do it". I think that this is showing women that they need to be able to handle anything that comes their way, which is probably why women are 'better' then men at multitasking because they feel the need to take on SO many things at once. The media has helped push that idea, and its clearly working. I don't think I can name a girl that I have talked to lately who doesn't have more than 3 things to do in a day.

Lastly, my photo is about a 'perfect' wife, and the things she can do to become a better one. The image of the woman has a perfect hour glass figure, which is tying back into how it is showing girls they need to be stick thin to be liked by a man. It is also saying that they need to multitask, organize and be extra perfect for their husband to be happy.

In conclusion, I don't think that any of these photos are sending a good message to girls out there. I have had too many friends who have has issues with self-confidence, and I know I take on way too much because I think that is what's expected of me. We may not think that these photos, or images in magazines, or shows on TV get to us, but subconsciously all girls out there have an idea of what they think they should look like. I could have added a make-up add in here to show that girls are supposed to have perfect skin, so that's just another thing that is making girls think they're supposed to be 'perfect'.

2 comments:

  1. If you look at these advertisements from a business perspective, putting women in the center as a focus is what is bringing the customers to them (both men and women). Men, because they're visual and women because of their insecurities. Logically, this marketing strategy is what is making them the money, so why wouldn't they continue marketing in the same fashion if it successful? Ethics is not a major concern in the advertising industry, it's about what will bring the customers (and therefore profit) in.

    There's no doubt about it that the way the media portrays both men and women's appearances is unrealistic, but can you imagine seeing an advertisement for say, makeup with just an "average", every-day girl as the focus? It simply wouldn't be as effective; no one wants to look "average". The advertisement is supposed to show how "X company's" product is going to make you transform your looks, your life, or your personality. In order for this message to be sent to the target audience, (in the case of a makeup advertisement) one needs a very bold model with a high sex appeal to attract consumers to the product.

    The media definitely can be psychologically damaging to both men and women. Women of course are obviously are more likely to develop these insecurities. However, businesses are not going to change their methods of marketing simply because of self-esteem and/or ethical issues. It's similar to the obesity problem in this country. Just because obesity is a problem, doesn't mean restaurants are going to start serving smaller and/or healthier portions; it's not what will bring in the profit.

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  2. I'd like to also note that these images come from very different periods in history. The "We Can Do It" ad looks very much like a WWII labor poster, calling on women to work in factories while men were out at war. Raises the question how representations of women change radically in wartime (full mobilization wars, not the kind of limited but omnipresent war like the one we're in now) when economic necessity demands that women leave their gendered division of labor (i.e. the home) and enter male-associated occupations. Leads to some interesting developments and challenges to traditional definitions of gender.

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