Rhetorical Analysis

Around the world, people are affect by sex trafficking everyday. This is a touchy subject that is not talked about often. A YouTube Channel called “collapsefilms” attempts to display what sex trafficking is. While the advertisement aims to spread awareness of sex trafficking, it is problematic because it fails to show the whole truth of what sex trafficking actually consists of, uses stereotypical white actors, it fails to show hard facts, and it is not clear in its overall message.

In this ad, collapsefilms exhibits a normal white female as a victim. The unnamed girl in the video is naked to emphasize that she is vulnerable. In the commercial, the woman is taking a shower and her body is covered in bruises. The camera focuses on her body

This shows that when a person is forced into sex trafficking, it is not the sex itself but the fact that they no longer have control over their body that makes them feel less of a person. Additionally, the visual context of the camera zooming from the body to the face of the woman shows the slow process of how physical abuse in sex trafficking degrades her emotions and stripes away her identity, which makes her a victim. Furthermore, sex trafficking has a harsh effect on victims. On the website SOROPTIMIST, they express the impact of sex trafficking by stating, “Victims often experience post-traumatic stress disorder … acute anxiety, depression and insomnia” (SOROPTIMIST). This is pathos because the commercial uses the victim’s vulnerability to effect the viewers’ emotions. By presenting bruises and scares on her body, collapsefilms attempts to evoke pity from the viewers. This commercial perpetrates the stereotype that women are “weak,” but also demonstrates the false concept that only women are victims of sex

This is false because in the statistics by the Office of the Public Prosecutor, Dubai, in 2005 and 2006, South Asia has a greater percentage of victims than Eastern Europe and Central Asia combined (Office of the Public Prosecutor). This shows that countries outside of Europe are more affected than countries in Europe. Collapsefilms use of white actors is to only increase their popularity. Logos is non-existent in this commercial because there are no hardcore facts or evidence on what the audience can do to help. If the commercial were not titled “Anti-Trafficking Commercial” then people would mistake the commercial for prostitution or an abusive relationship. On a positive note, kairos is used well because sex trafficking is increasing rapidly as the years go on and it was in genius to produce about this subject for it is uncommonly spoken