How and why is a social group represented in a particular way?
The advertisements for vodka that the Skyy Vodka company comes out with is filled with sexual tenacity, that draws in both men and women who come across their advertisement. Skyy Vodka is a company who consistently produces and evoke very sexual advertisements. The company’s advertisements repeatedly contains a slim, young, and beautiful females who wear provocative clothing, and in many occasions the women in the advertisement usually has a sexual dominance over the male counterpart. The single underlying reason why Skyy Vodka’s advertisements has proven to be very successful is their use of sex by the way they represent their females. The company do not hold back the appeal to sex and they commonly promote the sexual benefits of drinking Skyy Vodka. The use of sex is used everywhere and we have undoubtedly seen it work from ads in magazines and movies to commercials and merchandise, the fact of the matter is that sex is a great and powerful way to market an item or idea. While the advertisement for Skyy Vodka titled “The Antagonist” seen in People magazine’s May 7, 2007 issue adheres to the usual standards of Skyy ads, it has an underlying theme of white, male supremacy and the female threat to that power. Skyy Vodka has become an object that exemplifies sex to young adult males and creates a sense of confidence as the advertisement suggests that consuming their vodka will result into woman being attracted to them.
The advertisement is set in an apartment overlooking some metropolitan city, while a young woman, stands over a hidden man sitting in a 60s style chair with only the forearms and legs showing. The man in the chair holds a martini while the woman holds a...
... middle of paper ...
...hich makes the advertisement successful.
Though at first glance, the woman is depicted as the inferior while she caters to the man, and is also quite devalued as a person as she is wearing revealing clothing, there appears to be an underlying competition between the man and woman in the advertisement, this is emphasized by the colors and symbols. The woman uses sex and alcohol to weaken the man, in attempt to gain some dominance in the man’s world. However, from the advertisment’s title, it is seen that the actions of the female are “antagonistic.” The woman is criticized for her techniques at achieving power yet the male is not criticized for objectifying women or using them to fulfill sexual fantasies. While an advertisement for Skyy Vodka, this ad presents the world of a successful, white male and warns him against the young seductress, desperate for power.
In using the sex sells aspect in Skyy’s campaign to sell their Skyy Fusion product, the woman is being exploited as an object. There is no doubt that men are still the dominant gender in our society today. Men would most likely never capture the sexy role she plays in this advertisement. The words, “Go Natural,” further show that women are viewed as objects. Those two words are also stating that it is natural for women to become promiscuous when they consume alcohol. She is a sexy, vulnerable, mature female, who is displayed naked in this advertisement. She’s clearly old enough to make her own decisions and the advertisement makes it seem like she is choosing to take part in risky behavior. By noting that, Skyy’s advertisement promotes the idea that all females are the same; if you give her a glass of vodka, she will end up in your bed. Most of the time, society overlooks personalities as well, which may be a link to why women are so insecure because today females have to depend more on their looks than personalities. Men are usually more self-confident than women and that might be because women are perceived by their looks and how good their body is. Anyone can see this woman is beautiful, skinny, and all around, flawless. You could pick up any advertisement, not just Skyy Fusion vodka’s, and realize this is how most women are who are pictured in advertisements. Society has allowed for
And it seems to be that the woman is being sexually harassed by the men because they have more power than she has as well as more men standing in the background. The woman has no power and cannot do anything about it because she is too weak.These advertisements show how sexist they can be nowadays and that it is very bad from Kilbourne’s perspective. In Kilbourne 's essay, she says that “Men conquer and women ensnare, always with the essential aid of a product.” 491 Which basically means that the men conquer the women and the women are not dominant and they fall into the men 's trap which relates to the product they are advertising. From my insight about these advertisements is that I find it just so that these advertising companies can get the public 's attention but I have to admit it is very sexist how the men are just taking advantage of the woman just because they are more dominant than she is and the woman being weak and helpless. Kilbourne’s perspective is that no women should be treated like this and instead they should be treated fairly as the men are. Like not being abused and treated with respect. This picture depicts men are generally greater than a woman and they get what they want because they are greater than they are. This advertisement is not the only one that expresses men over women, but many advertisements are just the same and Kilbourne is upset that women are treated
It happens to be spring break and I decided to take a road trip to visit an out of state relative in Florida. While I am driving I happen to see advertisements on bill boards of Skyy Vodka at nearly every stop or city I pass. While I’m driving on the interstate about every ad I perceive almost symbolizes sex or some sort of representation of a high economic status. For instance Skyy Vodka commercial and magazine covers usually depict men dressed up in expensive suits, driving fancy cars, and owning luxurious mansions. Basically they seem to indirectly show us that being materialistic is the way to live your life. Therefore what makes this Russian drink so wonderful and invigorating? Maybe it’s the taste? Or it could be the extravagant thirst quenching history of this alcoholic beverage? Initially Skyy Vodka has consistently been perhaps the most sexually suggestive advertiser of its genre. The advertisements usually consist of gorgeous women dressed up in tiny black dresses or in a similar attire.
