Submitted
by an EPF Volunteer
When it comes to
cultural and societal values, media and marketing have strong influence. We’ve all come across advertisements, whether
on television, on the Internet, in magazines, or on billboards that covey
powerful messages in few words. After
paging through an issue of Elle magazine, I came across one startling ad for a
clothing line that omitted words and relied solely on a model’s presence in the
clothes. While it appeared that the ad wanted to convey to an audience between
18-24 years of age a sense of self-assurance and confidence (supported by the
body language used by the model), I saw everything but that. The ad was not striking because of the
clothing or because of some pronounced sense of strength, but because the model
looked sickly skinny, with a paleness that seemed to wash her into the
background of the ad. There was no healthy glow to her skin; her hair was dull
and disheveled. There was no smile sweeping
across her face and her eyes were dull and empty, suggesting that she was tired
and weak. The clothing she wore might
have been appealing if she appeared healthier, full of energy, but in this ad,
they contributed to a sense of lifelessness. To a person with greater self-esteem,
this ad would not sell. It is possible,
though uncertain, that for a person with lower self-esteem, this model and what
she wore might convey some message of confidence or desirability.
I think the thinness of
the model remains a cultural ideal; however, our culture also values happiness
and vitality. The latter are not represented in this advertisement. This
particular ad is contradictory as it shows a very thin model wearing name brand
clothing (mirroring some of our cultural values) who also appears sickly and
almost lifeless (counter our cultural values), sending a mixed message. I do
believe that this ad is socially irresponsible because it not only gives
acceptance to such thinness, it almost glamorizes it as it is modeled in the ad
of a fashion magazine. Because of this ad, I think advertisements in media that
include sickly thin models should be excluded altogether. We live in a society that judges us by our
body size, promoting thinness even at the cost of our health and vitality. I find it ironic that ads, whose purpose is
to seduce their audience into buying products, often feature severely thin
models without any kind of facial expression or evidence of a vibrant spirit or
life within them. How do these ads still sell? What’s so appealing? How are
these still featured in the media? Maybe as a whole, we’ve lost sight of what’s
most important: our well being. If we, as
a whole, invested as much time and effort into nurturing our mental, physical,
and spiritual health as we invest in constant self-evaluation against
unattainable, unreasonable, and unhealthy standards, would these ads still
serve a purpose? Would they still exist?
In response to media scrutiny over her apparent weight
gain, Lady Gaga revealed her own struggle and launched a body revolution. She
began her initiative by posting four unedited photos of herself wearing only a
bra and underwear with captions reading “anorexia and bulimia since age 15”. Her
goal of the body revolution is to breed compassion and inspire bravery. She
also encouraged her fans to embrace their own perceived flaws and post
pictures/videos to her website, Little
Monsters.