The portrayal of women in advertising has always been a controversial subject in today’s society. On one hand, you have what the world defines as beauty, while on the other you have an aspect of appeal. Advertisements have to appeal to the masses, regardless of the target audience. However, sometimes this attempt to appeal can go too far. Advertisements have put out an image of a woman that is simply impossible to achieve, a standard that has led to the shaming of many woman across the years. However, what makes advertisements like this so popular and effective despite this? Reviewing an ad by Victoria Secret immediately shows us the “sexy” side of women with scantily clad girls adorned with the main focus of the ad; lingerie. The company plays …show more content…
The ad intentionally shows us the women’s faces with bright smiles and coy looks. This helps identify with their target audience, showing that these women, with their sexy lingerie, are very happy. There is even a scene which shows a woman being chased by the paparazzi because of the lingerie itself. She is seen right after, a wide smile on her face as though she is happy about being photographed. The entire encounter is positive in nature, which is what Victoria Secret is trying to portray. They want to make it seem that your life will be better with their type of underwear, a concept that is silly at …show more content…
One quote from this series brings up a very valid point, stating: “Advertising tells us, as it always has, that what is most important is how we look. Women learn from a very early age we must spend enormous amounts of time, energy and money to achieve a certain look and feel ashamed when we fail.” So, if women are led to believe that one article of clothing will create this ideal, than certainly they are willing to spend any amount to do so. Victoria Secret plays on these ideals, much like many other advertisements. The ad viewed also gives women something else; the feeling of entitlement. Big, bold letters are cut between the images of women, stating, “Make sure your angel gets everything she deserves.” So, women are shown that they deserve to feel like they are extremely sexy, so there is no guilty conscious when they go out and spend a pretty penny on lingerie. But doesn’t this put out the wrong image? Or does the notion that the product sells make everything acceptable since someone, at the end of the day, is getting