Image-Based Culture

1584 Words4 Pages

Throughout our lives we have been exposed to countless advertisements from magazines, television, and posters. In the past families, communities, and religion have shaped the views of society, and now the media plays a larger role. The media has become a structuring institution of contemporary consumer society and has had a major impact on our perception towards gender, race and sexuality. The media does not only provide people with information and entertainment; it also affects people’s lives by shaping their opinions, attitudes and beliefs. The media can produce a sense of reality through images by manipulating the audience. Mass media has had a significant impact on two major themes, male dominance and female objectification within advertisements. …show more content…

These advertisements have become so frequent and normal in people’s lives that they do not realize that they are being exposed to them. Jhally states, “advertising is a disclosure through and about objects because it does not merely tell us about things but how things are connected through important domains of lives” (Jhally, 247). In other words, advertisements are bigger than just the picture or product. On top of the surface content, advertisements promote subconscious and underlying messages towards a target audience. They have become a system and language that is interpreted by viewers through images. This has triggered viewers to come up with several concepts and ideas that are swayed by the …show more content…

advertising doesn’t always mirror how people are acting but how they’re dreaming” (Jhally, 248). This is important because the media promotes images that reflect viewers’ fantasies. Fantasies are composed of idealized identities that the media portray of the “good life.” The audience wants to enact the images and power structures they see conveyed, therefore, it becomes their dreams and desires. The Dolce Gabbana advertisement is an excellent example of how fantasies are integrated with the identity of a dominating white male figure. The background of the image is an extremely important factor in manipulating the consumer’s ideas and concepts. The sky blue background contrasts with the men surrounding the women. The effect of the contrast then promotes a theme of dreams and desires. Jhally writes, “The commodity image system thus provides a particular vision of the world” (Jhally 248). The image is portrayed as an erotic dream. The advertisement cannot sell the real thing therefore it sells an illusion of the good life by reflecting viewers’ dreams. This promotes the underlying message of the ad. Basically, if you want to be a powerful wealthy white male figure in society and be desired by women, you must wear Dolce and Gabbana

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