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! Race and Gender Representations Through Advertisements

Nora Mumba

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Introduction!!

Advertisements!have!been!used!as!a!form!of!visual!communication!for!some!time.!However,!it!

has!not!been!until!the!last!three!or!four!decades!that!we!have!seen!the!mass!influx!of!

advertisements!that!we!do!today.!According!to!an!article!by!CBS!News,!an!average!city!dweller!

in!1970!would!have!been!subjected!to!roughly!500!advertisements!per!day.!By!2009,!that!

number!has!multiplied!tenfold!to!the!astronomical!figure!of!an!estimated!5,000!ads!per!day.!

This!surge!has!more!than!likely!been!cased!not!only!by!the!increases!in!technological!

innovations!that!we!are!now!privy!to,!but!to!the!overall!global!interconnectedness!that!such!

technologies!have!afforded!society.!As!this!globalization!allows!ideas,!shaped!over!time!through!

a!variety!of!events,!are!allowed!to!flow!from!one!region!to!the!next,!so!to!do!views!and!cultural!

beliefs!pass!through!the!barriers!of!time!and!space.!Modernity!has!seen!to!it!that!a!number!of!

previous!injustices!such!as!gender!and!racial!discrimination!have!come!to!pass;!however,!such!

ideas!bred!over!hundreds!of!years!and!instilled!into!the!very!fabric!of!society!cannot!be!

squandered!into!nonexistence!quite!so!easily.!

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Race!and!gender!ideals!are!still!expressed!through!photography.!In!order!to!advertise!products!

effectively,!companies!have!borrowed!this!technology!to!manipulate!social!ideals!into!nearly!

palpable!desires.!One!highly!visible!industry!involves!the!sale!of!cosmetics.!By!definition,!

cosmetics!involve!the!improvement!or!treatment!of!personal!appearance.!Several!products!

within!this!industry!include!skin!care!creams!and!lotions,!powders,!perfumes,!facial!make!up!

(i.e.:!lipstick,!foundation,!eye!shadow),!etcetera.!For!the!sake!of!this!paper,!we!shall!be!looking!

at!advertisements!involving!soaps,!skin!care!products,!and!fragrances.!While!fragrances!are!not!

typically!known!as!cosmetics,!they!do,!by!their!nature,!fall!into!this!category!as!their!basic!

function!is!to!alter!the!scent!of!its!wearer!in!hopes!of!creating!a!different,!more!desirous!image!

through!the!olfactory!sense.!

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As!technology!has!also!seen!to!an!expansion!channels!U!including!print,!digital,!radio,!television,!

and!direct!mailings!U!with!which!advertisements!may!be!relayed!to!various!targeted!groups,!it!is!

impossible!to!take!them!all!into!consideration!with!any!level!of!significance.!That!being!the!

case,!we!shall!use!only!one!channel's!worksU!namely!print!adsU!as!a!representation!of!the!

general!ideas!behind!cosmetics!advertisements.!!To!narrow!it!even!further!we!shall!be!looking!

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at!print!advertisements!located!within!magazines!as!they!tend!to!be!more!tailored!to!their!

desired!audiences!by!age,!race,!and!gender!than!general!newspaper!publications!

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There!are!two!main!questions!that!we!seek!to!address.!(1)!To!what!extent!do!adverts!from!

cosmetics!and!skin!care!products!continue!to!construct!identity!in!radicalized!ways!and!(2)!

What!ideas!of!gender!are!at!play!in!those!same!types!of!adverts?!As!mentioned!earlier,!the!

expansion!of!globalization!has!allowed!various!countries!to!trade!both!tangible!products!and!

intangible!ideas.!To!a!certain!extent,!certain!products!are!valued!in!such!a!way!that!they!are!

able!to!embody!certain!societal!concepts.!This!valuation!of!a!product!with!ideas!transforms!the!

good!into!something!somewhat!"magical",!carrying!with!them!the!ability!to!transform!human!

relations!whereby!the!social!relationships!among!people!are!expressed!through!the!possession!

of!the!object.!"Rather!than!people!relating!directly!to!each!other,!relations!are!mediated!by!

commodities,!not!just!relations!with!others!by!teen!the!understanding!of!the!self"!(Mirzoeff).!

