Womanizing Advertisements Not Just In the Fashion Industry
I think that most people, at one point in their lives or another, find
certain magazine ads to be sexist, violent, extreme, and uncalled for. When
people think of these types of images, either “clothing� or “perfume� or
“alcohol� ads come to mind, but how often do you think of an ad for chewing
gum or any other little daily luxuries?
I saw this ad and for a few seconds, without seeing the bottom 1/6 of the
page, had no idea what it was trying to sell. Hmm..a vectored, cartoonish
image of a skinny blonde either clasping or unclasping her bra strap,
pictured from behind, standing in front of an open window…To say the least,
it did not exactly catch my attention. Then I see a small image of a pack
of Trident gum next to the text, “A whiter smile gets you noticed. Even if
you don’t want to be.�
Some questions to consider:
What is the first thing you see?
Who is the main subject in the ad?
What is the woman standing in front of the window almost naked suggesting?
-What about the white crescent shape in the dark background?
What general audience is this ad aimed toward?
This ad was found in Seventeen magazine. I know for a fact that not all
readers of this magazine are at least 17 years of age. You can tell by the
way the ad is put together that it is intended for a teenage or young adult
audience. This is why I wanted to point out that not all sexist or violent
ads are solely based on clothing, perfume, or alcohol; because most people
wouldn’t recognize it by just glancing. The woman standing half-naked and
the crescent shape in the background, to me, suggest that someone is
standing outside her window, creeping in on her private self and smiling
wide.
It is kind of confusing to me as to which figure is the main subject here.
If you pay close attention to the text, it says “A whiter smile gets you
noticed. Even if you don’t want to be.� Is this referring to the young girl
undressing (or dressing) or is it referring to the creeper outside the
window who doesn’t want the girl to know that he’s peeping in on her? If it
is referring the young girl, does it mean that if you use this gum, guys
will want you? Is it really not about having healthy teeth anymore? Also,
why do the advertisers feel the need to accent one of girls’ greatest fears
of being looked in on while changing? Some may take this ad as, “well if I
chew this gum when I’m alone in my house, will creepy boys notice me and
look in on me?�
Considering that this girl is almost completely naked but the image is not
showing anything revealing and she is not posed in a risqué manner, I don’t
think this is really meant to be a “beauty ad�. The girl is, however, thin,
blonde and white. I don’t know how many girls would actually want to be
stalked on through their bedroom window, but some girls find it exciting to
be noticed. I just hope this ad has not influenced any young men or women
to expose themselves or to go stalking people!
But seriously. Why such a vulgar image? It’s creepy to me! The advertisers
could have presented their product in a much more tasteful manner, not
promoting sexuality. Especially for a Trident gum product! Leave that for
the material crap like clothes and perfume!