Model In Every Image example essay topic
The background in each image is plain and empty, leaving the focus on nothing but the model and the brand name. The setting is unknown and in two of the ads, a gray background is the only thing behind the models. The other two are similar but have white backgrounds with an intricate gray pattern swirling behind them. They are also all portrayed in black and white, except two of them have blue and red words on each side of the model that say Calvin Klein.
This centers the models and makes them the main focus of the page. Calvin Klein is written out in black in the upper right corner of the other two advertisements. These models have already been made to stand out by the gray designs surrounding them. The lack of color is used to emphasize the entire figure and the details of each model instead of bright colored clothes.
Calvin Klein doesn't want viewers to simply focus on the clothes, but on how the clothes look on these particular people. The appearance of these models is the primary concern of the ads and entails many different elements. Every model portrays a different characteristic through the pose they are in and the clothes that they wear. One ad depicts a sexy young woman who shows confidence by extending her arms out and exposing her flat stomach. Her hips are thrust to the left side, her long beautiful hair is gently blown back, and her facial expression and eye contact hint at sexual desire or acceptance of the viewer. Another female model also has her hips out to the left, but her hands express a different idea.
While one hand is used to play with her hair, the other is up to her face with her pointer finger right below her bottom lip. Her hair partly covers her eyes and with her head slightly down, she comes off as shy but confidant. The confidence comes from her exposed stomach and direct eye contact that she makes with the viewer. These two women are somewhat opposite in how they come off which shows that Calvin Klein is trying to appeal to what different guys look for and appreciate in a woman.
The two male models differ slightly from the females in that instead of being captured while doing some kind of dance, they are posing for the viewers and putting themselves on display like a piece of art. One of the models poses with his shirt pulled nearly all the way off, exposing his entire stomach and chest. His head is lowered and expresses a look of innocence, desire, and confidence, all while making direct eye contact. He is clearly chosen to model these clothes due to his physical perfection as seen in today's American culture. His stomach is flat and muscular with very little chest hair, his jaw and face are thin and chiseled, and his arms appear to be strong and tan.
The other male model is exposed in a different way and is fully clothed and even somewhat dressed up. He stands tall and confident like the other and also has long, dark hair and a facial expression of desire, innocence, and confidence. His colored shirt is bunched up and his jeans are full of wrinkles, trying to give him a sloppy, yet sexy look. Each advertisement has meaning to it that is subtle, but effective in order to sell clothes to viewers. The model in every image brings viewers into their fake world of perfection by using eye contact, sexual facial expressions, and trendy, fashionable styles. The models appear to be opening up and accepting of viewers because of their stances, poses, and dances, which further bring people into some kind of make believe world.
Another characteristic that seems to be necessary to be attractive according to these ads is being thin, in good shape, and not overweight. This idea is being depicted in a country where 58 million adults are overweight, or about one in every three (web). Advertisements such as these send a message to the public that being skinny is key to being attractive, which helps explain why anorexia is a major problem in this country. Woman are expected to have a flat stomach, while often times men can get away with having extra fat. Research shows that anorexia strikes only one male out of every ten females, and popular culture in magazines and the media surely account for helping this problem escalate (web). There for it could appear as though these advertisements are designed specifically to create envy in people looking at them, and one way to be similar to these models is to at least dress like them.