Ads With Many Possible Targets And Claims example essay topic

Susan Bordo is a great writer. I say this because I think her propaganda skills are superbly showed in this piece of writing. Through careful selection the ads that she analyzes, Bordo manages to make a convincing argument that all advertisements involving food or image are intended to appeal to women, even ads with men in them. I think this idea is completely ludicrous, but the method used to support her theory is nicely done. Even though I say her writing is good, there is a big problem, propaganda is all that this writing could be called because like most other biased writers she only shows one side of an argument and dismisses, or even fails to mention the other side.

Bordo's technique that she uses over and over is to first describe an ad and then show how it is meant to appeal to women and takes advantage of their common eating disorders. She does this repeadtly in every ad that she analyses, beginning with Fibre thin and Virginia slims ads, which obviously are meant to appeal to women and only women. She does not end there though. She continues on to analyze ads with many possible targets and claims that they too are deliberately meant to appeal to women and only women. This method, though crude, is very effective, and reading thirty pages of it is more than enough to convince the average reader that her argument holds water. A major example of Bordo's crazy claims that all ads are directed towards women is her argument that the ultra-slim-fast ads starring Tommy Lasorda are actually directed towards women.

By showing a traditional, beer drinking, sports loving, guy using their product, advertisers are banking on the idea that other men, especially Lasorda's age or weight will be tempted to try their product too. Other diet products such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig only attempt to appeal to women, giving the general public the conception that weight loss products are only for women. If anything, the Tommy Lasorda ad is trying to shift the attention away from women, not towards them. Slim-fast is marketing the idea across that it is acceptable for men to use weight-loss products too.

By showing Tommy Lasorda, someone most men can relate to at least at the time this piece was written, they are very successful at getting this idea across. Bordo is digging at this ad in an attempt to show that all ads are towards women, and obviously she is not correct about this one. Another example of Bordo's desperate attempts to prove that everything is related to women, and their problems, is her analysis of the "Post Fruit and Fibre Harvest Medley" advertisement that depicts a pretty healthy looking man, eating cereal. This crazy woman tries to claim that the technique of displacement is being used here.

According to Bordo, this ad targets women by not even using them. Instead she argues that the man is being used to displace women in this ad like these. Bordo insists that a man is being used in the ad because our society has the idea that there is nothing wrong with indulgent eating by men. According to Bordo, it is meant to give women the idea that there is nothing wrong with eating. Either Bordo ignores of fails to adhere to the idea that this ad could actually have males as the major target audience, although I think it's the latter considering her propaganda talents. The ad shows a man smiling and eating a healthy cereal for breakfast.

It would seem very reasonable to claim that the obvious target of the ad is men. It could be used to show men that it is acceptable and still enjoyable to eat something healthy for breakfast like post cereal instead of the more traditional male breakfasts such as bacon and eggs. Bordo also b latently ignores the fact that men too are interested in image, something that she implies is unique to women. In past years, many muscle builder products like creatine have hit the market, and even products similar to Cosmo Kramer's man bra (bro) have actually had moderate success. I am reminded of an ad for General Nutrition Center's weight gainer 2000, which shows pictures of men with huge muscles standing next to incredibly attractive women at a gym.

Although weight-gaining products are the exact opposite of the diet products that Bordo is talking about, this type of ad is indisputable proof that advertisers target men who are interested in image. This is a product that is meant to improve something Bordo claims that men don't care about, their image. I would like to see Bordo find a way to apply her theory of displacement to this circumstance. I am not arguing with the fact that advertisers prey on women, but the fact is that advertisers also attempt to appeal to men and their insecurities. In fact, advertisers attempt to appeal to everyone. The entire idea surrounding the concept of a successful advertiser is that he or she creates an appeal for the product.

This is one concept that Bordo can't seem to grasp. No group is free from being targeted, if you can spend money or have means of getting the product, you could be a target. This is a fact about capitalist societies. All groups are targeted by advertisers. It's not some cruel plot to cause women's eating disorders, it's an attempt to get money. Bordo's technique can actually be seen as a form of advertising itself.

Her method of constantly hammering her claims of persecution into the reader is merely an attempt to get readers to agree with her point of view. This essay is not designed to be an informative essay as Bordo may claim. It is more of a call to action against advertising companies and men in general. If this were an informative essay, it would show all sides of the argument, something that Bordo does not do. Bordo's essay is just another feeble attempt at man bashing by an angry, disillusioned feminist, nostalgic of the bra burning days of the 60's. She claims everyone is out to get women and take advantage of them.

Advertisers are not out to get women, they are out to get everyone. This is something that she must accept. Take a look at the Marlboro man, an ad that's been targeting men for decades. Women are not unique in their being targeted.

Women like Bordo are just better at complaining about it.