While doing my usual internet browsing I
came across an advertisement that really struck me and left me speechless. The
advertisement above is made by a French advertising agency and is used to sell
PS VITA, a handheld gaming console by Sony. This ad is obviously targeted to
men because of the imagery as well as the product. Are women just a game/
object meant for men's enjoyment? This isn’t just a horrible representation of
women but it also excludes all the female gamers from their target audience.
What kind of message do you think this sends to people, both men and women?
There are so many things wrong with this ad, what are the ones that struck you
the hardest, the body image, body ideal, how women are to act/be treated? How
did you read the ad and its underlining meaning?
First of all, that waistline is unhealthy and unrealistic. It is so obvious that this image is super Photoshoped (aside from the extra body parts) and it's heartbreaking to think that adolescent girls think that the flawlessness of women in advertising is normal. If I were younger and saw this ad, I would think that in order to be deemed as "enjoyable", I would have to be open to men with my body. It also turns the women's breasts into just an object for pleasure for the men- the woman's pleasure is not acknowledged whatsoever. She even looks like a robot. As for its underling meaning? Easy access and more options = more fun. That goes for both the technology being advertised and the four-breasted woman. The woman is faceless - she is silenced with no lips, no brain, no eyes (the so called "windows to the soul). This definitely perpetuates the horrible idea that women are men's toys.
ReplyDeleteThis ad makes me uncomfortable mostly because of the obvious objectification of women. It implies that female bodies are there for the enjoyment of others and that men should take advantage of the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do with a PSVITA? You play with it. You carry it around and use it when you feel like using it. It's for recreational use and it's a thing to play with to pass the time.
I'm reading this ad as saying that women are play things and should be used for fun and on your time. It's dehumanizing and insulting.
I also find this ad highly offensive too. Society puts so much pressure on women's bodies and this ad exemplifies that. It tells us that women are toys and the most important thing about a woman is her boobs. These days women care too much about their boobs, but I'm not surprised. So many advertisements like this tell us that our boobs are weird or not good enough. Ads cause women to lose self esteem and then they begin to believe that they are only good enough if they have nice boobs.
ReplyDelete