Introduction
This paper is going to analyze two images and the messages that each message depicts. The images I selected are both representing women in general, the beauty of women and that which is expected from a woman. The first can be said that it is targeting women of all ages. It is targeting not only working women but also housewives since it is emphasizing on beauty generally. In the figure, the focus is on the face of the woman. The second one it can be determined that the target audience is not broad this time as compared to the first figure since only housewives are being targeted. From the dress and actions of the woman in the figure, it can be deduced that she is a housewife.
Jean Kilbourne and Advertisements
Figure 1: (Duke)
From the analysis of this figure, it can be said that it is targeting women of all ages. It is targeting not only working women but also housewives since it is emphasizing on beauty generally. In the figure, the focus is on the face of the woman. The expression of the woman is gentle and all of her features are perfect. From her eyebrows to her chin, she appears to be beautiful and there is a specific attractiveness to her that she exhibits. This aligns with the criticism of Jean Kilbourne that media portrays women in such a way that they are made to appear beautiful and it creates the urge for viewers to appear as beautiful and attractive as the women portrayed in advertisements. In this advertisement, although the focus is on women, working women are especially targeted as they tend to care for their work more than their appearance.
Working women focus more on their work than on their appearance and in this advertisement, the woman is a soldier. Normally, soldiers are not required to work on their appearance as there is strict discipline in the military but that is what the advertisement is attempting to concentrate on. Even though there is no need to focus on her appearance, the woman looks charming and it will help her in communicating with others in a better manner. In the advertisement, the woman is talking to someone on the phone and in the background, there is another woman in the same uniform giving a message to the solider. It suggests that the woman is probably a messenger and her duty requires her to communicate with soldiers regularly. Since she is beautiful, she would be capable of communicating messages in a friendly and charming manner. It is implying that if a woman needs to interact and communicate with people then it is important for her to ensure that she appears beautiful and her features are delicate. In the figure, the image of a soldier is effective in influencing the viewers but an important role is also played by the persuasive and eye-catching sentence written right under the picture. The sentence is “Give you skin Ivory care, Doctors advise!” and what makes it persuasive is the fact that it is referencing the suggestion of doctors.
People and viewers tend to be attracted to those advertisements in which credible claims and verifiable information is provided. For instance, if an advertisement is about healthy vegetarian food and depicts the impacts of fast-food on our body then people will tend to believe it more than plain advertisements because it delivers information which can be verified from different sources and is normally not provided to the audience. In this advertisement as well, the word “doctors” has a significant impact on the target audience. To increase the positive effect on the audience, instructions have been given below the sentence. These instructions explain what to do while using the soap.
Although instructions might not appear to be important in catching the attention of the audience, these instructions are written concisely and persuasively. If a woman looks at the advertisement, she can read the instructions to know more about the product before purchasing it. Overall, it can be said that this advertisement is quite effective in targeting the audience. It might not have been as much effective as it is without the use of credible information. The fact that it is using “doctor” in the sentence has increased its degree of persuasiveness.
If this advertisement is analyzed while keeping the criticism of Kilbourne in mind, it can be observed that the focus is on an exceptionally charming woman. Following Kilbourne, media portrays a woman in a specific way that they are beautiful and even their bodies are portrayed to be perfect. In this advertisement as well, the woman is above the normal standards and due to it, the viewers will feel the need to appear as much as attractive as the woman who is focused upon in the advertisement.
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Figure 2: (Duke)
From the analysis of the second figure, it can be determined that the target audience is not broad this time as compared to the first figure since only housewives are being targeted. From the dress and actions of the woman in the figure, it can be deduced that she is a housewife. Similar to the first figure, the woman in this advertisement is also acting. She is attempting to preserve the leftovers of bread and upon reading the main sentence of the advertisement, it can be determined that the action of the woman is perfectly aligned with what the theme is. In the advertisement, the woman is charming and attractive. She is portraying how women used to be in the past in movies. Traditionally, housewives were made to appear similar to how the woman appears in the advertisement. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that she is the epitome of how men would imagine housewives to be.
In this figure, there is nothing in the background besides the woman herself who is saving the leftovers. The woman is smiling brightly as if she knows that she is doing the right thing by preserving the bread leftovers. The message is quite effective in gaining the attention of the audience. What makes it effective is that the main idea is written in a bold and large font. "Don't Waste Food" is written in red right beside the woman as if both of them are made to gain equal attention from the audience. Another element that makes it effective is the word "government" written above it. The use of this term serves to add value to the main message and it increases the strength of the message.
Right below the picture, instructions have been written similar to the first figure. In both of the figures, instructions have been written but if they are compared with each other, it can be said that instructions in the first figure are more attractive and easy to read. In the first figure, there are small pictures that provide visualization to the instructions. However, it is not the same as the second figure. There are no visualizations provided to the instructions. Although there is a picture of the product, it doesn't offer necessary imagery to the instructions which makes it more attractive to read. However, this is the only issue and there is no other flaw in the advertisement.
There are two elements on which the second figure is focusing. These elements include preserving the bread leftovers and being beautiful. If a woman looks at the figure then her attention will go first at the beautiful woman. The very first impression would be that the woman who is a housewife, is quite beautiful. The viewer would appreciate her attractiveness and in some cases, would also envy how she appears. After looking at the woman for a short while, the viewer than would look at the message which is given beside the woman. After reading the message, the viewer would read the instructions. The impression of both the woman and the message would be quite strong on the viewer.
Generally, the criticism of Kilbourne can be applied to this advertisement as well. Following her, the media portrays women in a particular way which creates a picture in the minds of viewers and they compare it with actual women. For instance, the media portrays women as attractive and slim. It causes female viewers to think about how they appear and what should they do about it. In this figure, the woman is a housewife and she is quite attractive. It is not only advertising the product but also the beauty that every woman must possess (Foundation).
Conclusion
Overall, it can be said that the advertisements are effective in persuading the viewers in purchasing the product being advertised. What makes it persuasive is the use of credible information in the advertisement. For the first image, it can also be said that the criticism of Kilbourne applies to this advertisement because the woman is made to appear beautiful as to persuade the audience to also look like she can be said that this advertisement is effective in delivering its message and promoting the product. For the second figure, the only flaw this advertisement has is that instructions don't have visual support as compared to the first figure which makes it quite difficult to read them and obtain information. Both the first figure and second figure are advertising not only products but also implying that women must be beautiful. In the first advertisement, the soldier is attractive and she is smiling while the housewife in the second advertisement is also very beautiful and she is also smiling. Both of the advertisements portray positive outlooks of women and Kilbourne's criticism can be applied to both of these advertisements as they are shaping the appearance of women in a specific way to their benefit.
Works Cited
Duke. Ad*Access. 2019. Internet. <https://repository.duke.edu/dc/adaccess/BH0904.>.
Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women. Dir. Media Education Foundation. Perf. Jean Kilbourne. 2010.