These!relations!may!be!reflected!within!advertisements!themselves,!thereby!adding!to!their!

desirability.!The!longevity!of!imperialistic!ideologies!in!the!creation!of!racial!identity!including!

the!concept!of!the!white!gaze!is!also!something!that,!as!a!culture,!one!has!not!seemed!to!be!able!

to!relinquish!from!its!thoughts.!The!significance!of!the!male!gaze!shall!also!be!deliberated,!

especially!as!it!relates!to!the!depiction!of!females!and!other!gender!based!roles.!Finally,!the!

advent!of!technology!brings!along!with!it!the!idea!of!digital!modification.!We!shall!look!at!the!

ways!in!which!global!tools!of!communication!couples!with!digital!manipulation!has!surveyed!to!

perpetuate!current!ideals,!thereby!leading!to!the!greater!success!of!a!multitude!of!cosmetics!

based!corporations.!

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The!Cosmetics!Industry!and!Advertising!

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According!to!Ad!Age,!the!advertising!industry!within!the!US!did!not!begin!until!1704!when!an!

announcement!seeking!a!buyer!for!a!Long!Island!estate!was!published!in!the!Boston!News!

Letter.!From!then,!advertisement's!pretense!continued!to!transform!and!integrate!itself!into!

new!mediums!as!they!came!out!Uradio!then!television,!then!computers!and!other!digital!devices.!

The!advertising!industry!within!the!US!alone!spends!some!$144!billion!by!the!end!of!2011!

(marketing!charts).!The!cosmetics!industry,!which!has!proven!itself!to!be!rather!recession!proof!

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during!the!last!few!recessions!has!managed!to!grow!despite!economic!tribulations!(ad!week).!

As!it!is,!women!especially!tend!to!prim!themselves!even!more!during!hard!times!as!a!way!to!

make!themselves!feel!better!and!boost!self!despite!overall!hardships.!This!in!combinations!in!

combination!with!incessant!desires!to!be!seen!as!attractive!allows!the!industry!to!sell!its!

products!at!rather!extravagant!mark!ups.!For!example,!some!skin!care!products!that!cost!$2!to!

manufacture!retail!for!over!$300!in!well!known!beauty!stores!such!as!Sephora!(alter!net).!

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Cosmetics!typically!fall!into!any!of!the!following!three!categories:!(1)!remedies:!used!to!remove!

or!significantly!alter!a!mutable!attribute!thought!to!be!unsatisfactory;!(2)!camouflages:!meant!

to!conceal!or!downplay!innate!physical!characteristics;!or!(3)!enhancers:!made!to!draw!

attention!to!pleasing!characteristics!(Huckeba).!The!desire!to!be!physically!appealing!is!crosses!

gender!and!racial!lines!on!a!global!scale,!thus!the!ability!for!many!companies!to!transfer!their!

skills!and!their!products!to!international!markets.!What!is!interesting!is!how!these!products!are!

pitched!to!draw!the!necessary!demand!to!succeed!despite!these!cultural!forces.!

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Literature!Review!

Race%and%Advertisement%

Racism!as!an!ideology!was!invented!by!imperialistic!nations!(namely!those!of!the!WestUEurope)!

as!a!means!through!which!to!justify!their!forced!conquests!and!inhumane!treatment!of!other!

ethnicities!for!the!purposes!of!development!and!sustainability.!The!ultimate!goal!is!to!create!

some!sort!of!separation!between!whites!and!the!fallen!nations!(us!vs.!them).!According!to!

imperialists,!race!should!be!something!everyone!can!see!and!immediately!(Gross).!With!this!in!

mind,!science!was!used!as!"false!truth"!to!"prove"!that!whites!were!genetically!superior!to!all!

other!races!U!namely!black.!!Such!sciences!emphasized!various!physical!features!found!within!

the!black!population!as!genetic!imperfections!and!have!managed!to!maintain!themselves!as!

racial!stereotypes!to!this!day!(Gross).!!

