...In modern society, advertising is used as a powerful tool to communicate a message. But it is more than simply selling a product. Advertisers not only just sell products, they sell ideals, values and normalcy. They also help to create or express consumers' identity, including gender (Van den Bulck, Van Hellemont 623). Gender roles are defined as the behavioural patterns indicating to others you are a male or a female. In other word, this is also linked to masculinity and femininity. In North America, advertising labels masculinity with traits such as dominance, assertiveness and independence. In contrast, we have femininity in which advertising labels as passive, beautiful and co-dependant. These two images advertisers try to paint normalize the stereotypes of different gender roles. Different companies use different strategies to sell products and encourage consumers to part with their hard earned money. Advertising reinforces particular gender norms. Through an analysis of a case study of anti-aging cream aimed towards women, this paper will argue that all advertising fundamentally plays on dominant ideologies to make people believe that in order to be “normal” or “successful”, they must buy product X. In particular, it will focus on how dominant norms surrounding masculinity and femininity are encouraged. These norms suggest what is considered an acceptable male and female appearance. It will also focus in particular on gender norms which female attractiveness is above all...
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...and goes for the same as beauty. Without a doubt, there is no answer to the definition of beauty, yet beauty is heavily involved and, associated in today’s media. Media is likely to have an enormous potent effect to the average man or woman about the criteria of beauty, forcing the definition of beauty to a new height because beauty never stops evolving and tends to play a very important role in the life of young teenagers and adults. Retailer catalogs such as Abercrombie and Fitch and Victoria’s Secret tend to feature airbrushed, scantily clad and altered photos of male and female models. Beauty pageants, fashion shows, the Internet, and movies have swamped the public with two-dimensional pictures of beautiful icons and celebrities. There are even television shows that have joined the delegation, playing a role in the image that it portrays such as Skin Deep, The Swan, and Extreme Makeover. America heavily relies on mass media to play a role in molding Americas view of the definition of beauty and reshaping culture at the same time. In present-day society, with the ever-changing idea that portrays images beauty, people rely on the media to help them find the latest trends on how to look and what to wear to stay “in fashion”. According with Hume (1742), “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Perhaps a more modern-day accurate definition would be, “Beauty is in the eye of the media.” One may say that a beauty standard that is portrayed in present-day media does more negative...
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...Almost any woman in America will be able to talk at length about the oppressive beauty standards our country puts on us. The pressure to conform and be effortlessly perfect is created by media that shows us flawless models and actresses who have entire teams devoted to their makeup, fitness plan, wardrobe, and photoshop. The male gaze creates this standard and many women of America are just desperately trying to keep up. It is an impossible height for us to reach and is even more difficult for women in the global south. Globalization has made the world smaller in that we can talk and share across cultures quickly. While we cannot control what other countries learn from our culture, we can see the devastating effects on women’s bodies all...
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..."Let your beauty be seen.” While looking at this headline from a modern prospective, one might find such claims absurd. When one considers the context of the ad, and that this advertisement targeted the female demographic in America during the 1950’s it kind of makes sense that the ad may have been persuasive. The 50’s can be regarded as one of the happiest decades in American history, it was the end of World War two and the economy was expanding to a global standard. There were two forms of advertising in the 50’s era, pathos and logos. Looking at it from the 50’s perspective, the housewife wants to use this product to look appealing to her husband because in that time the women stayed at home and looked after the home while the men worked. In this ad, Palmolive targets the growing population of suburban women and uses rhetorical strategies that will appeal to emotion and logic. The primary focus of the ad is Palmolive’s appeal to emotion. The depiction of the housewife looking very beautiful with a flawless complexion and the doting husband apparently hanging on her shoulder admiring her beautiful complexion suggests that with this product you “too” can have an adoring husband admiring your new flawless complexion when you use Palmolive soap. In the text of the ad, it states how Palmolive’s beauty plan brings exciting complexion loveliness. All you need to do is a gentle massage of Palmolive’s extra mild pure lather into your skin for just a minute, three times a day. Then simply...
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...of the novel’s recurring themes is that of beauty. The book takes place in China in the late 19th or early 20th century. Time has changed our world in many ways since then. Has time changed the meaning of beauty? Is there a difference in how the Chinese and Americans see beauty? Do we perceive beauty in different ways than the people in the time of The Good Earth? I conclude that the ideals of beauty have changed since the book was written and that modern American society has taken on new views of what it means to be beautiful. Men and women today can use cosmetics as part of a regular beauty routine to achieve certain beauty standards and to increase confidence. Throughout the last century in America, the very meaning of beauty has changed very often: from the Gibson Girl in the early 1900s to the flappers in the 1920s, from the full-figured pin-up girls of the 1940s and the 1950s to the “heroin chic” waifs of the 1990s, what the western world considered beautiful changed with each decade. When one considers beauty, it is now most likely physical appearance that comes to mind. Hilhorst notes, “The view that physical beauty can be conceived of as a value in its own right is, however, a modern thought.” Hilhorst explains in “Physical Beauty: Only Skin Deep?” that the modern idea of beauty is a product of the 1960s. Before then, personality traits such as trustworthiness and reliability could make a person beautiful. Inner beauty was just as, or possibly more important than...
