Revised Research Paper Topic

My topic, the developments of clothing advertisements throughout the past century, will attempt to deconstruct the marketing techniques of well-known, popular clothing lines. I plan to find information on the correlation between a certain type of advertising “method,” and clothing sales. For example, I think it will be interesting to look at advertising campaigns that feature celebrities (The Gap is always using famous people in their advertisements), and seeing if that really does make the product sell more. Sarah Jessica Parker, Lenny Kravitz, even now Audrey Hepburn (ah, the power of technology!) are all celebrities that The Gap employs to endorse their clothing. I am also interested in the advertisements of more prominent designers, such as Gucci and Dior, who also included celebrities in their advertising campaigns. However, I expect to find a difference in intention here; I think (before researching, anyway) that companies such as The Gap and Nike use celebrities to attract common people to their product, to catch their eye and show them that this product is reliable. I feel that more elite companies, such as Louis Vuitton, uses celebrities to show that their products are on the same “level” as celebrities, and the public should buy them in order to aspire to the kind of lifestyle that celebrities endorse.
I am especially interested to research if people will really buy into a store’s campaign for a product because a celebrity is endorsing it, verses if a regular model is. I think it will be important to research this because it prove just how much influence the media truly does have on the public, and how vulnerable and defenseless the public has become in response. As far as resources go, I intend to consult the following online databases of advertisements, as well as magazines and other information published about advertising:
http://www.bwgreyscale.com/ads/gap.html
http://www.bwgreyscale.com/ads/louis_vuitton.html
http://www.bwgreyscale.com/ads/nike.html
http://www.bwgreyscale.com/ads/reebok.html
http://www.bwgreyscale.com/ads/roberto_cavalli.html
http://www.bwgreyscale.com/ads/tommy_hilfiger.html

Research Paper Topic

For my research paper, I am interested in writing about clothing advertisements and their development throughout history. I plan on focusing specifically on common, well-known brands such as Gap or other common clothing manufacturers, to see how their advertising pattern has developed and changed over time. I will focus on the types of models used, the overall look of the ad, in addition to the clothing styles chosen. I suspect to see a trend, reverting back to old styles and icons as time goes on.

Questions for a Second Reading – “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” by Susan Bordo

1. Bordos’ essay, “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” is definitely constructed from a different perspective than most other essays. She does seem to develop certain points more than others, but I feel that it allows her readers to understand her idea, as she follows up each of her points with strong details and support. It seemed, as a reader that her concepts of pleasure and work tied in together. She makes her point, which is work, and backs it up with sarcasm or humor, which is pleasure. She balances the two out equally, which makes her essay fun and easy to read, despite its length and depth. For example, while she does spend time deconstructing advertisements and the way that men are perceived in the media verses the way that women are perceived, she also balances out that argument with a personal fact. “No, I don’t think the business of beauty is without its pleasure. It offers a daily ritual of transformation, renewal. Of “putting oneself together” and walking out into the world, more confident than you were, anticipating attraction, flirtation, sexual play. I love shopping for makeup with my friends.” “Women bond over shared makeup, shared beauty tips. It’s fun. Too often, though, our bond is over shared pain . . .” Beauty and looks are, in general, a shared burden of expectations between men and women. I appreciate the way in which Bordo uses work and pleasure in constructing her essay, although I do not feel that that style made this essay any easier or harder to read than others. The pace of the essay moves slowly, but it is directed in a powerful and meaningful way.

2. “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” is organized into subsections to mark various stages in the presentation of Bordos argument. The sections are organized internally according to the advertisements she discusses or the movie scenes she analyzes. Each section has an italicized title pertaining to the topic, and she goes into great depth to deconstruct each section’s topic. Usually, the sections are about the way in which males are conveyed in advertisements verses the way women are, sex appeal, and the way men are perceived in the media. Having the text marked off in this way makes it easier to read, as having a break in the paragraph allows the reader to become more aware of new points Bordo introduces. The essay is structured so that her “loudest,” or strongest points are in the beginning, and her more general points come into play towards the end of the essay. I found the sections “Men on Display,” on page 168, and “Honey, What do I Wear?” on page 189, to be the most engaging. While these are spaced out in the essay, with “Men on Display,” being in the very beginning, and “Honey, What do I Wear?” to be towards the middle, both sections introduced and reinforced important points about Bordo’s overall thesis. I suppose that I have been an innocent onlooker all of these years and taken these advertisements for granted; I never considered their true meaning of sexism and the way in which men are perceived to the public through the media. It is ironic how used to seeing practically naked women the media the public has become. Decoding men in this light is eye opening, and it is interesting to consider the differences in advertising between men and women. Men have a very relaxed and casual aura about them, even while they are standing around in their underwear. Women, however, constantly need to look sexy and sophisticated. Women sell sex, men sell causality and confidence, and I like the way in which Bordo deconstructs this.