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Problems!with!identification!arose,!however,!as!cross!breeding!between!white!owners!and!

black!slaves!lead!to!the!creation!of!biracial!children,!some!of!whom!were!as!fair!in!complexion!

as!to!appear!no!different!from!other!children!born!with!two!white!parents.!This!thus!created!

the!need!to!define!racial!identity!and!determine!who!could!and!could!not!be!considered!white.!

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By!doing!so,!this!also!determine!who!could!and!could!not!be!allowed!certain!"white!privileges!

(Gross).!The!idea!of!performing!white!manhood!revolves!around!civic!action!including!the!

ability!to!vote!in!elections!(for!which!one!must!be!a!citizen)!and!own!property.!As!it!is,!however,!

this!remained!a!circular!argument!as!"in!order!to!be!a!citizen,!one!must!be!white.!In!order!to!be!

white,!one!must!be!a!citizen"!(Gross).!Performing!white!womanhood!revolved!around!the!idea!

of!maintaining!physical!and!moral!purity.!Whether!a!woman!could!be!considered!white!was!

based!on!her!level!of!femininity,!frailty,!and!proven!virtuous!nature!(Gross).!Performing!black!

manhood!or!black!womanhood,!invariably!meant!behaving!in!a!manner!opposite!of!their!racial!

counterparts.!For!black!males,!this!involved!work!that!subjected!them!to!the!elements!or!other!

considerably!menial!tasks.!Black!women,!on!the!other!hand!were!depicted!as!seductive!beings!

with!fairy!nymphomaniac!tendencies.!Other!stereotypes!that!persist!today!to!some!extent!

include!the!idea!that!blacks!are!intellectually!deficit,!primary!and!unruly,!lazy,!violent,!and!

irresponsible!(Scholarworks)Those!of!black!decent!who!were!fair!skinned!enough!to!

successfully!integrate!into!white!society!were!afforded!a!number!of!privileges,!thereby!

presenting!the!roots!for!the!common!day!belief!that!fairness!of!complexion!is!inherently!better!

as!it!allows!one!to!gain!privileges!associated!with!the!favorable!judgment!passed!on!to!those!

within!the!white!community!(including!better!work!prospects).!Black!acceptance!can!only!be!

granted!through!white!culture!(Fanon).From!this,!it!is!easier!to!understand!where!FrenchU

Haitian!psychologist!Fanon!was!talking!about!with!his!idea!that!the!white!gaze!is!an!

"epidermanilzation"!of!blacks!which!implies!a!certain!knowledge!and!understanding!of!the!

other!based!on!looks!alone.!

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This!white!gaze!appears!to!work!within!advertising!as!well!as!"blacks!with!thick!lips,!broad!

noses,!dark!skin,!and!other!typically!African/Negroid!facial!featured!were!routinely!ridiculed!

and!their!image!excluded!from!advertising!pages"!,!thereby!creating!a!dominance!of!light!

skinned!blacks!with!"white!features"!(straight!hair,!slender,etc)!within!the!industry's!work!

(scholar!works).!Early!depictions!of!blacks,!both!male!and!female,!were!either!overly!

derogatory!featuring!exaggerated!physical!and!behavioral!characteristics!(large,!carnivores!

teeth,!large!ruby!red!lips,!prowling!eyes,!fearsome!aggression),!or!very!limiting!in!their!

placement!within!society!U!subservient!in!some!form!or!fashion!to!a!more!"successful"!!and!

therefore!privileged!white!man!or!woman!(scholar!works).!Today's!creatives!may!not!be!as!

