Killing Us Softly

Jean Kilbourne had many of the same facts that our text told us about. She dealt more with the advertising effect that is made on our culture. Teenagers are hyper-sexualized because of all the images we see. We think it's okay to be sexually explicit and that it's normal to be sexually active. It's not a teenagers world. Teenagers are not mature enough to handle that kind of situation or the possibilities that could result from making these adult decisions. Advertising portrays mens and women's bodies in sexual ideals. Partially clothed models or the hint of sex in that ad. We see 3000 ads per day, therefore it is impossible to escape that influence. We all pay attention to ads whether we realize it or not. Whether it's the clothes we wear or how we style our hair and many other images. We as a society no longer have a clear perspective on beauty or what should be "normal". Models can be seen as not even being real. It is impossible to be that perfect- airbrushing can do wonders.
One thing that really bothers me about the advertising aspect of beauty is that it causes us to worry too much about our appearance. I think as long as a person is clean, well-kept, and dressed then that person should be accepted by society. But I don't feel well saying that. Because someone who is poorer than another may not have the ability to be well-kept and clean. So I don't know how else to arrange that statement but I would hope you understand what I am trying to get across.

http://www.chevycollegead.com/

Some of my favorite commercials air during the Super Bowl. One from last year- the one which won the college challenge was one of my favorites (other than the rock, paper, scissors beer commercial). It is a commercial for the Chevy HHR and this car has about 3 or 4 girls sitting in it at a red light. A guy comes over and uses his jacket to wipe a dirt spot off of the car and then we hear Nelly's "Hot in Herre" playing in the background. They hand the man a dollar through the window and all of a sudden we have all kinds of men coming to the girl's car and stripping off their clothes and washing the car. Most all of these men are in good physical shape and are attractive. Then there's a random scrawny old man who joins the group and of course the first thing you do is burst into laughter!
I don't feel comfortable saying that they are trying to sell more than the car in this commercial. Because that is all I can think about when I see it. Guys like cars, guys like clean cars, guys do like girls and there are girls driving the car... So maybe they are selling that guys like girls too? I like this ad because it shows that women can drive a nice car and then be "rewarded" for it, in a way. I mean, they did get a very entertaining show. So it breaks down the barrier from what we see in other ads. Women are driving a car (usually a man's role) and men are the ones flaunting their bodies in front of the camera (usually a female's role). So it seems to reverse the stereotypes and in my opinion, poke fun at the situation.
This is quite possibly the most entertaining assignment I have done thus far. I love advertising- I wouldn't mind being an advertiser one day. So just knowing that I am able to sit down and analyze an ad makes me so happy! I have always noticed that women seem to be degraded in advertising for certain products and I hate to say it, but I don't know if that will change any time soon. Sex sells, whether we like it or not, and sadly, that's the maturity level of our society that we need to see butts, and breasts, and men without shirts to want to buy the product. Not because its a good product but because of how it is introduced.