3. The “subject position” of people is something that Bordo calls upon often to support her points. She uses the subject position to define the “gaze” of another when one’s gaze is the source of definition. “We’ve all, male and female alike, felt the shame that another pair of eyes can bring.” “Until the eyes of another are upon us, “catching us” in the act, we can deceive ourselves pretend. Getting caught in moments of fantasy or vanity may be especially shameful.” The differences between how Bordo invokes or inhabits the “subject position” can be seen in the way she described her own personal experience, by being walked in on when her head was in the Chock Full O’Nuts can. I think that situations like this are something that all of her readers can relate to, as almost everyone has experienced this at some point in their lives. She uses this to transition into a discussion about stereotypes and how the “gaze” of others influences one’s “subject position.” I think this is a powerful argument, and she uses valid points to back up her idea. Practically all of the things that Bordo discusses are things that society has simply accepted. As a reader, I appreciate Bordo’s dive into the media in an effort to effectively deconstruct it for what it is trying to say, both at face value and beyond.

Deconstructing Advertisments

Part 1:
The two images presented from adflip.com are both selling the same product in drastically different ways. The first advertisement, obviously a much older one, is extremely “wordy” and almost seems complicated. In keeping with the polite, socially consciousness of the time, the advertisements gets a consumer’s attention with the large “Are You in the Know,” at the top of the ad. While the pictures are enticing to the eye and hold the viewers attention, I feel the paragraphs explaining the product and why it is so good is a bit much.
In the latter advertisement, however, the model herself is used in selling the product. Her eyes draw the consumer to look at the advertisement, rather than having words to capture the viewer’s attention. “Be a question. Be an answer. Be a beautiful story.” Simple phrases help to sell this product, and that makes the advertisement more memorable than the older one. The model is looking straight at the camera, making eye contact with the consumer. She is portraying a message that sells straight to the woman looking at the advertisement.
While the two advertisements are representative of advertising during drastically different times, the 1940’s, and the 1970’s, the different approaches taken are quite interesting. Looking at these advertisements from a historical context makes them easier to understand. Obviously, since society was more conscious of women in the 1940’s, the first advertisement is not surprising, as it is selling a woman’s product. However, fast-forward to the 1970’s – a time of liberation for women, and it is easy to understand why this type of advertisement would be chosen for Kotex products. The way in which the model is positioned makes her look “approachable” to the consumer.
Looking at these examples truly does reflect a historical context and a worldview of how differently women are looked at during specific times. During the 1940’s, women were looked at as proper, and always trying to be pleasant. I feel that this is why the advertising technique used is such a good reflection of the time. What to do when you’re a houseguest, dining on a train, or meeting new people are all situations that women at the time dealt with, as was choosing the “right” sanitary napkin. Using all of these techniques is what makes this advertisement successful for its time.
The second advertisement is more like what we have all around us today – a model selling a product, using a few simple words or phrases to grab the consumer’s attention. The older advertisement sells its product in terms of what other people will think about you, how to be polite, and look your best. This ad, though, takes a different approach. It sells directly to the consumer, telling them all of the things that they can be, selling to the newly liberated woman who can be a question, an answer, a beautiful story, etc. In comparison to the older advertisement, I feel that this one is much more successful in getting its point across and its product sold. However, these need to both be considered in relativity to their own time.