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overtly!racist;!however!they!do!possess!some!of!the!underlying!stereotypes!mentioned!before.!

For!example,!black!figures!are!empirically!more!likely!to!be!placed!in!"laid!back"!positions!Unon!

work!relatedU!than!white!figures.!There!are!also!a!disproportionate!number!of!ads!that!

emphasize!black!athleticism!Uan!arguably!positive!characteristic,!but!a!stereotype!none!the!less!

U!as!opposed!to!being!granted!major!roles!(scholar!works).!

Gender%Identity%and%Advertising%

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If!advertising!is!to!be!considered!at!all!nonU!discriminatory,!it!would!be!because!by!the!nature!of!

the!entire!industry,!both!males!and!females!alike!are!subjected!to!the!same!or!at!least!similar!

pressures!in!order!to!motivate!increased!purchase!rates.!According!to!multiple!researchers!

including!Jen!Huckeba,!"attractive!people![or!rather!those!who!are!perceived!to!be!attractive]!

are!more!likely!to!be!viewed!as!kind,!sociable,!interesting,!outgoing,!and!strong![than!those!who!

are!not]".!Advertisements!serve!not!only!to!present!consumers!with!a!given!product,!but!to!

convince!them!that!they!must!purchase!the!item!in!order!to!be!considered!attractive!in!both!the!

literal!and!figurative!sense!of!the!word!(Huckeba).!In!order!to!do!so,!creatives!are!formulated!to!

capitalize!on!socially!accepted!consensus!of!idealized!perfection,!thereby!creating!a!positive!

association!between!the!ideal!and!the!commodity.!"Consumers!who!perceive!themselves!as!

inherently!unattractive![or!deficit!in!some!way]!will!rely!heavily!on!adornments!as!

compensatory!tools…that![they!believe]!are!an!integral!part!of!being!attractive"!(Huckeba).!

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The!ideal!female!image!has!evolved!over!time!from!the!steel!engraving!woman!of!the!early!20th!

century!characterized!by!her!small,!frail,!delicate!features!accompanied!by!strong!moral!values!

and!high!social!status,!to!today's!equally!unrealistic!ideal!of!a!tall,!white,!blond!woman!with!

blue!eyes,!flawless!skin,!and!a!seemingly!immortal!physical!youth!(Deana).!The!ideal!woman!

has!a!conglomerate!of!personalities!ranging!from!cuteness!to!mysterious,!but!she!is!always!

sensual!and!alluring!just!the!same.!It!is!clear!that!such!a!limited!description!of!the!ideal!woman!

leaves!a!great!many!people!out!of!the!loop,!most!notably,!women!of!color.!The!ideal!male!image!

is!no!more!within!the!reasonable!reach!of!the!average!male!as!that!of!the!ideal!woman.!

Masculinity!is!perceived!from!male!bodies'!by!and!large!from!its!presentation,!and!can!be!

manipulated!to!achieve!gender!identity!(Public.asu).!To!be!a!man!by!today's!standards!is!to!be!

physically!fit,!dominant,!successful,!professional,!and!to!play!the!role!of!the!seducer!(medialit).!

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Anything!short!of!this!ideal!is!seen!as!emasculating,!feminine,!and!weak.!The!social!effects!of!

such!discrepancies!between!the!ideal!and!reality!have!been!the!topic!if!many!research!papers!

and!documentaries.!In!addition!to!the!use!of!topical!cosmetics,!men!and!women!alike!have!gone!

to!extremes!to!reach!the!unreachable,!sometimes!sacrificing!their!own!health!and!wellbeing!for!

societal!acceptance.!

