Shock advertising, or shockvertising, isn’t necessarily a millennial invention. But just like other forms of unethical media usage like yellow journalism or plagiarism, shock advertising has seen a huge surge in popularity for brands geared towards our younger generation. I chose to do my analysis on Bloomingdale’s controversial 2015 Christmas season ad. Out of all the ads that use shockvertising that I am aware of, this is possibly the most egregious perpetrator of the negative aspects of mass advertising. This particular ad promotes sexual assault, misogyny, and trivializes the experiences of women who have been the victim of date rape.
As a college student, I’m very familiar with the issue of sexual assault among young
Americans. This ad uses the tagline “Spike your BEST …show more content…
The man is posed in a way, combined with his unsmiling gaze, that gives the entire advertisement a
divide in the way we view gender. The woman is shown as carefree, with a positive demeanor, yet unaware of the insidious nature of her situation.
I’ve given my opinion on the negative aspects of this advertisement, but honestly I’m not the person who is really affected by this type of negativity. This advertisement is way more offensive to the families and victims of date rape and definitely is a lot more traumatic to them than it is to me. Seeing this advertisement makes them relive their experience with sexual violence even in the later stages of their healing process. It also trivializes their experience by making it seem like it isn’t a huge issue or that date rape is just a “joke”. Women in this country already under report rape due to social stigma, shame, and embarrassment. We need to properly educate people on the issue of date rape so we can more forward into a safer society.
Advertisements like this only serve to minimize issues like this, and they send us backward instead of in a progressive
As a college student, I’m very familiar with the issue of sexual assault among young
Americans. This ad uses the tagline “Spike your BEST …show more content…
The man is posed in a way, combined with his unsmiling gaze, that gives the entire advertisement a
divide in the way we view gender. The woman is shown as carefree, with a positive demeanor, yet unaware of the insidious nature of her situation.
I’ve given my opinion on the negative aspects of this advertisement, but honestly I’m not the person who is really affected by this type of negativity. This advertisement is way more offensive to the families and victims of date rape and definitely is a lot more traumatic to them than it is to me. Seeing this advertisement makes them relive their experience with sexual violence even in the later stages of their healing process. It also trivializes their experience by making it seem like it isn’t a huge issue or that date rape is just a “joke”. Women in this country already under report rape due to social stigma, shame, and embarrassment. We need to properly educate people on the issue of date rape so we can more forward into a safer society.
Advertisements like this only serve to minimize issues like this, and they send us backward instead of in a progressive