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Photo taken https://www.google.ca/search?q=victoria+secret+advertisement&biw=1366&bih=589&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiq86XvturPAhVQ22MKHaogB6QQ_AUICCgB#imgrc=7y4a2vntxffI7M%3A

Written Analysis

While I was surfing the Internet, I came across this advertisement. Immediately, I realized this would be my advertisement for this assignment because this captures the struggle I have gone through as a girl. This advertisement is from Victoria Secret, a very famous underwear company. In the advertisement, sexy white models were wearing provocative underwear displaying their bodies. All models have large breast sizes, skinny legs, skinning hands, large hips and small wrists. Furthermore, all models are smiling, implying that they are very confident at their body shapes. The slogan in the advertisement is “The Perfect “Body”: Perfect Fit, Perfect Comfort, Perfect soft, Explore the Collection.”

Some elements in the advertisement really stands out, and they are the slogan and the models’ nationality. First, in the slogan, an adjective, “perfect”, is used extensively. Perfect, by definition, suggests the best, and the perfect body means that all women must have this body shape. By saying this, Victoria Secret is trying to define the normality for the society (or in other words, the desired body shape for the society). If women want to become sexy and beautiful, they must have this body shape because only this body shape (big breasts, big hips, skinny wrists, skinny legs and hands) can attract the attention of men. Next, the models in the advertisement are mostly white (except one Brazilian model) and this conveys that certain racial groups, preferably white, are more likely to have this body shape. This information is misleading because it demonstrates that women of other colour, especially those from Africa and Southeast Asia, cannot have this preferred body shape.

The pop culture is trying to define women’s beauty by outlining the features a sexy and beautiful women must have.  In order to become sexy and beautiful, women must share similar features as the models in the advertisement. Another body shapes are considered as deviated from the normal, and women of other body shapes are forced to take action to obtain the desired the body shape.  This can lead to devastating results on women, especially on girls. First of all, teenager girls try to lose weight by not eating, leading them to have abnormal body development, early menstruation, and to develop psychological or physiological. There are many real-life examples about this problem. Personally, I had similar problem. When I was fifteen. I realized I was too fat so I started to lose weight through dieting. After a year of unhealthy dieting, I developed many stomach problems and had ruined my health. Next, women may be discriminated due to their body shapes. This usually happens in adolescence when teenage girls are being bullied by their peer because of their wide body shapes. Finally, women may be very ashamed of their body shapes and lose their confidence, so they can even develop some kinds of social phobia as they think others are mocking their weight behind their backs.

photo taken from

https://www.google.ca/search?q=victoria+secret+advertisement&biw=1366&bih=589&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiq86XvturPAhVQ22MKHaogB6QQ_AUICCgB#imgrc=7y4a2vntxffI7M%3A

and

http://orgellaonline.com/2012/09/04/orgella-chat-are-your-insecurities-getting-the-better-of-you/blog-dove-group/?cbg_tz=0

Written Explanation

To redesign the advertisement to convey my message, I have used two different programs, Paint and Pixlr, a photoshop software. I have used Paint because I am more familiar with it. Next, I could use it to combine two pictures together into one. I have done several changes into the advertisement. First of all, I have changed the slogan from “The Perfect “Body”: Perfect Fit, Perfect Comfort, Perfect soft, Explore the Collection” to “What is a perfect “body” ?? Fit, Comfort, soft, explore the collection.” I have added this or that at the end of the slogan. Through deleting the words perfect and turning the perfect “body” into what is the “prefect “body”??, I really want to convince to women and girls that the desired body is only constructed by underwear companies to sell their products. However, because we are seeing this advertisement daily, this advertisement are influencing the way to think unconsciously; thus, this leads us to create a false belief that this concept is true. By shaping this slogan, I hope audience to realize that there is not a single definition of a desired body shape. Next, I really think that it is time for government to step in and start creating regulation on this issue because this kind of advertisement is directly influencing the psychological and psychological health of Canadians and is indirectly creating bullying in schools and other places.  Finally, I have added the “this or that” at the end of the slogan for audience to reflect upon, so they can make their own judgments and choose the body shapes are better for them.

Next, I have combined the picture taken from blog dove group into the Victoria Secret advertisement to target the racist information. I want audience to realize that races and ages cannot hinder women’s desire to become beautiful and confidence, and a woman can still be beautiful and confidence despite their ages and their races. The only thing that prevent women to stay beautiful is when they think they are not beautiful.  By doing so, I hope to create a multiracial feminism movement and to make advertising sector to realize their faults of including certain racial groups and excluding others in the advertisements (Thompson, 2002)

Reference

Thompson, B. (2002).Multiracial Feminism: Recasting the Chronology of Second Wave Feminism.  Feminist Studies 28(2), 337-360.