Fluid Salon Advertisement Analysis

Pretty Abusive
It is very easy to manipulate information and play on the insacurities of others in todays socirty. In a world of advertisments and being obsessed with the bigger, better, and newer matereals, companies do not hold back if it will get people to buy their products. This advertisement from Fluid Salon in Edmonton Canada is trying to convince young adult women to go to their salon by playing on their vulnerable self-esteem but was later removed from the media due to what looks of supporting and normalizing domestic abuse. This is not the first time Fluid has insulted the media with their disrespectfull content but surly crossed the line this time around.
Fluid Salon
Fluid Salon is a popular salon in Edmonton Canada owned by Sarah Cameron (Adweek). "Please interpret the ad as freedom dictates—that is your right—just as artistic expression is our right,"(Adweek) Cameron defends the advertisement saying that everyone is so offended especially if you have a personal history. Refusing to take down the advertisement Cameron posts a long

description of why she thinks the advertisement is fine and how people should be focusing on more important issues like murder, not a hair salon advertisement (Adweek). "If survivors of abuse interpret this ad to make light of any abusive situation, we sincerely apologize."(Adweek) Cameron apologizes to victims and anyone who took offence of the ad and promises that she will donate to a local woman shelter every time a client confronts her about it (Adweek).
Looking at the company’s campaign, this isn’t the first time that Fluid has made an offensive ad, surely this is the one that tipped the edge. Other ads feature girls being homeless or getting in vehicle accidents but still have nice hair and look good. Fluids main message and slogan “Look good in all you do”, is another way of saying your life might be shitty right now but if you look good that’s all that matters. This is making women today feel insecure and bad about their lives, relationships, and appearance but a new hairdo can change everything.
Audience
There is one big audience that pertains to this advertisement and that’s is young adult women. Since the advertisement aims at multiple niche markets, this general group can be split up into three sub-groups.
The first group is the average young women. Being a beauty advertisement, the media that this ad reaches would be viewed by most women who read magazines, searching for the newest and hottest trends, and social media. Women from ages 18-30 have a more flexible income and tend to care more about appearance opposed to older women who may have kids or are too tired during the week to even think about their hair. Younger women are more likely to see and pay attention to this advertisement opposed to middle aged women.
The second audience that would pay close attention to this advertisement are feminists. This ad is accused for supporting woman abuse, naturally women empowerment groups are going to react when they see that their gender is being presented as weak or oppressed. The way that the man is towering over the woman smirking, having her sit properly in front of him like she is a pet shows dominance and looks like ownership to the outside audience. There are many negative reviews made by outspoken women because of this advertisement and what it truly displays.
The third party is women who are abused. One in three women are in abusive relationships that are of ages from 18-24 (NCADV). The female model in the advertisement is sporting a black eye, yet everything else about her is beautiful. This is all supportive of the fact that domestic violence is not always noticed or known about. Women who look at this ad and have had personal experiences with abuse can immediately jump to conclusions based on the dominant man in the back, the black eye on the pretty young model, even the dark, dirty background gives off an ominous aura. The model looks distressed and unicameral because of her facial expression and posture, this could be from the presence from the male right behind her. Women who have been victimized can look at this ad and immediately know what’s going on, sympathize, and be highly offended or hurt because this ad looks like it is normalizing a current-day problem.
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Fluid Salon decided to promote their company by playing on the demands of self-love in women, causing an emotional response. This ad uses strong pathos because it plays on the vulnerability of women and our perception of them. The purpose of the black eye was to persuade women to think that spending money at their salon, buying nice clothes and expensive jewelry, it will fix and cover up physical “flaws” in your ugliest moments. This ad is trying to make women feel and look more self-conscious so that they can spend more money to boost their self-esteem, believing it will make them prettier. Instead of achieving this goal, Fluid Salon caused issues dealing with political views, sexism, and domestic violence due to poor designing and lay out.
A color scheme is very important when trying to set a mood. Looking at this advertisement, you notice that there isn’t a lot of color. Browns, mustard yellows, black, and grays fill the ad making it very dim, dull, and old. The background looks like an old dirty house; two random lamps have a silver metal look, making the picture look even more cold and empty. The couch has a vintage pattern on it making it replicate furniture that’s been in the basement and hasn’t been touched in 30 plus years, collecting dust. The wooden floors don’t look glossy or polished, instead dull and dirty. Lastly the dark brown wall and the black rug makes the whole picture seem small and closed for an overall sketchy effect. What the advertisement was trying to stress was that all the old in your life, all the tired, worn, and negativity can make you drab, but a new hair style and nice clothes can make you as good as new.
We associate dark colors with sadness, depression, anger, and other negative feelings. There are a lot of sharp straight lines making the overall picture stiff and unconfutable. The angle of this picture is dead on, making eye contact with the subjects, creating more tension.
The next thing wrong with this advertisement is the literal message on the ad. “Look good in all you do”. This caption wasn’t right for the ad because the message was too vague for a powerful image left for us to interpret using our emotions. The slogan for the company makes it seem like you are only as good as you look, so it doesn’t matter if you’re abused if you look good in the end.
Lastly the characters are the main point in why this advertisement got removed from the media.

Both are young subjects that look like there in their late 20’s. The man has a smirk and looks more relaxed than the woman. He is placed behind and towering over her, coming across that he is dominant but at the same time not trying to draw attention to himself. Looking closely, he is holding a necklace. If your mind gets lost in assumption, it could easily be some type of rope or chain. This can demonstrate the vicious cycle of domestic violence that women struggle to break apart from. Usually, the man in any way, mentally or physically abuses the woman, she wants to leave but he pulls her back in by saying he’s going to change or presents a gift. Also, the gift in this case is something used around the neck, something that’s pretty and makes you feel good but at the same time choke and strangle you. Nothing sentimental like a

ring.
The lighting gets darker the further back as the picture goes. His suit blends into the background however there is a slight spotlight on him, letting us know that he’s not the main subject but still important.
The woman who is placed on a yellow flower-patterned couch that stands out in the foreground, she is the focal point. She is also wearing a very little dark emerald green cocktail dress. With high heels and a crazy hair, she is clearly trying to look best when obviously she is in distress or a critical time in her life. Her face and body language tells us that she is in pain and stiff because of her posture and leg placement.
The black eye is a big problem because it is on a woman while there is a strong male present in the image. Looking at this advertisement all I can see and feel is pity and hopelessness. No matter what Fluid Salon did, this advertisement was going to look like its purpose is to normalize domestic violence.
Conclusion
Fluid salon never took down the advertisement and dealt with the vicious yelp reviews and comments but is still a high-end salon. What they view as art, society views as glorifying domestic violence and stupidity on the Salons thinking (Daily Mail Online ). Woman are strong independent people and should be glorified and not depicted as week and inferior to males. No company should purposely aim to hurt a person’s self-esteem and confidence just to get an extra buck. Fluids intentions were wrong from the start and creating this ad diffidently pushed the limits of what you can and can’t post.