Behind ads of cosmetic products – what values do woman bear? (By Meiling Wu)
Posted by wumeiling on October 7, 2007
By means of media representation, especially, advertisements bombards women with images and detailed explanations of what women should look like; and by applying artificial and chemical products like cosmetics products, the so-called “natural look” shown in the advertisements can be achieved. This new form of beauty, in which women tend to admire becoming the new “natural look” as well as new desire they try chasing after. According to the International Artistic Director of Lancôme Gucci Western, “Beauty comes from the radiant face for all women”. For women, appearance becomes a measure of personal value as a result of media’s influence. Obviously, we can see such lines “there is no ugly woman in the world, only there is lazy woman” shown in female magazines like Jessica, Elle.
According to a rearch conducted by Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association in 2004, one page of beauty advertisement is found for every 3 pages of women magazine. Such a bundle of advertisements keep telling readers what the beauty standard is and how to achieve the standard. Especially, Internet and magazine contribute a lot in sending beauty information and creating beauty standard. Women are being stereotyped by the images and the messages from cosmetic advertisements. By exploring the role model, texts, detailed descriptions as well as branding from cosmetic ads in which we can understand the values of women being represented. In Judith Williamson’s combination of a semiotic and a psychoanalytic approach, advertising is seen to tap into individual’s psychological depths and compel them to identify with what they desire. The representation of women in advertising is often seen as emblematic of more general processes of objectification. False images of women are thought to symbolize the manipulative ideology of capitalism.
Concerning the images created by the role model. The advertisements focus on the face of model when promoting the product of foundation/ powder the close up of face objectify the face of women, with face being immaculate, with no pores, pimples or dots. Those ads educate women that flawlessness is the ideal female beauty, and urge the women to change their appearance. The faces on the advertisements are young, perfect, immaculate, natural, whitish, and radiant, smooth and even. This stereotypes image portrays what“attributes” women should posses. This is the reason why women in the modern society are shamed to be yellow colored in skin. Whitish is the norm of beauty.
Media not only have a power to change people’s preference on their appearance, but urge them to buy cosmetic product to achieve the perfect image. All these role models in the advertisements often exaggerate that flaws are serious problems and creating fear and anxiety to the public. The cosmetics products are then the only solution for the “affected” women. Women are portrayed as decorative objects, and are “experts” of beauty but nothing else. Therefore, women have to apply the cosmetic products in order to fulfill what the norms of beauty stated. All in all, the advertisements frame an invisible goal and model for the women to follow.
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References:
Marthineau. P. Motivation in Advertising: Motives that Makes People Buy. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.
The Importance of Physical Appearance. n.d. 17 Nov. 2006 <http://www.everythinglori.com/thoughts_complete/physical_tht.htm>.
