Image analysis - Grade: A- PDF

Preview

Summary

image analysis essay for W131...

Description

Marlanda Minnick Jennifer Price Mahoney W131 10/2/2017 Disguised Manipulation Stop, look around you. Think about what you’re wearing or what those around you are wearing. Do you see any familiar brands? Why did you buy what your wearing right now? Every day we are submerged into a pool of advertisements, where you easily see more than 10 advertisements a day. There are advertisements for almost every product known to man and one product that almost everyone has seen advertised, is perfume. Vanity Fair magazine is one of many magazines that advertises perfumes and colognes. In June 2015, Vanity Fair Advertised Dior’s J’adore perfume. The perfume advertisement found a way to use both ethos and pathos to appeal to both men and women. Because of these appeals to ethos and pathos, the advertiser is able to manipulate the audience without them ever knowing. The ad in Vanity Fair Pictures Oscar winning actress Charlize Theron. Theron is adorned in a backless, form fitting dress of gold that flows flawlessly to the ground. The contour on the actress’s face is heavy, while the rest of her face has a natural glow as if untouched. The skin of the actress is bronzed and has a golden glow that any woman would wish to have. Her hair consists of short golden blond locks that end in the slightest wave. The camera has been positioned right off the shoulder of this stunning actress. Theron’s face is turned toward the camera as if she was about to give us her undivided attention, but she doesn’t. Instead she looks at something off in the distance that is much more captivating than the man with the camera in

Minnick 2

her face. She stands in a basic model type pose where her hand that is not in direct view of the observer is effortlessly placed at the nape of her neck. Although Charlize Theron is the obvious center piece of this ad, she isn’t the only star pictured in this elegant setting. Pictured next to the Oscar winning actress is the bottle of perfume that is supposed to be the superstar of this ad, but in all honesty, we know Charlize has taken over this show. The bottle of gold and has a radiating shine to it. Above the bottle sits large, Golden letters that spell out “J’adore”. A light seems to gleam through the letter “o” within the spelling of the perfumes name. The co-stars are placed side by side in front of a golden background that seems to be filled with a blur of city lights. Every aspect of this ad is glowing with gold radiance, giving it the elements of beauty and elegance. Elegance and beauty are both things that women will tell you they wish to possess. Ads for women’s products, like this perfume ad, tend to use women’s’ need to feel beautiful against them. The ad uses a beautiful, well known actress to do so. Charlize Theron has many features that women, including myself, wish they had. Things such as perfect, glowing skin, and a body that so many of us wish we could have leads to this ad use of pathos against the female viewer. Many women feel insecure about how they look and when they see an ad like Dior's they want to buy the product because they want to feel and look as beautiful as the woman pictured in the ad. This method also works with men because when men view this ad, the first thing they see is this astounding actress. Now that they have seen this ad they are now more likely to buy the perfume. Men don’t wear perfume, so why would they buy it? Just like woman, men connect the actress’s beauty with the perfume she is advertising. Men start to think that if they buy this product for their significant other, then they may look or feel just as beautiful. Like many, I have fallen to this strategy used by many corporations.

Minnick 3

I, like many women, am sensitive about my outward appearance. I dye my hair, wear makeup, and try to dress with style. Two of the biggest targets for advertising to woman are cosmetics and clothing. I fell victim to a cosmetic add, to which is typical of me. When I was browsing the cosmetic section at my local target, I came across the facial mask section. I had never used a face mask before, but I had heard good things. I decided I was going to get a mask and try it out for myself, but there was an issue. I knew absolutely nothing about facial masks. I started sorting through the array of masks and quickly became frustrated, due to my lack of knowledge. I finally came across a mask that had a very pretty silver package, decorated in pink flowers. Right on the front of the package was a woman with flawless skin. I had no idea who the woman was, but I was sold. My thoughts were if the mask gives her that kind of skin, then hopefully it will do the same for me, to which it didn’t. Ads love to play pathos against you, but they can’t rely on just one appeal to ethics. If the first appeal fails, then they have lost the customer. Dior advertised smart, they not only appealed to pathos, but they also appeal to ethos. Charlize Theron is an Oscar winning actress that you may recognize from movies like, Atomic Blond, The Fate of The Furious, Mad Max, and many others. By using Theron, Dior’s ad appeals to ethos. The use of a well-known actress makes Dior’s perfume more sellable than it would have been if the perfume were advertised by itself. When people see someone, they recognize as famous selling a product, they are more likely to buy it. The product becomes more eye catching due to the use of the actress. The use of famous figures in ads is a technique that has been used in advertising for decades. In today’s society people idolize many famous figures, such as actors, actresses, or famous singers. When someone’s idol is used in a products advertisement, they are more likely to buy the product, so they can be more like their idol. The idolization of

Minnick 4

famous figures like actors and actresses has gradually become a societal norm within the last couple decades. Who is your favorite actress or actor? Do you have a favorite music artist? I, like many people, want to be like my favorite famous figures because society has placed such a high value on these people. Because fame has become extremely valuable, other aspects of our culture has been molded with it. Many people now how have an idealized view on appearance. Celebrities set fashion trends and set the bar on beauty. If you aren’t keeping up on today’s fashion trends, then you are a nobody. If you don’t fit society’s picture of beauty set by celebrity’s, then you’re ugly. This is why ads like Dior’s work so well. We begin to unconsciously make connections between the famous figure and the product, making us want the product more than we would have if some unknown person was advertising the product. Many brands have begun to use people’s insecurities against them to manipulate them into thinking that they need the brand’s product. Like most consumers, I have personally fell victim to this advertising monstrosity. As a young adult I am bombarded by advertisements every day. I see advertisements on television, social media, on the radio, and many other media outlets. As many other people I have favorite musicians, actors, and actresses. I see and hear many advertisements like Dior’s every day and have personally bought items because of an ad before.

One of my favorite

musicians/actress, Selina Gomez, was used in an advertisement for Ulta beauty. I had never heard of Ulta beauty before that, but because I saw my favorite actress used in this advertisement it caught my attention rather quickly. I really like makeup and Selina Gomez, so I decided to make a trip to the store and I bought some products from there. If it wasn’t for the use of Selina in that advertisement, there was a good chance that I would have just bypassed that ad. Now that I go to Ulta regularly for my makeup and beauty products, I receive their magazines, in which

Minnick 5

they also use famous figures to advertise certain products. Product placement and the use of celebrities to do so is everywhere, and there is no way of escaping it. Advertisements are everywhere you look. I asked you to look around you and think about what you’re wearing or what those around you were wearing. Are you wearing anything with a brand name on it? Where the people around you wearing brand name clothing? If so, you are all walking advertisements, just like the Dior ad. Many ads today use an ideal of look good, feel good by appealing to Ethos and Pathos to manipulate you into buying products. Because society places value on fame and beauty; so do you, so do the people around you, and so do I. Next time you see an advertisement that catches your attention, really look at it and ask yourself why it catches your attention. Do you really need that product, or do you just want it because of who is advertising it?

Minnick 6

Works Cited Indiana University.” Canvas, iu.instructure.com/courses/1664615/files/folder/Pics? preview=71537991....