Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

          Advertising has impacted the way we feel about how we look, in a negative way. There has been much insecurity created by advertising that is telling us to be a certain way. However, the Dove brand is trying to make a difference, but helping the world see that our perception of our bodies has been skewed. 

          Dove introduced the Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004 and has made great strides to help girls and women feel more confident in themselves ("Campaign for real," 2004). The Campaign focus on building self esteem, the dove website features interactive tools for girls to build self esteem. The website also has real women in their underwear being proud to show off their bodies ("Campaign for real," 2004). The Campaign for Real Beauty is a way to respond to all of the advertisements that make women feel insecure. Dove knows that advertising has an effect on us, and instead of ignoring the problem they have come up with a way to help the situation.

          I am proud that Dove and Ogilvy & Mather Toronto , ( the ad agency for the Campaign for Real Beauty) came up with such a great way to show that thing are not always as they appear (Duncan, 2006). This campaign has helped people understand some of the effects that advertising has on us, but in order for our perception of beauty to be completely restored others will have to follow Dove’s lead.

Campaign for real beauty. (2004). Retrieved

          from http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/selfesteem

Duncan. (2006). Dove evolution in campaign

          for real beauty. The Inspiration

           Room, Retrieved from http://theinspirationroom.com/daily

          /2006/dove-evolution/

Pearly Whites

        How many times do you smile a day? You probably smile more often than you think, every time you laugh or get excited, a little smile probably shows up on your face. It is great to smile, according to Dr. Michael Lewis, psychologist at Cardiff University, “‘simply using the same muscles as smiling will put you in a happier mood (Mann, 2011).”  If smiling makes us feel happier than why do some people not like to smile? I think it might be an effect of advertising.

        Advertising shows us again and again how to look, and in most ads you usually see people with flawless smiles flaunting their happiness. The models have straight teeth that are perfectly white, it’s amazing. These smiles can make some people jealous or even self conscious. Advertisers know that our smiles are important to us and companies make many products that will help us maintain or get a perfect smile. 

        Product advertising for teeth and teeth care is a large category. Products in this category consists of toothbrushes, teeth whiteners, much more. Products for teeth whitening alone can range in price from $20 to $300 or more, which means that it might be easy to find teeth care products but it can be pricy to obtain a perfect smile. However, the more products there are, the more brands need to advertise their products.

        Crest has come out with a new line for teeth whitening, called 3D White, and with the new line comes new advertisements. These new ads show a woman with a beautiful smile, and we are led to believe that her smile is beautiful because of the 3D Crest products that she used ("Crest 3d white," 2010).  In advertisements for teeth care, we see beautiful smiles which, make us want to have a beautiful smile. The actresses in the ads look so confident and happy with wearing their perfect smiles that someone who is embarrassed by their smile might be ashamed to show it off.

Crest 3d white. (2010). Retrieved from

           http://www.3dwhite.com/

Mann, N. (2011). Benefits of smiling. Net

           Doctor, Retrieved from

          http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/benefits-of-smiling.htm



Radio and Insecurities

        Radio advertisements can affect body image as well; although you can not see visuals you can still feel insecurities as radio announcer’s talk about different products that will help you to feel better about yourself. There is a variety of different health and beauty products advertised on the radio. Products range from liposuction, to laser hair removal, to diet pills; companies usually choose only a few radio stations to advertise on, because these stations have the most listeners in the companies target audience.

        A specific example of ad that uses the radio to target insecurities would be an advertisement for Ideal Image, which is a national company with two locations in Austin, Texas ("Ideal image," 2011). For Ideal Image to create awareness about the company, and its services they advertise on an Austin radio station, Kiss FM, or 96.7. This radio station plays “All the Hits” or recently released music, so its listeners tend to be between the ages of 13 and 30, which happens to be the group of people who are most insecure about the way they look ("Bobby bones show," 2011). The radio announcers, mention Ideal Image as a sponsor from time to time, and encourage listeners to try laser hair removal for all of their embarrassing or unwanted hair needs.  The announcers usually make mention that you can avoid an embarrassing situation by contacting Ideal Image for a free consultation.  Even though we can’t see the embarrassing situation take place we can imagine something terrible happening because of unwanted hair, which could possible drive to us calling Ideal Image and scheduling that consultation.

        When advertising targets our insecurities it does not matter if it is visual or not, we are affected because it calls attention to those insecurities we have which in fact makes us become more insecure. Women have many insecurities about their body image, so radio advertising grabs the attention to listeners and can be very effective in producing results.

Bobby bones show [Radio series episode].

              (2011). In (Executive producer), Kiss FM. Austin: Clear Channel.

Ideal image. (2011).

               Retrieved from http://www.idealimage.com/index.php

The Influence of Men

        Advertising can an effect on the male body image as well as females. Males see advertisements daily that influence how they feel about their bodies. In most cases ads that target males are different from the ads that target females, because instead of just showing a man with a ton of muscles, they show males attracting attention from the opposite sex.

         Advertisers show women that are interested in men not to deliver the message that a certain product makes you look better, but the product will attract the attention of others. Even though the message is not that the product will effect how you look, by showing men with six pack and huge muscles, a males body image is affected. Most ads that feature this type of behavior, are not promoting a product that will help a male become stronger or look like the man they are seeing on television. However seeing a man that looks so built, receive positive attention sends a message that implies that males need to be strong and built for women to be attracted to them.