This advertisement displays the logical fallacy of hasty generalization by displaying negative connotations to both genders. It shows the woman as being incapable of controlling herself when the man
As Freeman and Merskin assert, “… commercials that focus on a lone, sexualized woman doing something seductive while also eating a burger, the flesh of both humans and nonhumans become objects of camera’s implied heterosexual gaze” (470). In other words, Freeman and Merskin oppose to the usage of women to make a commercial more interesting in order to bring more customers, specifically male ones. Indeed, this is the role of women in Tui’s commercial. Women are on the sidewalk making seductive gestures that bring the attention of the main character, this “temptations” are what he needs to overcome to achieve his goal, he thinks about the beer he will get and this helps him to keep away from distractions. This is the message that media is bringing to our homes: women are nothing but beautiful objects that need to have a good appearance. Moreover, women are not always present on commercials; according to Freeman and Merskin, “… occasionally women enter the story, typically as decorative objects or as the symbolic ‘other woman’” (461). When women come to scene, they represent a beauty concept; makeup, provocative clothes, a voluptuous body, and silent attitudes are the characteristics that they show to the audience as the perfect woman. Several women appear through Tui’s commercial; however, they do not play any important role, their interpretations barely last five
Advertisements are all over the place. Whether they are on TV, radio, or in a magazine, there is no way that you can escape them. They all have their target audience who they have specifically designed the ad for. And of course they are selling their product. This is a multi billion dollar industry and the advertiser’s study all the ways that they can attract the person’s attention. One way that is used the most and is in some ways very controversial is use of sex to sell products. For me to analyze this advertisement I used the rhetorical triangle, as well as ethos, pathos, and logos.
It’s shows that drinking liquor is easier to go down then a woman that they are trying to assault. The ad reinforces traditional gender norms because it is agreeing that rape culture is okay. It is agreeing that men should be able to have their way with women. It is showing how men, under the influence, feel as if they are more dominant than usual over women. Men are seen as predators that the women have to get away from. It shows how women are victims to the overpowering dominance of men.I do not feel as if the ad successfully challenged the traditional gender norms, mainly because it encourages men to drink this liquor which may lead to the sexual assault of women. They may feel that this liquor may help them be able to take their victim down. They are basically putting women is danger to the point that they no longer feel safe around men under the influence of Belvedere vodka. Advertisements like this one is actually advertised in magazines and everywhere on the internet now and days. Many advertisements that use women in sexually abusive manners have become accepted by
We see the ways that the popular media uses gender tensions everywhere. The truth is that sex sells, we know that. The challenge that advertisers face is: How to use it best. Some advertisers do this better than others and the ones that truly have an understanding of gender tensions will, in the end, sell the most. In my last paper, I explored how the company Abercrombie and Fitch uses gender tensions to sell their clothes. They have become among the masters in advertising and the business in booming. They cater to young adults and young adults only for one powerful reason: It is at this age in which the sexual tensions between male and female are greatest. Abercrombie and Fitch has found their niche.