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...Beauty Pageants in Today’s Society Beauty pageants have been a part of the American Society since the 1920’s so that women or young girls can compete and be judged mainly on their physical appearance, but also on talent and personality. They say pageants build a young woman’s confidence because she is up on stage, where all eyes are directed toward her, cheering her on, ultimately making her feel glamorous. In “Introduction to Beauty Pageants: At Issue” Rosie Goldsmith says, “Those in favor of the pageants argue that there is no shame in showing off one’s beauty, fitness, and health.” Others say it is a great way to make friends and have life long friendships. With all of these benefits that come along with beauty pageants, what could possibly be so harmful about them? Beauty pageants may build some women’s confidence and help build friendships, but overall, beauty pageants are degrading to women and serve no real purpose in today’s society. There are a few reasons that are considered to come to the conclusion that beauty pageants causes more harm that good. The first thing that is considered is the fact that they are judged on appearance and poise. “A beauty should be judged for the good works, not for the beautiful thighs and backless blouses.” By judging a woman based on her physical appearance and her clothes, we are degrading women to mere objects. Women have fought way too hard for equality and respect for the last several decades to be lowered to mere objects parading...
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...Image: Cultures Idolizing the Female Form A Comparison and Contrast of the Barbie Doll and Venus de Willendorf Image: Cultures Idolizing the Female Form A Comparison and Contrast of the Barbie Doll and Venus de Willendorf The fact that cultures have idolized the female form in our modern era is not a new concept. Beauty in modern times has been held to the highest standard, but where and why did we get our ideal of beauty? Culture plays a large in role in how beauty is defined, and this is very clear when it pertains to the culture behind both the Venus de Willendorf and the more modern Barbie doll. Clearly, idolizing the female form is an ideal that has existed since the very first centuries that humans walked the earth. Taking a look at the two different cultures that idolize the female form may give us a little bit of insight into the similarities and differences there were between two different society’s composed of very similar beings. The statuette Venus de Willendorf was first discovered in Austria in 1908 by the archaeologist Josef Szombathy. This is the earliest image of a human being known to exist, thought to have been created during the Paleolithic era some 25,000 years ago (Witcombe)! The climate in the region that the statuette was discovered was probably an ice covered land, and therefore, her voluptuous image probably portrays a desire for food and to survive. Humans will always have one thing in common: survival. Whether it is a work of art portraying...
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...ostentatious magazines do not even know the history and mentality surrounding the creation of this complex hairstyle. Rather they are wearing it as an impetuous way to stay in trend. Cornrow braids are not only another hairstyle to wear in America’s evolving beauty system, they are also an added layer of cultural meaning that shows African history and cultural expression. During the 1970’s, braids close to the scalp, or cornrow braids, were used as a way to show black power...
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... Advertising is the most influential institution of socialization in the modern society. It is all around us that we cannot run away from it. From the article, “Beauty…and the Beast of Advertising” stated that advertising is an over 100 billion dollar a year industry and affects all of us throughout our lives. We are exposed to over 2000 ads a day, aiming to persuade consumers to buy a certain product. American values are culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful that serve as broad guidelines for social living. In order to sell products, advertising has to appeal to people’s needs and prove how it can play a role in their lives. There are three American cultural values that are promoted in advertisement and those are beauty, work ethic and diversity. One of the American cultural values that is promoted in advertisement is beauty. Many woman are also obsessed living up to the beauty standard that advertisers set in place. In our society we grow up with perfection around us. We watch advertisement in the TV and look at ads,which have been photo-shopped into perfection. They can trick you into thinking the flawless model could be you if you buy their product, but in reality the model themselves are not even that perfect. The value they promotes sometime in advertising physically talks about the perfection of skin. Advertisement use the value of beauty to attract or target woman’s attention of their product advertisement. This...
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...The birth of modernism and modern art is assumed to be traced back to the Industrial Revolution, the time period which lasted from the 18th to the 19th century, in which fast changes in manufacturing, and technology greatly affected the social, economic, and cultural conditions of life in Western Europe, North America, and finally the world. New forms of transportation, including the railroad, the steam engine, and the subway gave the people a way to expand their worldview and access to new ideas. As urban centers prospered, workers flocked to cities for industrial jobs, and urban populations boomed. Before the nineteenth century, artists were most usually commissioned to make art work via rich shoppers, or establishments like the church. Tons of this...
