Candico Cane Sugar Ad Analysis

Introduction The younger generation are embracing tattoo culture more ever than before as a research shows that nearly 40 percent of people between age 18 and 29 in the States acknowledged having at least one tattoo (Kwong, 2012). In the recent decades, tattoo culture has drastically increased in popularity among the youth generation. It has shifted from deviant behavior to an art movement and a form of self-expression. Advertising industry acts as a main artery where tattoos culture flow from the alternative culture into the mainstream. The recent Candico cane sugar ad and Diesel denim ad illustrate the way in which tattoos are being appropriated to mainstream. The objective of the paper is to examine how both ads blur the social boundaries …show more content…
Since tattoos are permanent and carry a person throughout his/her whole life, it offers a stable sense of selfhood that against the instability of consumer culture. The ads draw on such meaning to build on the idea of authenticity. Moreover, the fact that both women in the ads are not conforming to the norm suggests that they are true to themselves and do not go with the stream. Their rebellious attitudes that reflect through their unique tattoos liberate them from the shackles of mass society. In the Candico cane sugar ad, the text explains “You can adore roughness, just as might not like it. However, liking roughness does not prevent you from appreciating its finesse.” The idea of liking the roughness of tattoos while appreciating its finesse builds on the authentic self of the woman in the ad. Her individuality is reflected through the meaning of the tattoos and her resistance to the norm. In the Diesel ad, the text says: “I am not what I appear to be.” It opposes to the conventional idea of Muslim women as being modest and subordinated, however, it affirms that Muslim women under Niqab could be diverse and interesting. Thus, two ads offer an authentic sense of self through the meaning of the tattoos and their resistance to social …show more content…
While the Candico cane sugar ad associates tattoo culture with class, the Diesel denim ad relates tattoo culture to religion. Two ads also use the rebellious nature in the tattoo culture to build on their brand value and express the idea of commodity feminism. With the help of advertising industry, the meaning of tattoo has altered drastically that it is often associated with youth culture and becomes a representation of individual selfhood. Although tattoo is cool and authentic, it still carries a negative association that some people feel stigmatized with their tattoos. The negative stigma causes them hard to find a job and being