Gender plays a prominent role in advertising, most of the time not for the good of the consumer. In class we watched two thought-provoking films, Killing Us Softly and Codes of Gender, both gave us insight on how advertising depicts woman in a negative light. We are seen as passive, dependent, weak objects not as people or even a woman for that matter but timid girls. As a woman, this hurts, because I personally don’t , feel that way about myself. I feel beautiful, strong, intelligent, and independent; but when media tells me I should strive to be a size 0 and not human, well how am I, other woman, even teenage girls supposed to feel about their bodies. I know I don’t want my daughter growing up like she doesn't belong. That is why when I see an ad like the one above, I feel uneasy and is a good support to the films we watched in class.
This is a Victoria Secret Ad featuring their "new" models, I say new sarcastically because I don't see one difference in these girls compared to the models they have previously had. The underwear may be different but the girls look the same. All have fair/light skin, with the exception to the two black woman and even they have lighter skin than normal. They are all super skinny. What really grinds my gears is the ad says "meet our newest bodies", "there really is a body for every body", well not according to you guys, because your models are all the same airbrushed imitations! Yes, it is true that some woman look like that, but according Killing Us Softly that is 5% of woman out there. There are many different body types out there and they are all beautiful.
Not only are they unfairly showing skinny over any other body type, but they are dehumanizing woman as well. Not of the woman on center, but in these strange twisted positions that show innocence and passiveness and child like. Four of the models have their knees bent very awkwardly and all have their hands placed somewhere on their bodies, shoulder, head, thigh, neck, even playing with their hair giving on this impression they are shy and nervous.
After seeing all these things you wonder what Victoria Secret is trying to say, that all woman should look like this and be dominant objects? I hope not, but it seems that way.
