Jimmy Choo Ad In W Magazine example essay topic

In today's society, we are bombarded with images telling us how to dress, think, act, and behave. As Ed Norton in the movie Fight Club says while looking at a Calvin Klein underwear ad, "is that how real men are supposed to look?" I decided to search for an ad that can be seen as controversial or even disturbing at that, and I was lucky enough to come across a Jimmy Choo ad in W magazine. The message is clear-buy these shoes. Whether or not that message is being conveyed in the most appropriate or effective ways is less to be desired for. The shoes are not even in the center of the picture, and in my opinion, the shoes are not the main focal point in the ad. Instead, the focus is on a woman leaning backwards on some sort of board with a very skimpy bikini bottom and loose top.

She is holding a purse and has on several large bracelets, and is spraying a hose of some sort. But even all of these images are not the most disturbing. The woman's facial expression is startling. She is looking upwards and more importantly, she looks as if she's watching something terrible happen and is either scared or in danger. Perhaps the message is trying to say, "look sexy like this woman and buy our shoes". What does sexy really mean?

Who's to say that a woman maybe one hundred pounds heavier in a simple evening dress cannot wear those shoes and still be as sexy? What makes this vulnerable woman so appealing and desirable in this advertisement? What really is this ad trying to sell? Shoes are a dime a dozen.

I went to the mall the other day and went into 8 different shoe stores alone. Obviously there is something special about Jimmy Choo shoes. Is this company really tying to sell you the shoes, or trying to sell you the name? I recall watching an interview with Paris Hilton, and she said that she loved Jimmy Choo shoes and that she has "x" (some large number) pairs of them.

Since we are such a media-based culture, if we hear Paris Hilton wears Jimmy Choo shoes, then they must be great! With such a high price, how can the middle class person even afford a pair? With all of these things taken into consideration, it's clear that there is an elite group of people this ad is designed for. As stated before, the woman in this picture is the main focal point.

Some, maybe many, people in our country may find this woman very attractive by today's standards. If you have an attractive person selling a product, the odds are that the consumer will find the product also appealing, and perhaps buy it. Sex sells nowadays, and that's what this ad is doing. A tanned blonde-hair, blue-eyed woman is lying down almost half-naked with "sexy" shoes on, and we " re hooked.

I'm sure there are many different ways to look at this ad and try to find multiple readings, perhaps about style, or maybe even how we value animals since the woman is wearing something that's leopard print. Could she be suggesting that it's stylish and also "sexy" to harm animals and use their skin in clothing in order to be fashionable? Maybe she's mocking the "non-elite" people in our culture by casually holding the hose. One could say that a woman dressed like that would not be watering a garden, therefore she is mocking a specific group. I feel the ad definitely reaches the intended individuals, in more ways than one.

First of all, W magazine is a fashion magazine, not like the kind where you read it in the doctors office and check your horoscope in the back. The magazine is designed to be appealing and consumed by the fashion gurus and readers alike. Most of the magazine, in fact, is advertisements for fashion, and not just any kind of fashion, but high-class, expensive fashion. This "elite" group that I discussed earlier is high-class I talk about. The people that see this ad are simply looking to make a point, stand out even, and sell their product, which in this case is shoes. This ad clearly depicts a warped sense of reality.

I don't know about you, but I have never seen a woman so flawless and dressed so scantily in such a position. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes in my life. Do women really lay in their backyard all glazed-up with thousand dollar shoes on? Also, is this woman really that flawless?

The odds are that there was some digital enhancement or airbrushing to make this woman look "perfect". In today's American culture, everyone seems to want to be nothing but perfect. There are multiple views as to what that specifically entails, but to be thin and to be sexy is to be perfect, and it's a fact.