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At!the!core!of!both!ideals!is!the!emulation!of!youth!and!desirability.!What!would!be!interesting!

to!see!is!the!rate!of!effectiveness!of!these!was!it!not!for!technological!communication!and!

adaptation.!Globalization!of!the!image!of!beauty!affects!self!esteem.!Mass!media!as!a!social!

institution!and!support!system!for!those!seeking!membership!into!select!social!networks!look!

to!this!media!as!a!source!of!information!dictating!values,!rules!and!behavior.!Ironically!enough,!

the!ideal!projected!within!theses!advertisements!have!been!digitally!modified!more!often!than!

not.!Though!the!use!of!photo!altering!technology!such!as!Photoshop!is!common!knowledge,!

consumers!do!not!seem!deterred!by!the!apparent!falsity!of!information!they!receive.!Rather,!

such!techniques!have!served!to!enhance!the!value!of!these!items!to!the!level!of!fetishisms!

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Case!Examples!

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Race%Defining%Advertisements!

Pears!Soap!

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Created!in!1875!by!Thomas!J.!Barrat!as!part!of!an!on!going!effort!to!create!a!middle!class!

market!for!soap!products,!Pear's!company!created!this!racially!infused!print!advertisement.!

The!ad!depicts!black!and!white!child!congregating!in!a!Victorian!style!bathroom.!The!black!child!

sits!within!a!tin!tub!looking!markedly!confused!or!shocked!at!it!as!the!white!child!in!a!white!

apron!presents!his!companion!with!a!bar!of!Pears!soap.!The!second!slide!depicts!the!two!

children!at!the!conclusion!of!the!bathing!experience,!visibly!pleased!as!he!looks!at!his!body!

which!has!turned!white!from!the!neck!down.!

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During!the!time!of!this!ads!creation,!the!idea!of!cleanliness!had!garnered!an!otherworldly!

importance!within!society,!especially!within!the!upper!crust!of!elite.!That!being!the!case,!soap!

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and!become!the!commodity!fetish!of!the!time.!The!Victorian!bathroom!was!notably!seen!as!the!

epitome!of!domestic!hygiene.!From!the!way!the!ad!is!presented!in!conduction!with!soap's!

general!functionality,!one!can!assume!that!the!company!wishes!to!claim!that!this!particular!

brand!goes!beyond!simply!cleaning!oneself,!but!gives!on!the!ability!to!transform!entirely.!In!this!

case,!the!black!child,!seen!as!dirty,!was!cleaned!and!transformed!into!something!"better"!U!a!

white!child.!During!the!time!of!the!ad,!sun!darkened!"stained"!skin!was!a!symbol!of!manual!

labor!and!a!stigma!that!one!had!to!work!under!the!elements!to!survive!(McClintock).!It!also!

symbolized!"the!benighted!"Uthose!in!intellectual,!social,!or!moral!darknessU!"races!marked!by!

God's!disfavor"!(McClintock).!By!doing!so,!the!ad!reinforces!ideas!of!white!superiority,!a!

privilege!that!can!only!be!granted!by!other!whites!due!to!their!level!of!modernity!and!

technological!progress!over!the!"other".!!The!fact!that!the!child's!face!remained!black,!however,!

may!symbolize!that,!regardless!of!the!efforts!whites!may!choose!to!spend!teaching!their!rather!

"unfortunate"!counterparts,!their!genetic!inferiority!is!not!something!that!can!be!washed!away.!

This!lack!of!complete!purity!again!marks!the!supposed!superiority!of!whites!over!blacks.!

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Figure!1:!

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Dove!

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This!particular!advertisement!by!Dove,!owned!by!the!multinational!company!Unilever,!ran!in!

