In the ad I chose, there is a picture of a pear and under the pear states, “This is no shape for a girl.” When I saw this ad I could not believe my eyes. It definitely brought my mood down, and I felt almost offended by it.
This ad is trying to sell a girdle to women who are insecure about their size. A girdle is used to wear under a dress or suit and it squeezes a woman’s upper stomach, hips, and thighs to make them appear smaller than they really are. When I saw this ad, I immediately thought of this quote from our book, “The more you subtract, the more you add.” (Kirk and Rey, pg. 208) Women think that if they wear this girdle, they will seem more appealing to men, or be able to make other women feel inferior. By portraying this “perfect” image, even if done so with a girdle, women think they will feel more comfortable in their own skin, and the problem is solved.
Another quote I found interesting is as follows, "an ideal of beauty defined as thin, lean, tall, young, white and heterosexual, with flawless skin and well-groomed hair" (Kirk and Rey, pg. 208). This statement goes right along with the ad I chose. This ad “assumes” that all women want to be a tall, skinny, white woman with a flat chest and no ass. This assumption is far from true. For example, I am a white woman and I would be upset if I was flat as a board or skinny as a twig. This ad also contradicts with women of color who definitely would not be satisfied with this “perfect body” that is portrayed.
This ad shows us the standard that women must live up to. The idea that all women want a perfect body, and all men want a girl with a perfect body, is advertised all over television, radio, and magazines. The ad quotes, “This is no shape for a girl” and could also give off a meaning that no man wants a girl who is shaped like a pear. This is a perfect example of gender operating culture in that women have the perfect body, or they will not be in the in-crowd, they won’t be able to find friends, they won’t be able to find a good man, or even feel accepted within their own culture.
No wonder so many women are fighting life-threatening eating disorders, or buying uncomfortable girdles to wear underneath clothing so men will find them attractive. What happens when the girdle comes off? Are you going to wear the girdle everywhere you go? No. Women should feel comfortable in their own skin and embrace the body God has given them. You might be attracted to a certain body type, but you do not fall in love with that person’s body. Being loved and accepted as a human being goes so much deeper than that. There is so much more to life than being skinny, tall, and “perfect.” And spending a lifetime worrying of such things, in my opinion, is a life wasted.
Works Cited:
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa- Rey. Women's Lives Multicultural Perspective. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2010. Print.
This ad is ridiculous and definitely wouldn’t be able to fly today. But it does show how this ideal of thin women isn’t a new thing. Except now instead of advertising girdles, our generation gets to see ads for plastic surgery or push up bras. It’s all a part of the massive beauty industry. They pay advertising companies to sell their products. Their products are made to modify women’s bodies. Therefore, the advertising companies make ads that make women think they need to modify their bodies. This is how they make their living. It’s all a business deal. However, women don’t see it as such. They see it as an absolute truth and immediately believe that they need these products. On one hand, the advertising companies are doing a good job, but on the other, women are being made to feel insecure and inferior.
ReplyDeleteKari,
ReplyDeleteWhen is this ad from? While you did an effective job of tying the ad to the beauty ideal, the ad is supposed to be currently running and this ad looks to be dated.
This particular advertisement is outdated; however, look up Gold's Gym...it has been used as early as 2016. Granted it was in Egypt but it is still used. It is extremely discriminatory and should not be used. PERIOD.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, how DARE they even create that advert! There are many people who have a body shape similar to a pear! If they want to lose weight, then that's their decision. It's adverts like this that convince young teenage girls that are body-concious, that they are fat, ugly and unlovable. the supposed "ideal" body shape for a girl is an hour-glass shape. Honestly, the only "ideal" body shape I want is one that is healthy and at least average weight. I don't want to be fat, as obesity can enflict severe damage to your health (I hate fat-shaming, by the way). Anyway, men and women are attracted to different body shape, skin colour, ect. in ladies. There is no good reason to put this advert out. I am disgusted.
ReplyDelete