Through the application of physical appearance, audience and text the ad unfortunately paints women in a negative manner. The ad employs tactics that reel society into believing that women must put a man on a pedestal in order to gain his admiration. Women have the right to be treated equally and deserve to be represented in a positive light so the culture can fray away from following beliefs similarly portrayed in this 1930s advertisement. We must teach the next generation that although it is in our nature to nurture those around us, there are no boundaries or restrictions for women to excel in society for the
The documentary Killing Us Softly 4 discusses and examines the role of women in advertisements and the effects of the ads throughout history. The film begins by inspecting a variety of old ads. The speaker, Jean Kilbourne, then discusses and dissects each ad describing the messages of the advertisements and the subliminal meanings they evoke. The commercials from the past and now differ in some respects but they still suggest the same messages. These messages include but are not limited to the following: women are sexual objects, physical appearance is everything, and women are naturally inferior then men. Kilbourne discusses that because individuals are surrounded by media and advertisements everywhere they go, that these messages become real attitudes and mindsets in men and women. Women believe they must achieve a level of beauty similar to models they see in magazines and television commercials. On the other hand, men expect real women to have the same characteristics and look as beautiful as the women pictured in ads. However, even though women may diet and exercise, the reality...
Zimmerman, Amanda and John Dahlberg. “The Sexual Objectification of Women in Advertising: A Contemporary Cultural Perspective.” Journal of Advertising Research 48.1 (March 2008): 71-79. Business Source Premier. EBSCOhost. Howland High School Lib., OH. Web. 28 March 2014 .
In the essay “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” author and philosopher Susan Bordo discusses the history and current state of male representation in advertisements. While using her feminist background, Bordo compares and contrasts the aspects of how men and women are portrayed in the public eye. She claims that there has been a paradigm shift the media with the theory that not just women are being objectified in the public eye, but also men too. Since the mid-1970s, with the introduction of Calvin Klein commercials, men have started to become more dehumanized and regarded as sex symbols. In a similar fashion to how Bordo describes gender, race plays a similar role in the media. People of all different ethnicities and cultures are being categorized into an oversimplified and usually unfair image by the media over basic characteristics.
The signs employed within the ad and the connection between signifiers and the signified were subjective and based on cultural representations. The denotative and connotative meanings that a message represents along with ‘doctrine of sign’s’ known as iconic, indexical and symbolic dimensions engaged by the advertiser to send ideology and mythical messages within the Katy Perry ad, such as wealth, authority and beauty are desirable and this can be attained if you buy this perfume. On a border and more thought provoking ideological level, the ad could perhaps interpret the message of freedom, prosperity and justice that women have culturally fought for throughout history. The basis of the selling pitch of the advert is sex, beauty and wealth. A contradiction perhaps, is an alternate meaning with the syntagm “Own the Throne’ intentionally placed underneath her genital area with Katy’s legs crossed. This may signify a deeper meaning that she is truly the one that ‘owns’ her sexuality not the advertiser. It is crucial advertiser’s understand that accomplishment of linguistic and non-linguistic communication is a result of the integrated system of cultural norms that allows potential buyers, to organise their world and give collective representations. In order to permit the reader to receive and successfully decode the
The objectification of women is a huge issue in society and is often led by advertising. However, many men still believe that the adverts depicting women in a sexual and often passive posture are not very offensive, but rather very funny or sexy. However, how would they feel if it were their daughter or sister being advertised throughout the world as a sexual object? The Tiger Beer advertisement shown in the appendix is a clear example of the objectification of women in advertising. The Tiger Beer advert was made to appeal to men from the age of 20 to 60.
Cohan overall leaves a strong impression on the reader that change in women’s advertising is very important and necessary. He effectively shows that women’s advertising is often unethical and ultimately needs to stop degrading women and move to more positive ways of advertising. Although, upon digging deeper in to Cohan’s specific claims on idealized imagery advertising, a gap emerges. Cohan calls the women in the ads who have been idealized “perfect” “ideal”, women that the “average women” will never be able to look like/be (327), but in all actuality, how can advertisements, or anyone for that matter, define what is “perfect”, “average”, “pretty”, “ugly”? Cohan overlooks this phenomenon, of the ever evolving, never definable term: beauty, therefore creating a need for deeper analysis.