Alternate Representations of Women in the Media

Tanning salon advertisement:

As Douglass expressed in her essay, too much emphasis is placed on beauty rather than on health. Women are portrayed as having to use certain products, or in this case, paying for a bronze glow, to be attractive. The girl in this advertisement is blonde, attractive, and smiling. However, no where in this advertisement does it show the effects of UV rays on the skin. What if Hollywood Tans had showed a wrinkled older woman with sun spots and skin cancer? The public would certainly have gotten the bare truth of the matter. However, the tanning salon would have lost customers and ultimately would have lost revenue. “The key to high profits was to emphasize beauty over health…” (Douglass 127). The media has made appearance and overall physical attractiveness marketable. Therefore, this advertisement will gain attention because other women may think that if they go tanning or use a tanning oil to enhance their skin color, they will be happy and attractive. (franchiseworks.com)

Victoria’s Secret advertisement:

When Victoria’s Secret came out, women were presented as having flawless figures, including long legs, tight abs, and most importantly big breasts. However, this is not how most women are built. According to Douglass, “A 1993 survey reported that while 6 percent of women wished their breast were either bigger or smaller [in order to live up to the model standard], a whopping 72 percent wished they had ‘better thighs’ ” (Douglass 130). These model representations of the ideal woman, because not many fit into the dimensions, adds to the level of insecurity of women. Ultimately, women may resort to treatments in order to equate to ideal body type presented in the media. Also, Victoria’s Secret presents women as goddess angels. Therefore, if a woman looks like these models, they are more femine and powerful. (tvinfo.se)

Smoking advertisement:

This “Camel” cigarettes advertisement is very hypocritical. Thw woman on the ad says “I would walk a mile for a Camel”. Ironically, smoking attributes to health problems, cancers, and other effects. The advertisement shows that the woman is in relatively good shape. “There have been a few clumsy starts in the 1970s, like the Virginia Slims “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby” campaign, which equated liberation with the freedom to give yourself lung cancer” (Doulass 117). Both of these cigarette ads show how women and the overall public are misinformed of the actuality of certain products. However, due to the actuality of products, many products or businesses would lose profit because our society has made these things acceptable. (pbase.com)

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