May!of!2011!for!its!Visible!Care!Body!Wash.!The!image!depicts!three!women!standing!from!left!

to!right,!black,!latina,!and!white!respectively!in!front!of!two!magnified!images!of!skin!meant!to!

represent!the!healing!effect!the!soap!has!on!dry!skin.!The!black!woman!characterized!by!a!

voluptuous!figure!and!thick!curly!hair!normally!associated!with!blacks!is!situated!in!front!of!the!

before!picture!white!the!white!woman!characterized!by!a!slim!figure!with!blond!hair!stands!in!

front!of!the!after!picture.!The!text!claims!that!use!of!the!body!wash!could!improve!the!look!of!

one's!skin!within!the!first!week!of!use.!Between!this!text!and!the!position!of!the!females!from!

left!to!right,!consumers!interpreted!the!ad!to!imply!that!the!body!wash!has!the!ability!to!lighten!

skin!gradually!with!use!as!well,!thereby!"improving!it".!Again!we!see!the!theory!that!lighter!is!

somehow!more!beautiful!than!darker!skin!complexions.!It!is!also!interesting!to!note!the!females!

themselves.!The!white!woman!has!a!few!of!the!characteristics!previously!described!as!

necessary!to!reach!the!ideal!U!white,!slim,!blond,!straight!hair;!whereas!the!black!woman!is!her!

opposite!U!black,!thick,!textured!hair.!Whether!intentional!or!not,!the!idea!of!skin!whitening!to!

achieve!better!social!status!has!managed!to!carry!itself!through!to!the!21st.!

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Figure!2:!

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Nivea!

Nivea,!an!affiliate!of!the!multinational!company!Berersford!AG!came!up!with!the!"Look!like!you!

Give!a!Damn"!campaign!in!mid!2011.!The!image!under!controversy!is!that!of!the!black!man!

poised!to!throw!a!doll!head!away.!The!model!with!the!ad!is!dressed!in!a!long!sleeved!V!neck!

sweater!atop!a!long!sleeve!collared!shirt!and!a!pair!of!mid!washes!blue!jeans.!He!holds!in!his!

hand!a!doll!head!with!a!full!afro,!mustache!and!beard,!in!contrast!with!his!own!low!haircut!and!

clean!cut!face!with!a!trimmed!beard.!The!caption!reads!"ReUCivilize!Yourself".!The!product!is!a!

face!and!body!shaves!by!the!company.!

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Based!on!Gross'!understanding!of!the!development!of!black!physical!stereotypes,!it!is!fairly!

easy!to!see!why!this!particular!combination!would!stir!some!controversy.!At!least,!it's!easy!to!

see!in!retrospect!of!the!event.!To!begin,!much!sensitivity!abounds!around!the!idea!of!black!hair!

in!its!naturally!textured!state!as!beautiful!in!its!own!right!and!therefore!socially!attractive!and!

acceptable.!The!general!idea!that!presides!is!that!straight!hair!looks!better!kept!and!

professional!whereas!natural!black!tresses!are!considered!wild,!primitive,!and!unmanageable.!

The!phrase!"reUcivilize!yourself"!implies!that!the!man!would!be!considered!just!as!primitive!

were!he!not!to!conform!to!the!idealized!image!of!what!a!clean!shaven,!modern!man!should!be!

under!the!"white!gaze".!Compared!to!the!ad!from!the!same!campaign!depicting!a!white!male!in!

a!suit!holding!a!similar!doll!with!a!long!beard!in!contrast!to!his!own!well!trimmed!follicles,!we!

can!see!a!difference!in!the!roles!that!the!two!men!play!within!society.!Namely,!as!previously!

stereotyped,!the!white!man!is!in!professional!attire,!ready!to!tackle!the!world!professionally!

while!his!black!counterpart!is!dressed!more!casually!in!a!markedly!"!laid!back"!scene!that!

implies!his!athletic!ability.!The!difference!between!the!men's!physics!could!also!reinforce!the!

idea!that!blacks!are!thought!to!be!genetically!better!at!athletic!abilities!than!whites.!It!is!argued!

that,!had!their!roles!been!reversed,!the!scandal!would!not!have!occurred!as!whites!are!not!

historically!associated!with!such!negative!stereotypes!that!serve!to!define!their!identities.!

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Figure!3!and!4:!

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Gender%Defining%Advertisements%

Gucci!Guilty!

