Empowerment In Advertising

Superior Essays
We are all subjected to advertisements daily in the form of radio, print and video. We see them on the internet, in social media, on YouTube , on television and in newspapers. Advertisements are there to sell a product or an idea. Most advertisements use sex and objectify women to sell their product. Brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Axe will use anything from nudity to sexual innuendos in their ads. Axe, a well known men’s body spray, has shown images of women tackling, chasing and even licking men. Ads like these are becoming more prominent than ever before. However, in the past ten years we have seen a rise of female “empowerment” commercials such as the Dove Real Beauty Sketches and, most recently, the Always #likeagilr campaign. …show more content…
These ads usually push the importance of physical attractiveness at the audience. Ads are usually loaded with very attractive women in provocative positions with little to no clothing. Most of the women in these ads are extremely thin with flawless skin and a perfect hair. Women can sometimes be their own worst enemy. A lot of women compare themselves to other women and sometimes they have unrealistic expectation of what really beauty is. Most if not all print ads are photo shopped to make the women in them appear thinner and give them flawless skin. These ads usually push the importance of physical attractiveness at the audience. The Dove Real Beauty Sketches video does the opposite. The purpose of this ad is female empowerment. They are not trying to sell a product. They are selling the idea that all women are beautiful. To me it says that we all see ourselves differently than the way others see us and that the way we see ourselves can impact the way we live our lives. The ad itself is very personable. You can see that in the copy that they used “You are more beautiful than you think”. The use of the word “You” has a lot of impact, it’s direct and personal. Dove is saying I am more beautiful than I think. They are speaking to every woman, of every color, of every …show more content…
Like the Dove Real Beauty Sketches ad the Always ad is selling an idea not a product. They are both dealing with a real issues that a lot of women and young girls face every day. They are both dealing with confidence and self-esteem. The fact that the products from these companies are not highlighted in these ads are a refreshing approach. It gets the names of the companies out there without pushing the product itself on us. They can do this because both brands are well known to women. These ads show that you do not need sex to sell a product. Encouragement and empowerment can sometimes be

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