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...Jennifer Archuleta Professor Musgrave English 205 December 13, 2011 The Effects of Media on Body Image Imagine growing up in a modern day society. Everywhere you look there are images of beauty, representations of how beautiful people are supposed to look; flawless and thin. You grow up believing that this unattainable image is the only image of beauty. As you look in the mirror and see only flaws in your reflection, you rack your brain of ways to make yourself more beautiful. This becomes your obsession. Your dream is to become a model, but in the very start of your career, a fashion agent tells you that you will have to lose ten pounds in order to find work. This was the beginning of the end for former model and actress Isabelle Caro, just one of the many women affected by the media industry and the negative effects it has on body image. With Isabelle’s obsession to be thin, she battled with anorexia until it ended her life at the young age of twenty seven. In modern culture, a great deal of importance is placed on our looks and body image. This is portrayed by the media through magazine pictures, television advertisements, billboards, and the influence of models and actresses. Although the media affects both men and women, I will be showing how it specifically affects the behaviors, viewpoints, and attitudes of women. The media portrays a beautiful woman as being someone who is thin and flawless. Photographs of models that are posted in magazines are brushed-up, touched-up...
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...Significance of the Study Beauty pageants take place everywhere around the world, and as the researcher observed, they never fail to draw various sectors of audiences. As Cohen (1996a) described it, beauty pageants, as diverse as they are in their cultural and historical contexts, they do something similar wherein they establish an ideal of beauty that best represents the locality. Indeed, Filipinos have been always fond of beauty pageants that it has become a significant part of their lives. No town fiesta or festival can be called as they are if there was no beauty pageant held. And beauty queens and even beauty contestants are always admired and considered as one of the beautiful icons in the country. But as the Philippine culture easily being influenced by the American society, this research hopes to emphasize the distinction of Philippine beauty pageants from American beauty pageants for it is in beauty pageants that the epitome of a Filipino is being showcased around the world. With that in the mind, this research also hopes to discover and unravel the purposes behind the staging of beauty pageants in both American and Philippine society. Background of the Study The researcher, who is not a stranger in the world of beauty contests in her school, has been asked by a judge on what she thinks is the purpose of beauty pageants in the society and whether its purpose is still prevalent. Intrigued, the researcher decided to do a research on beauty pageants. The TLC TV series...
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...10-1-2011 Fair and Lovely: Standards of Beauty, Globalization, and the Modern Indian Woman Rebecca Gelles SIT Graduate Institute - Study Abroad, gellesr@carleton.edu Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection Part of the Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons Recommended Citation Gelles, Rebecca, "Fair and Lovely: Standards of Beauty, Globalization, and the Modern Indian Woman" (2011). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. Paper 1145. http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/1145 This Unpublished Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Study Abroad at DigitalCollections@SIT. It has been accepted for inclusion in Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection by an authorized administrator of DigitalCollections@SIT. For more information, please contact digitalcollections@sit.edu. FAIR AND LOVELY: STANDARDS OF BEAUTY, GLOBALIZATION, AND THE MODERN INDIAN WOMAN Rebecca Gelles Academic Director: Tara Dhakal ISP Advisor: Pramada Menon, independent lecturer School for International Training India Sustainable Development and Social Change Program Fall 2011 Gelles 1 Table of Contents Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………..2 Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………2 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..2 Traditional Indian Beauty…………………………………………………………………………7...
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...A thorough look at Africans in America would not be complete without considering African-American dance. From plantation dances that enslaved Africans used to express their tragedy and triumph, to the ever-changing slick motions of modern hand dancing, black rhythmic movements are an integral weave in the fabric of American culture. Dance grew out of hardship but became entertainment. African dance has contributed a plethora of qualities to dance in America; and we can see proof of this through the dance of today. Being such a diverse country, America has the gift of consolidating unique moves from various societies to acquire an outstanding dance collection. American dance as we know it would be totally different if not for African Americans....
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... Introduction: Boobs, boobies, jugs, tits, suckers, knockers, hooters or breasts. Over time breasts have developed many different names and new meanings. Some may look at boobs as nothing more than just the anatomy of a female, while others love them, and some think that they are evil and a mark of death. In every era, from early and middle ages, through the renaissance, and then 19th and twentieth century, breasts have fascinated human beings. Breasts are more than a body part that we need for reproduction, they play a major role in the development of society and our social norms. The controversy of importance is argued by doctors as well as piers. Today most people affiliate breasts with vanity. People have always loved the beauty in breasts, but society has lost the value in them and why they are beautiful. What is so great to look at, when everyone’s got them, and if they don’t, they can buy some at your local doctor’s office. So why do people buy them? And is bigger the better? There really isn’t an answer to that question because they are both very broad topics and constantly changing. We can try and interpret these answers with social norms which vary in different cultures, or we can look at research and biology and try and answer the questions scientifically. Either approach will lead you to controversy because over time there purpose in life has changed significantly. And there are debates all over the world today about how and when should breasts be...
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