The!two!ads!below!market!the!Gucci!Guilty!fragrance!for!both!men!(in!the!black!container),!and!

women!(in!the!gold!container).!The!models!within!both!ads!feature!the!same!people.!The!male!

is!actor!Chris!Evans!while!the!female!is!actress!and!singer!Eva!Rachel!Wood.!Eva,!already!in!the!

limelight!as!a!celebrity!beauty,!has!the!trimmings!of!a!"perfect!female"!U!white,!straight!blond!

hair,!blue!eyes,!and!slim!yet!toned!physique.!Both!images!depict!her!as!visually!seductive!and!

enchanting.!Chris!on!the!other!hand!is!characterized!by!strong!physique!noted!by!a!wide,!toned!

chest!and!equally!toned!biceps.!His!dark!hair!and!light!eyes,!and!trimmed!hair!make!him!

visually!appealing.!Though!their!position!varies!between!the!cologne!and!the!perfume!ad!

creatives,!it!is!clear!that!he!is!the!dominant!seducer.!According!to!the!photographer,!Chris'!

image!is!both!hypnotic!and!powerful.!Eva!in!both!instances!is!seductive,!feminine,!and!

submissive!in!comparison!to!Chris.!The!two!together!are!visually!striking,!as!is!the!message!that!

one!may!receive!from!looking!at!these!creatives.!The!cologne!ad!places!Chris!in!a!more!

dominant!position,!however,!both!place!Eva!under!what!could!be!described!as!the!"male!gaze".!

They!have!created!a!scene!in!which!both!play!their!appropriate!gender!specific!roles.!Those!

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who!wish!to!attract!a!girl!like!Eva!or!a!guy!like!Chris!are!enticed!to!purchase!the!fragrances!for!

themselves.!

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Figures!5!and!6:!

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!

Old!Spice!

A!rather!comical!campaign!by!ad!company!Weiden!and!Kennedy!for!Old!spice!swagger's!body!

wash,!deodorant,!and!spray.!The!campaign!features!a!number!of!prominent!men!who!claim!to!

have!gone!through!a!transformation!thanks!to!the!Swagger!line!of!products.!The!particular!

creative!features!Brian!Urlacher,!an!American!football!linebacker!for!the!Chicago!Bears!for!the!

National!Football!League!in!a!before!and!after!picture.!The!image!before!is!that!of!a!pubescent!

boy!with!a!pencil!mustache,!large!rimmed!glasses!and!wavy!blond!hair!eating!a!chain!mail!

hooded!with!a!sleeveless!shirt!smiling!somewhat!awkwardly!at!he!camera!as!though!posing!of!

high!school!yearbook!pictures.!The!after!image!is!of!a!sternUfaced!Urlacher!as!he!is!now,!clean!

shaven,!muscular!under!the!gray!suit!jacket!and!blue!collared!shirt.!The!caption!says!"old!spice!

swagger!transformed!me!from!this!sad!little!nerd!person!into!the!colossal!man!mountain!of!

awesome!you!seen!now.!Thanks!Old!Spice",!thereby!attributing!the!transformation!to!the!

products!themselves.!

!

The!caption!by!itself!is!rather!interesting!in!that!it!touches!upon!several!gender!based!queues!

that!define!manhood.!The!general!idea!is!that!being!small/slim!as!a!male!is!emasculating!and!

pitiable.!While!clearly!none!of!the!products!have!the!functional!capabilities!of!physically!

altering!anyone!into!this!ideal!specimen!of!manhood,!the!ad!does!imply!that!simply!smelling!

good!is!enough!to!transform!one's!character!into!what!it!"should!be”.!

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Figure!7:!

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Olay!

