English 1201 – HC DATE \@ "d MMMM yyyy" 27 October 2014
Mainstream Media’s Effect on Beauty
It is common in today’s society to change many aspects of one’s life because of ads and things seen in the media. The Maybelline cosmetics ad was displayed in a copy of US weekly. I will be using Susan Bordo’s “The Empire of Images in a World of Bodies” to evaluate the ad. Cosmetic ads like this are frequently found in mainstream media. It had become common today for average people to compare themselves to images portrayed in the media because they are so readily available. I will prove the strength and effectiveness of these ads by exploiting tricks like creative wording and deceiving images they use and why they work on everyday people.
First thing apparent in the Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder Ad is a beautiful woman, likely a supermodel. She seems to be going or a minimalistic look, sporting an even complexion with some dark makeup around her eyes. The skin has the appearance of being airbrushed or enhanced although she is going for a natural look. The company wants their audience to have evidence flawlessness. Next to the model in basic font are the words ‘Smooth it on and see the wonder’ along with the full name of the products. The wonder is supposed to be the ability for the product to make it look as if one’s skin is naturally that flawless. This only helps to show how important it is to look naturally perfect.
Personal image and how we see ourselves are international concepts that affect people in many different surroundings. Susan Bordo’s article “The Empire of Images in a World of Bodies” explains the growing importance in our society of beauty and keeping up with the impossible standard of beauty. Bordo uses many examples of how the media changes our private perception of ourselves. The first example used in the article is of the reported cases of eating disorders in Fiji after American and British programming began being broadcasted