Original Advertisement Analysis:

In this advertisement, Pond’s, a brand that sells beauty and health care items, released a product called “Pond’s White Beauty Facewash”. This product claims to utilize vitamin B3+ to cleanse the skin and wash out dead skin cells to reveal new fair cells. This advertisement has large bolded words near the top with “Dark out” highlighted in black and “White in” highlighted in white, which is then followed by “Increase your face value” in order to attract consumers. Below the bolded words, there is a meter comparing soap and Pond’s White Beauty Facewash which indicates to consumers that Pond’s product can increase one’s “face value”. Additionally, on the far right side of the advertisement, there is a woman with white fair skin showing that this product can whiten one’s face.

The problem with this beauty product advertisement that I will be addressing is the general message that this company is trying to imply. The first bolded statement implies the discrimination of darker skin women hence the wording of “Dark Out”, and “White In”. They are implying that darker skin women are not desired compared women with a whiter skin tone. The “face value meter” can be interpreted as those who use Pond’s product will have whiter skin and, therefore, they have more “face value”. This poses inequality and racism towards darker skin women because the advertisement is indirectly stating that those who have white skin are more valued in the social ladder, and women of colour are inferior. The overall message the advertisement conveys can be seen as racism towards darker skin women because of the wording it utilizes. The message also sets unrealistic standards for all women to have white skin and also discriminates against those who do not by implying the value white skin has over darker skin tones.

Jammed Advertisement Analysis:

In my jammed version of this advertisement, the texts have been changed to give a representation of having healthy skin is the new desirable traits. Now, this advertisement would give a different meaning compared to the original advertisement above. The changes I have made are instead of “Dark out, white in. Increase your face value.” it is now “Dead skin gone, hello new skin cells. Increase your health value.” This would have an opposite effect where the inequality and racism between women of colour and white women no longer exist, whereas health is the most important aspect for all women. I have also change the “face value meter” to “health value meter”. This means that using this product would give better skin health care for women compare to using the standardize soap, which can cause harm to the skin. Unlike the original advertisement, where they try to sell products to have women looking the way the public wants. Women who saw it would want white skin like the actor, now that it changed and mainly focused on health. Therefore, women would desire healthier skin to keep their health strong no matter the skin colour, all skin colour are fair and beautiful. Additionally, this jammed advertisement sets a realistic goal of all women can have healthy skin. The overall message in this advertisement can raise awareness about the health issues that everyone needs to take care of their health.