Welcome to UBC Blogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Culture Jam Assignment

  original Ad

• Victoria Secret campaign in year 2014

vs models.jpg

Deconstructing the advertisement

This is an Advertisement for the 2014 Victoria’s Secret lingerie campaign called “The Perfect “Body””. Victoria’s Secret is a popular lingerie company where young women often shop at. The campaign being promoted in this advertisement is supposed to be focusing on different body types as bra types differ for women depending on their body type. The advertisement is meant to promote the variety of bras the company has available for all body shape. The catch phrase “The Perfect “Body”” is supposed to send the message that if you find the right lingerie for yourself, you will have the “perfect body”. However, the models within the advertisement seem to all have the same body type suggesting that this is the perfect body and contributing to the modern stereotypical image of what a woman needs to look like. Moreover, the advertisement is anything but enticing to an average female as it is intimidating, and most women have insecurities that are enticed when looking at such provoking advertisements. In reality, the target audience of the campaign is men as it is sexualizing women and supporting the unrealistic expectations that society has set for women. These expectations include having the above perfect “body”, beauty, and disregarding the reality that women have flaws and cannot meet such unrealistic expectations. Furthermore, this campaign not only contributes to stereotypes but contributes to the rapid growth in eating disorders and mental health within contemporary society. Although the Advertisement had a good philosophy behind it, it was implemented poorly and has send out the wrong message. The sexualization of women is a monumental issue within the international community and affects women in work places as well as private life as it makes them inferior to men. This unjust issue is unfortunately being promoted by this advertisement.

Construct a new image/message using the Ad

Given this, I choose to alter the advertisement to truly represent the philosophy behind it and promote realism. I attempted to alter a few of the model’s bodies to show that women come in all shapes and sizes and they do not need to conform to a specific body type to feel “perfect” and happy. Additionally, I added the phrase “for you” at the end and switched the word “body” to “bra” as I wanted to emphasize the variety of bra’s available for women to find the perfect fit for themselves. My construction of the advertisement focused more on the product and the needs of its consumers which are young women, rather than focusing on stereotypical ideologies and the sexualization of women. I believe that lingerie advertisements provoke vulnerability in women within the contemporary world and thus should be made so that women can connect with the advertisement and can relate to how the product is being modeled. By showing different body-types and emphasizing variety rather than an “if you buy this you can be one of us”, the advertisement embraces diversity and makes its supposedly intended audience feel confident and comfortable rather than intimidated. Overall, my jamming philosophy focused on breaking stereotypes and objectifying women, while promoting the philosophy of self-love and emphasizing the importance of diversity.