Analysis of Original Advertisement:

The advertisement I will be analyzing is an advertisement for a makeup company, MaxFactor. In this poster, a white woman is shown looking at the camera wearing a product which is a color correcting cream. On the poster the cream is described (using very ambiguous terms) as delivering a “gorgeous, flawless coverage.” This is an issue because it causes the consumer to think they can only be “gorgeous” or “flawless” with the use of this cream. To build upon this, the product is called a colour correcting cream, which in itself is pursuing the viewer of the add to believe they have something to be corrected. It is creating its own market for a product by telling women that this is something they can and should correct in order to look beautiful and flawless.  However, ultimately the largest problem with this advertisement is that written largely across the models neck is the words “I am perfected.” By saying “I am perfected” it is implying that the model or user was not perfect prior to the application of this single makeup product. It is telling the consumers that something is wrong with them, that they need this product if they want to be completely perfect. However, the model in this photo is wearing additional makeup such as mascara and lip colour, probably in addition with other forms of makeup as well. So the advertisement is not even staying true to itself in saying the model is “perfected” just with this makeup. Finally, an overarching issue with this ad is the fact that this advertisement is promoting conventional beauty standards with the model being white, young, skinny, and female. They are not sending this same message to males. With the use of words such as “perfected”, “correcting”, “beautiful”, and “flawless” the advertisement is telling women they are not already acceptable the way they are and in order to achieve these standards of being perfect or beautiful and looking like the conventional model pictured they must use their product.

Analysis of Jammed Advertisement:

My intention of the jammed advertisement was to provoke discussion on the ways this advertisement is promoting conventional/traditional beauty standards. By changing the main message from “I am perfected” to “You’re not perfect” I attempted to show the true meaning behind the statement being that the company is trying to market this advertisement in such a way that causes the consumers to believe that they need this product to make them more complete. The advertisement is not very inclusive or intersectional in that it just shows a white woman, therefore excluding all women of colour. The model is young, promoting ageism, and finally the model is thin and what is normally viewed as having traditional beauty standards. I emphasized the word correcting because that is what the product is focusing on. It is forcing those who do not look like the model to believe they do not have a perfect face that needs to be fixed or corrected. The social message is that women are constantly being told they are not good enough or perfect for society, it is problematic in that most men’s ads are not marketed in the same way. Women are being told that they are lacking something and have to fix themselves, in addition it is even harder for women of colour as this ad and many others are already neglecting them. By only including a white woman on this advertisement it can cause the assumption that to be perfect you have to look like her. This advertisement could improve upon itself by not telling women they have to be perfected or change. Using the word correcting is telling women there is something wrong.