Tall Thin Models In Their Ads example essay topic
In the last couple of decades the importance of beauty has become more prevalent in society. As sexier ads became more acceptable the models started to shrink in size. The models now used are on average are 5'8" a size 4 and weigh 120 lbs. This is what advertising companies portray as beauty, although really less than 1% of the population is that size. Thin instead of curvy is now seen as beautiful. Models are often viewed as the ideal female body type by both men and women.
They use women's insecurities and need to be beautiful to sell their products. This type of advertising sends the message that this is what beautiful people look like, some ads even go as far to suggest that fat is being fat is unacceptable and that message can have detrimental effects on society. Most clothing companies advertising campaigns use super skinny models in their ads. These ads are stereotypical of today's superficial society. More and more emphasis is being placed on appearance. The advertisers use these models because the clothes look good on them, which then make their clothes look appealing and help them to sell.
If an overweight person were to model the same clothes they probably wouldn't look as good to the reader. This is because society has become obsessed with thinness; which in part is due to these thin models are being held as the standard for beauty. These ads are everywhere; in fact it's hard to find a magazine that doesn't contain these ads. The real challenge would be to try to find a fashion ad, from a major name brand, containing a plus size woman. My two of my ads were taken from a seventeen magazine. There were numerous fashion ads containing the typical skinny model while I couldn't find a single one containing a plus size woman.
This is sending the message to young women that these skinny models are what beauty is because this is all they are being shown. The lack of plus size women in fashion advertising is one cause for thin models being the standard for beauty. Many companies in the fashion industry advertise the same way. They use tall thin models in their ads to sell clothes.
Two examples of this advertising technique are the HotKiss and Stephen Hardy ads. The HotKiss ad shows a model advertising the name brands jeans. The women in both ads are positioned similarly with one leg and one arm out to the side. She has he chin and nose tipped up condescendingly. The positioning implies that she is above the reader. The Stephen Hardy model has a haughty look on her face which implies she's superior to the reader.
Also on the ad is the word "squeeze" which gives off a connotation of "try to be smaller (thinner) ". The difference in their facial expressions and the energy in their poses don't affect the message that the ads send. Both ads seem to be sending the same message of superiority and "this is what you want to look like so buy our name brands clothes". The Nutri-Grain bar ad shows a thin model in her bra and underwear lying seductively on the ground. The model in this ad like the two others has an "I'm better than you look on her face", which implies that she is better than the reader because she is thin. The ad says "respect yourself in the morning" and there is a croissant placed on the woman's hip.
This suggests by eating a Nutri-Grain bar for breakfast instead of some fattening food you " re respecting yourself. Also the croissant is placed on the hip to represent the fat she would " ve gained by eating it. The ad is sending the message that this thin model is beautiful. To respect yourself you should be thin like her and you can accomplish this by eating Nutri-Grain bars. All the ads try to sell their product by using a thin beautiful woman to advertise it, but their perception of beauty is what is causing the problem. When women see these super thin models wearing the cute jeans they want the jeans to fit them the way they fit the models, and most of the time they won't.
The ads send the message that thin is beautiful and that you should want to look like these models. These ads can have negative affects on women and society. The HotKiss, Stephen Hardy, and Nutri-Grain bar ads all have tall thin models advertising their products. Most women will never look like that, but many try to.
The obsession with weight and beauty can lead to eating disorders, distorted body image, and unrealistic weight goals; all of which can lead to low self-esteem. Eating disorders have become extremely common in recent years as the model size, which is often seen as the ideal size, keeps decreasing. This advertising technique of using thin models to sell products must be effective because so many major companies use it. Women today feel pressure on them to look like these super skinny models. So they by companies products; whether it's clothes, food, or one of many other numerous products to try to achieve the model look.
Beauty sells products and makes money. Companies need to stop being so concerned with making money and start being concerned with the message they " re sending to women and society. The association between weight and beauty, and society's obsession with thinness is largely advertising companies fault and has had many negative effects.