Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Perfect People


The ad I chose is quite scandalous. It is a picture of a woman about to kiss a man because of his sexy clothes. This ad appeared in a Legal magazine that is designed to target people who are in the field of law. Not only does this ad insult the intelligence of men by saying we are only interested in buying clothes so we can “get some,” it also demoralizes the entire population of women by saying they are only interested in looks.

In the dead center of the ad it says, “ A custom-tailored suit is a natural aphrodisiac.” I find this line very lame. It’s not even clever. They could have just written buy a suit and you’ll get laid, at least that would have been funny. Anyone with intelligence would probably just flip the page. However, these advertisers know quite well that many people are without intelligence and so they tell them false information. They try to convince men that women are only interested in objects and looks. They show a man getting a kiss not because he has a relationship with this woman but because of his clothing. They plant the seed in the man’s head that just being himself is not enough. He needs to have something every other man doesn’t. And that’s something money can buy. Without it you are no better than anyone else. They also portray that getting sexy women is a normality, if you don’t do this than there is something wrong with you. Of course a lot of men do want pretty women; having a suit is not the way to get them. It takes time and effort to build a relationship. The desire that is created is the wanting of women and they say that buying their clothes will fulfill this desire.

Although this ad targets men it also insults women by playing them off as objects. The women could have been dressed in a work suit similar to the mans but of course she’s not. She is wearing nothing but a jacket that is suppose to be the mans. This shows women that in order to get a man she must be beautiful and naked. She doesn’t have to have a personality or charm she just needs to look good without clothes. If I were a woman I would be deeply offended and wonder why this model sold her dignity just for some cash.

My secondary example actually made me laugh when I came across it. This ad is for Calvin Klein jeans and in the left center it says, “Calvin Klein Double Black.” It is a picture of a woman putting her face in a man’s butt while taking off his pants. Again the desire here is women. They show a man getting with a woman because of something materialistic he has. Again this portrays that men only want sex and women only want materials. This ad really insults everyone’s intelligence. Why is this woman putting her face in the mans butt. Would a woman really do that just for pants? I think the people at Calvin Klein are not giving the human race enough credit.

Both these ads play off the idea that both men and women are interested in looks and materials. This issue is generally the way it is for most ads. Men can get women by buying things and women are just pleasure objects. I think advertisers really should consider a new approach. Many people ignores these ads and seem them for what they really are. But what about children? Although these ads are not indented for young viewers it doesn’t mean young children don’t seem them. And when they see them I hope there is someone to explain to them what is really happening here. If children grow up thinking that women are objects and men just want sex, the world could be a pretty bad place.

Matthew Axberg

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