Jean Kilbourne is an author, speaker and filmmaker who is recognised for her work on the image of women in advertising- basically, exactly what I'm looking at. I have watched a few of her talks online, and she points out the unfortunate ways in which advertising manages to effect us. Many people say advertisements do not effect them, that they somehow manage to block them out and live obliviously to them, but most things in life effect us unconsciously anyway, we do not say "I choose to notice that billboard and let its contents affect me".
Advertisers surround us with images of the ideal female beauty, we learn what is expected of us, and the standards women have to try and live up to, otherwise they will never be "beautiful enough". Kilbourne says, "Women learn from a very early age that we must spend an enormous amount of time, energy and above all, money, striving to achieve this look and feeling ashamed and guilty when we fail. And failure is inevitable because the ideal is based on absolute flawlessness." (Kilbourne, 2006, youtube.com) The women in these images have no scars, no blemishes, no lines, no wrinkles, it's almost as if they have no pores! No one looks the way they do... not even the girls themselves.
It's quite sad to think that not only are we exposed to these images of "ideal beauty" which could cause insecurities and lower self esteem, but the women within the images themselves also are obviously not "perfect enough" in reality since their features have to be played around with so much on software before advertisers present the finished outcome.
Adverts sell more than just products, they sell the idea of what is acceptable, of what is beautiful, they sell lifestyles and expectations, for example, love and sexuality. We are put into boxes, given name tags and labels, and we somehow can't break away from them because this is society, and if we live in it, we have to conform.
Advertisers surround us with images of the ideal female beauty, we learn what is expected of us, and the standards women have to try and live up to, otherwise they will never be "beautiful enough". Kilbourne says, "Women learn from a very early age that we must spend an enormous amount of time, energy and above all, money, striving to achieve this look and feeling ashamed and guilty when we fail. And failure is inevitable because the ideal is based on absolute flawlessness." (Kilbourne, 2006, youtube.com) The women in these images have no scars, no blemishes, no lines, no wrinkles, it's almost as if they have no pores! No one looks the way they do... not even the girls themselves.
It's quite sad to think that not only are we exposed to these images of "ideal beauty" which could cause insecurities and lower self esteem, but the women within the images themselves also are obviously not "perfect enough" in reality since their features have to be played around with so much on software before advertisers present the finished outcome.
Adverts sell more than just products, they sell the idea of what is acceptable, of what is beautiful, they sell lifestyles and expectations, for example, love and sexuality. We are put into boxes, given name tags and labels, and we somehow can't break away from them because this is society, and if we live in it, we have to conform.
- Kilbourne, Jean (October 2006). Killing Us Softly: Advertising's Image of Women [You Tube video]. (2:13-2:30). Accessed on: 26th March 2014. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FpyGwP3yzE
No comments:
Post a Comment