Part 2:

These advertisements, both from adflip.com, show comparative ways in which a product can be sold. The first, a Movado watch ad from the 1940s, shows the watch close up. The second, a Gucci watch ad from 2000, uses sex appeal to sell the product. This is the epitome of what Susan Douglas discusses in her essay, and her techniques of deconstructing or “reading” an advertisement can be applied here.
A value system for the consumer is undoubtedly developed here, although it has changed drastically over time. It seems as if currently, there is a universal understanding that sex sells. Unfortunately, society buys into this and relies upon it. In the second advertisement, it is almost impossible to tell what is being advertised at first. The woman in her underwear, with tousled hair and natural looking (yet perfect) makeup is used to sell a watch. This would have been unheard of years ago, when women were still respected and their bodies were not used to sell products. Today, however, this is far too common, as Douglas discusses.
In the older advertisement, the image of the watch is used to sell the watch. The advertisement reads “Calendograph, from month to second.” The ad shows how good the watch is, its features, and where to get it. The second advertisement has no words; it is simplistic, with the model positioned in the middle of the page, and “Gucci” written across her collarbone. This advertisement is exactly something Douglas would discuss: the first ad uses the product to sell the product; the second ad exploits a woman’s body to sell a product. The value system here has definitely changed over time. The media takes consumers for granted, and almost makes it seem like the only thing that grabs their attention is sex. Isn’t this undermining the intelligence of the public today? I think that Douglas’s call to closely read and deconstruct advertisements can definitely be applied here, and it is interesting how we simply accept seeing all of these ads today that use sex or a woman’s body to sell something. Most of the time, the product being sold does not even have anything to do with a woman’s body or sex. Yet, the media thinks it is what people want to see. This idea has obviously evolved over time, and would have been completely appalling at the time of the other watch ad.

Questions for a Second Reading – “Narcissism as Liberation,” by Susan Douglas

1. Douglas makes quite a few comments in regards to her critiques of the advertising industry and its creation of “endless images of women.” What might be considered “womanly” in the images she values? She tends to portray this underlying assumption that women need to be “real.” Women are far from the way that the media sculpts them to be – and that is a something that everyone needs to understand. It seems as if every advertisment she discusses has this sense of luxury to it. The media portrays this idea of beauty being associated with a wealthy, luxurious lifestyle, which is probably what attracts so many women to it. They buy into this idea easily, as they do not want to be the ones who are not looking their best, no matter what the price. “Americans are becoming increasingly self-abosrbed, [wrote Lasch], but not becuase they were conceited. On the contrary, Americans were desperately insecure, consumed by self-doubt and self-loathing and totally obessed with competing with otherpeople for approval and acclaim.” In addition to taking advantage of the insecurity of women in America, the media also sculpted an idea of what feminism and women’s liberation should be. This was played off to the media’s benefit, sending off the notion that self-indulgence is worth the money, and so says every advertisment that Douglas discusses. The media targets insecure women and tries to sell them into a life of security, luxury, and beauty. The images that Douglas values are strong, secure women. Not necessarily as skinny as a twig, but confident – these are the images that Douglas supports, and women really need to see more of these advertisments. Confidence is what makes someone beautiful, not the new, expensive facial cream.

2. Douglas’s project is defined by words that portray positive or negative ideas. The media is obviously responsible for a large part of the meaning of women’s bodies. They sell sex, beauty, and other sterotypes through products, and sculpt a consumer in terms of what they buy. The media makes women out to be helpless and lacking greatly in confidence. However, women do not need to buy into this idea – but unfortunately, most do; it is that idea of needing to fit in, and have constant approval from friends, family, and men. “Even when we are fully able to deconstruct these pseudoscientific sales pitches which would make any self-respecting snake oil salesment blush there we are, a part of us still wanting to believe that we can look younger and that it’s desireable to do so.” The idea that the advertisments “confront our ideal selves” allow us to bask in the glory of a perfect life; the media sells this image of a perfect self, and women buy into it. Douglas uses key terms to provide her readers with the idea of feminism and how the media portrays it. Words like “performance,” “precision,” and “control” are used repeatedly in the advertisments that Douglas discusesses. Cosmetics are considered a “defense.” Companies refer to their products as “systems.” These are all examples of the bold words used to sell products and images to women.