Source: https://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/prints/sauza-conmemarativo-thong-1242255/
Original Ad Analysis
The ad I have chosen is a tequila advertisement for the brand Sauza. The ad has a large picture of the tequila bottle, with text beside it that writes “your mom just bought a thong”. At the bottom of the advertisement, beside the bottom of the bottle, there is a box that has the text “life is harsh; your tequila shouldn’t be”.
The message that jumped out at first, to me, was the text about “my” mom. To me, what is written has the hidden message of age and gender discrimination. It pushes the idea that women who are mothers, or even past a certain age bracket, should not be wearing thongs; that thongs are exclusively saved for women who have not mothered children or women who are young. Aging is a natural phenomenon and society should not be allowed to dictate what we can or can not wear, especially when it is a piece of clothing typically not visible in the public domain. That being said, even if the piece of clothing is always visible, policing on our clothing should not be allowed. If a woman feels comfortable in full back underwear, boxers, thongs, or no underwear, then by all means, she should be able to wear what she finds comfortable or is her preference. This type of underwear policing is not restricted to females, as men can also face prejudice based on their choice of undergarments.
The second message I found in the tequila ad highlighted the alcohol’s lack of harshness when consuming. It is common for hard alcohols to be harder to consume than a mixed drink or a sugary cider because of the unpleasant burning sensation that can be found the higher alcohol levels. Sauza, however, is saying that their tequila goes down smoothly.
Jammed Ad Analysis
Firstly, I altered the advertisement by adding “because she is an independent woman who can make HER OWN CHOICE” after the original ad’s text “your mom just bought a thong”. With this addition to the text, I wanted the notion that policing of people’s clothing choices should not be a societal norm. What one chooses to wear is their choice.
Secondly, I took away the text box that stated “life is harsh; your tequila shouldn’t be” and replaced it with “life is better when YOU MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICES; choose Sauza tequila”. The altered ad’s aim is to promote the notion that people are entitled to life their lives how they choose to. The ad challenges the age old concept that once one becomes a parent, or more specifically to this ad, a mother, areas they once had a choice in are now more restricted. In this case, a person who has become a mother must forgo her thong and replace it with some “mom appropriate” (whatever that may be..) underwear.
Ads like the original tequila ad continue to promote these beliefs that restrict our choices after (or before) certain ages. Age is merely a number. Being a mother (or parent) is just one of the many roles one may have. The jammed ad tries to promote the choices one still has, as well as allowing individuals to be able to choose what one wants is a way to better one’s life. Women’s bodies are often policed–whether it be how they look or how they dress or how they use their body. This type of policing renders women to be subject to advertisements like the one put forward by Sauza.