In defence of our beauty
In defence of our beauty!
In today’s day and age, nothing influences us as much as popular culture. With national and global media having extended all previously established frontiers, advertisements are one of the key methods to mobilize the markets, to induce wants in people, to persuade people that what they only desire is what they actually need! And though people believe that advertisements don’t really affect them, the fact remains that advertisement has become such a large part of our lives (people see an average of an ad a minute!) that we unconsciously imbibe their messages, which influence our thoughts, feelings, attitudes and perceptions.
However, in an alarming trend which has caught up in recent years, advertisers have started using the female form to sell their products. From biscuits to clothing to toothpaste, incredibly beautiful women, with great hair, skin and bodies are being used as models to sell these products. The question to be considered is this: how has this affected the image of the ideal women in most ‘normal’ women’s eyes?
There are, as always, both negative and positive aspects of this issue. The use of such perfect women in advertisements has, indeed, increased female insecurities by portraying an unrealistic image of a woman. False expectations can be created in the minds of both women and their partners whose perceptions have been influenced by what they see in the media. Also, there can be a conflict between real life and the so-called ‘reel’ life which can pervert a person’s view of reality.
That, however gives no right to the advertisement agencies to show women as mere sex toys, something happening not only in adverts nowadays but also in the hip-hop music videos where girls hop on screen wearing hardly anything, while the men, in an unlikely paradox are covered from head to toe. Since the field is almost completely male-dominated, this makes us take a hard look at underlying male-chauvinistic attitudes present in the media. Even products which are targeted at a specific group have advertisements showing half-naked women for no reason whatsoever! Such advertisements, which stereotype women in this way, pitting them against each other, only further evidences the male chauvinistic attitudes present in the system.
People have argued that women are not really represented as merely sexual creatures but can, in fact, serve as role models to other women who see them as achievers. But which woman with a right mind would want to pose as a piece of decoration in an advertisement? There are exceptions, yes. Advertisements showing women as committed, determined and confident people, striving to achieve what they have set for themselves haven’t been unheard of. However, they are few and far in between, much the pity.
If this is such a heated debate, then why are female models not complaining about the work they do? The fashion industry is such a competitive one that they wouldn’t dare. Most models just take whatever work they get, they don’t have the luxury to complain about the ethics behind what they do. Even though they are viewed as biddable objects, they really can’t do anything about it. Some adverts even use a child-like interpretation of women, denigrating all women and the models as well as condoning paedophilia!
Sometimes even the selected models are not completely perfect. Air-brushing is an art most magazines and newspapers have adopted. The policy is simple. If perfection is unattainable, then there will always be a constant demand for their products. It’s true. Even the most beautiful woman is unsure of herself, what about us normal women who are constantly bombarded with hundreds of perfect women? Studies have shown that women who view the media’s portrayal of beauty are more likely to have a negative body image then anybody else!
Advertisements are definitely necessary. Our world, which runs on money, would stop if people stopped becoming consumers. It is however, completely depraved when capitalists and companies distort women’s self-confidence and self-security just to sell their products!
For your information:
Some companies have been repeatedly producing disturbing images of women in their advertisements. About-Face (www.about-face.org) has a handy list of these companies here: http://www.about-face.org/goo/archive/. Like the people at About-Face, I urge you to reconsider buying from these companies next time you go shopping. They also have a gallery for winners which can be viewed here: http://www.about-face.org/gow/.
While looking for information for this article, I came across a list of websites which deal with this issue. Here are some resources for those interested…
What is body image? Self explanatory, really: http://www.edreferral.com/body_image.htm
Adios Barbie! A body image site for everyone: Factual information on the doll most of us loved playing with. Suitable for young children and woman who have, sadly, started to dislike their bodies. http://www.adiosbarbie.com/
HUGS International: Don’t let the scale ruin your day.
http://www.hugs.com/
The Girls, Women and Media Project: Raising awareness of images of girls being presented by the media. http://www.mediaandwomen.org/
Women of Colour Web: Has articles and information for women of colour in the
http://ca.geocities.com/ardenpeep/venus/venus.html
All images above are from about-face.org. Great Great Website!
posted by Books inc @ 8:40 AM
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