Nikolaos Stavrou-Wilson

  

Post 2

The purpose of the advertising images that contain sexism, racism, and power hierarchies, covered in our readings, class discussions and my additional research, is ultimately to generate sales of the product which is advertised and to build long term brand loyalty towards a product or company.  The way in which these advertisers seek to attain this is by presenting a lifestyle and conceptual look that has been successful in the past, and simply repeating it. 

The unintended effects that these pervasive images may have or reflect are: 1) a society that strives towards and seeks the production of a physically unhealthy (anorexic) yet “attractive” woman .  “Culture stereotypes women to fit the myth by flattening the feminine into beauty-without-intelligence or intelligence-without-beauty; women are allowed a mind or a body but not both” (Culture) 2) a society that continues to perpetuate racism, ideas of inequality between different colored people, by classifying people via unreal differences such as color and creating differences of status, and wealth 3) Power hierarchies, such as patriarchy “the single most life-threatening social disease assaulting the male body and spirit in our nation” (bell hooks) that reflect only the desire of insecure white men but make getting far in life harder for a colored person or woman.  I think a lot can be learned about popular culture from these advertisements simply by looking at them but unfortunately I don’t think many ads are a critique of popular culture unless the ad people are parodying themselves.  In regards effect 3, there are women out there combating the power hierarchy:

http://www.adweek.com/sa-article/yes-we-can-130708

Popular culture is found and learned in these ads, as sad as it is to say.  One looking on the bright side of life may argue to say that these ads are a cultural critique, in the manner of Goya’s painting May 5^th (see below), that, oh by the way, have characters who wear designer jeans suggesting you buy them. 

Truthfully, I thought the gang rape ad by Dolce & Gabbanna covered in class was designed to be controversial, and it reminded me of the rape in Central Park that took place years ago during the Puerto Rican day parade. 

My alternative advertising plan in reaction to the mainstream images employed currently would be to use illustrations, in the We Can Do It!

style, featuring strong women, and in the Norman Rockwell manner of illustration http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Rockwell of representing good valued mid-western American people that are more down to earth than the city-slicker model types preferred by Madison Ave agencies of today, and have these characters outfitted in or showing the product my advertising agency represents.  A visit to the Norman Rockwell link above will visibly explain why my strategy is markedly different than the skin baring sexually charged campaigns of today.

 My advertising would be placed in magazines because people choose to buy magazines, as opposed to obnoxious displays on billboards and in commuter places, which I find to be a disgusting practice and contributing to an unhealthy quality of life here in America.  My goal would be to attract a clientele pure in heart and mind that buys goods based on quality and not out of desire for keeping with trends or obtaining symbols of status.