Shoulders
I know this ad is very similar to the one about big butts posted a few entries below. However, I had planned using this image all along. I don't know how big the words will show up once I post this. This is what it says, "My shoulders aren't dainty or proportional to my hips, some say they are like a man's. I say, leave men out of it. They are mine. I made them in a swimming pool. Then I went to Yoga and made my arms. Just do it."
Context: I first saw this image on the wall of the bathroom in a women's dorm section at the school I just transferred from. I really liked it because at that time I was playing hockey in college. It really made me feel proud when I thought of all the time my team spends in the weight room. When I saw this ad it had been torn from a magazine. I imagine it could be found in any type of magazine targeting younger women. The ad was done by Nike. Here Nike was not exactly selling any particular product. However, they were clearly targeting women with the hopes of getting them more excited about being athletes... and eventually buy their products. It also gives Nike a good image in women's minds.
Content: The story being told here is that women should not be afraid of looking, feelilng, or acting strongly. In fact they should be proud of it. But I think there is more to it than that. Women should not be afraid to look any way or act in any way (within reason) as long as they enjoy what they are doing and feel proud of themself for doing it. It tells us that our physical image is, in part, sculpted by our choices in life. And, of course, our choices in life are based on what makes us happy. Are choices are what make us all unique.
Even though this ad did, I believe, have good intentions, it still markets a body type that is difficult to achieve. That seems to be the pattern-- we always want (and assume is better) what is difficult to achieve. However, in this case it is not really such a bad thing because it does encourage a more healthy lifestyle.
Form: The image is framed so you do not see the face of the woman. In fact, we basically only see the part of her body that is important to the story-- her shoulders. We, of course, do see that she is wearing a Nike work out shirt as well. What we do not see are the typical female body parts that men are most interested in. This is partly due to the fact that the ad is not targeting men, but also because they want to show women that there are other parts of the body that can be beautiful. The lighting is well done. The shadows fall nicely to show the definition in the woman's back, shoulders, and arms. She is also shown in black and white against a contrast of colorful abstract art. This makes her really stand out. The words are all in black except the "My shoulders aren't dainty" and the "Just do it" parts. The "Just do it" is obviously in color to reinforce the company. The model's body position was a good choice for the ad as well. It has her in a stretching position which again shows her muscle definition and, at the same time, is a very likely thing for an athlete to be doing. I like the way the words are written in an unconventional way. I don't know if this is what they were going for, but it could be that they were trying to show that it is ok to act in a way that is not expected of you or your gender. I overall like the artistic make up of the ad. I personally find it appealing to look at. And, if I were reading a magazine I would stop to look at this.
My reading/analysis of the image: I feel like I have basically already said my reading of the image. But to sum it up: the meaning/story of the image is that it is ok, or actually a great thing, to be a strong woman. (Especially if you are one who uses Nike products). :)