Monday, 14 March 2011

Represntation: Femininity

Paul Messaris:
Visual persuasion - The role of images in advertising (1997)
"Treat the lens as a substitute for an eye of an ordinary male onlooker"

What does Messaris mean?
  • Implying that ads portray what men like and what women want to be like
  • How women want men to see them (desire)
  • Ads intend to make women watch through male POV
  • What men see as desirable, influences the female consumer
  • Male preferences condition the way we look at eachother and themselves
9 out of 10 women are unhappy with their image
The idealistic woman is demonstrated as normal through the media (particularly advertising)

Chanel and representations of gender
  • Representation of sexual nature - male audience would want their girlfriends to look like this
  • Classy sophisticated and pale skinned; have Chanel ever used a black poster girl? 
  • Not too made up (Not Jordan) - more naturalistic
  • Powerful image - dominant over men, yet men still get a kick out of it
  • Successful, money and wealth - desirable, target audience
  • Main themes: Elegent, Powerful, Feminine, Wealth
Celebrity endorsement and Star power - choice of Keira Knightley
  • Her film roles - strongly linked to atonement - elegence, wealth and sophistication
  • Appeal to men, but not so explicit that woman can't identify with her
  • Soft lighting creates an air of sexuality/lust
  • Costume suggest she's just had sex and also Britishness (Bowler hat and white shirt)
  • Eye line match - where Keira looks directly into the camera suggest she knows you watching, but she likes that.
  • Audience
    • Male - Keira is desirable - would buy product for a girlfriend - with intention that they will look/act like her
    • Female-  - Can identify with her and aspire to be like her 

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