        I think the recent Old Spice commercials do a good job of showing the product instead of just the speaker, who is Isaiah Mustafa, a former NFL football player ("Old spice videos," 2010). This commercial point out the fact that most men do not look like a football player, but lets males know that by buying the Old Spice body wash they can smell like him. This commercial can have a positive affect on body image simply by reinforcing that males are men, and they do not have to look a certain way to smell like a man. The commercial has been viewed over thirty million times, on YouTube alone.  Could the commercials positive message to body image be a contributor to its success?

("Old spice videos," 2010)



Old spice videos.

           (2010, February 5). Retrieved from         

           http://www.oldspice.com/videos/video/22/the-man-your
           -man-could-smell-  like/

Weight Loss Advertising

        It is no secret that in America, we have a high percentage of people who are overweight or obese. Just how many people are in America are overweight or obese? Well it is shocking, but 68 percent of adults over the age of 20 have a weight problem ("Obesity and overweight," 2010). With such a high percentage of people who struggle with a weight problem, it’s no wonder we have so many advisements’ for weight loss, and diet programs.

(Jenny Craig, 2008)

        Have you noticed how many different diet commercials there are today? If you watch a television channel such a SOAP NET that targets women, for about thirty minutes, I bet you will see a least one or more weight loss commercial. There are diet programs that you can order, programs you can join, and programs that you can follow. The commercials for different weight loss programs are diverse, some show thinner celebrities’, some speak of how you will feel, and some show a model finally fitting into that perfect dress. The commercials for weight loss may be different but their affect on our body image is the same. These commercials are simply a reminder that thinner is better; not for your health but for how you look.

(Weight Watchers, 2011)

         I personally feel that as Americans we have become too concerned with our body image to focus on being healthy. If we started to look at losing weight for a healthy lifestyle instead of just trying to look a certain way, would weight loss programs be more successful?



Obesity and overweight. (2010).

          Center for Disease Control and Prevention,

          Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm

Tone Up is the Message

        There has been a recent trend in advertising due to the introduction of the new shoes that tone your legs as you walk. Several companies such as Reebok and Skechers have released toning shoes, and advertisers have to come up with new and exciting ways to show off the shoes brand as well as the benefits.

         Advertisements for the toning shoes, has primarily focused on the main consumer benefit, of the shoes, which is toning the consumers body. The advertisements we have seen by Reebok and Skechers have been very different approaches. Reeboks’ television ad show several girls from waist down, dancing and having a good time while, wearing the Reebok EasyTones’, to show off their toned legs. While the Skechers brand uses testimonials in their television ad to promote the Shape Ups. The Shape Ups commercial features the shoes benefits’ by having consumers of the shoe list what they like about the shoes.

(Reebok EasyTone, 2010)

(SKECHERS, 2010)

        No matter how advertisers spin it, the message of the advertisements is the same, tone you body with these shoes. Overall, these products have grabbed the attention of many, not only in their advertising but by competing shoe brands as well. Shoe companies have been increasingly introducing new toning shoes since this market has been identified.

        I was personally influence by the adverting of the Reebok EasyTones’. I am not typically one to spend much money on shoes, but after seeing the television ad for Reebok EasyTones, I knew I had to have them. I have always been self conscious about my bottom and thigh’s; EasyTones seemed like the product to solve all of my insecurities. I have had my EasyTone’s for six months, and I can tell that they have helped tone my thighs. However I think it is important for us all to remember that we can buy all the shoes in the world but, the chances of us looking like the people in the television ads are slim.

How Does My Hair Look?

          I bet you’re asking yourself, what does hair have to do with body image? If you ask me, it has a lot to do with it. Think about all the different ways you can fix your hair. You can color it, you can curl or straighten it, it can be worn up or down, there are endless possibilities and all the possibilities can effect how you feel about yourself. Now what does this have to do with advertising? Advertisers use these different styles to show that the products work, and make us want the newest look.

 

        Most of the ads for hair products are print advertisements that are in magazines. Magazines are a good way to promote hair products because the people reading the magazines usually care about how they look and the latest looks. Magazines can also include editorials about how the product can be used for best results. When Jessica Simpson and Ken Paves hair extension line, HairDo, was introduced they primarily advertised the products in magazines.  Other mediums are used to advertise hair products as well; television is mostly used to advertise hair color or shampoos, especially shampoos for men.   

(HairDo From Jessican Simpson and Ken Paves)

        I asked my 10 females living in my dorm, if they thought their hair had an effect on how they felt about themselves. All ten of the girls were in agreement that their hair effect how they felt about themselves. Several girls said they were more confident in themselves after getting a new hair style. One of the girls told me that before she has her hair cut, she always flips through magazines until she finds a model that has a hairstyle she likes. Another girl suggested that she tries to keep her hair styles up to date, stating, “Lately, most of the people in the magazines have long hair, so I’m growing my hair out.”

       I think that advertising has a big role in setting trends, especially when it comes to hair. The people we see in ads are sometimes examples of what society wants us to look like, and if we can get our hair to look somewhat like the models, well, we are one step closer to accomplishing that model look.