Different!companies!have!their!own!ways!of!projecting!the!effectiveness!or!their!age!defying!

products!which!by!themselves!are!rather!contradictory.!For!example,!Yves!Saint!Laurent's!

serum!features!a!young!woman!as!the!face!of!a!product!aimed!at!older,!affluent!women.!Olay's!

ad!is!visually!less!of!a!conundrum.!The!spokesperson!in!this!creative!is!internationally!

acclaimed!model!Twiggy.!Famed!for!her!"emancipated"!frame!which!rocketed!her!as!one!of!the!

world's!beauties!in!the!1940s,!this!now!60!year!old!woman!looks!splendid!for!her!age.!Very!few!

wrinkles!line!her!fair!complexion!as!she!flashes!a!straight!white!smile,!her!equally!straight!

blond!hair!billowing!behind!her.!The!caption!reads!"because!younger!looking!eyes!never!go!out!

of!fashion"!and!includes!a!testament!from!the!model!claiming!the!product!as!her!personal!

secret!for!"drop!dead!gorgeous!eyes"!

!

Again!we!see!another!visual!representation!of!the!idealized!woman.!However,!what!is!most!

interesting!about!this!particular!ad,!and!the!cause!of!the!scandal!around!it,!is!the!idea!that!it!is!

clearly!manipulated!post!shoot.!Placed!side!by!side,!the!image!of!Twiggy!within!the!ad!and!her!

actual!image!that!same!year!show!a!strikingly!deceptive!difference!in!the!former!model's!

appearance,!one!that!could!doubtable!is!altered!that!much!by!topical!cosmetics!alone.!The!

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emphasis!on!freezing!youth!is!evidently!more!important!than!maintaining!the!veracity!of!the!

product's!true!capabilities.!None!the!less,!with!such!supposed!transformation,!the!ad!does!well!

to!create!the!dream!of!younger,!brighter!looking!eyes!that!defy!the!aging!process!and!in!order!

to!make!oneself!that!much!more!attractive.!

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Figures!8!and!9:!

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Conclusion!

While!the!previously!described!ads!within!the!cosmetic!and!skin!care!sector!are!but!a!handful!

of!creatives!available!for!discussion,!I!believe!that!they!served!their!purpose!in!exposing!racial!

and!gender!biases!that!have!held!on!rather!steadfastly!to!society's!ideologies.!It!seems,!however!

that!while!gender!based!ideals!of!strong,!impregnable!men!and!slim!seductive!women!are!

openly!used!to!entice!consumers!to!make!frequent!purchases!by!transforming!their!wants!into!

supposed!needs,!ads!with!decidedly!racial!innuendos!seem!to!be!accidental,!or!rather,!more!

negligent!of!historical!issues!and!their!effect!on!current!culture.!None!the!less,!that!does!not!

excuse!their!faux!pas!in!the!eyes!of!the!general!public.!Rather,!it!is!evident!that!while!

technology!and!global!communication!has!facilitated!the!impregnation!of!industry!ideals!in!the!

eyes!of!consumers!through!invented!imagery,!the!same!technology!works!as!a!double!edged!

sword!that!could!quickly!cause!more!harm!to!the!brand!that!previously!expected.!According!to!

the!work!done!by!previous!researchers!and!my!own!deliberations,!it!seems!as!though!

advertisers!have!made!some!progress!in!decreasing!the!racial!gap!within!the!modeling!agency!

(depicted!by!the!increased!number!of!colored!women!in!ads),!there!is!still!a!grave!imbalance.!

The!general!societal!consensus!remains!that!white!is!inherently!better.!That!being!the!case,!

under!the!assumption!that!ads!are!made!to!reflect!societal!beliefs!and!augment!them!for!

personal!use,!it!can!be!concluded!that!they!will!continue!to!create!ads!that!imply!some!of!the!

radicalized!identity!markers!created!by!colonial!imperialism.!My!research!is!limited,!however,!

in!determining!the!veracity!of!the!idea!that!ads!stem!from!these!cultural!norms!that!define!

racial!identity!and!gender!norms,!or!if!the!ads!makers!themselves,!often!called!the!gamekeepers!

of!culture,!are!in!fact!the!ones!pulling!the!proverbial!strings.!

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