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The Media's Portrayal of Women in Advertisements.
Advertisements play a significant role in how individuals relate concerning accepted behavior in their society and the other cultures around the world. They influence the preference of potential consumers, luring them to purchase certain products. Ads may be in form a video or an image with a message telling consumers more about a product. The message and images in ads change consumer's attitudes and interests in a product. Advertising promotes new products, updates consumers on alterations to current goods as well as encouraging consumer purchasing habits, among other influential roles. Although advertising makes life simpler and more pleasant to many consumers, it also has some negative social impacts, mainly when it is biased towards one social order in the community. In their attempt to persuade future customers, advertisers occasionally distort our cultural convictions, morals, and values. For example, in the Valentino Vogue Vanity Campaign Advert, women are victims of these convictions, with exploitation and sexism being prevalent in the advert.
The Valentino Vogue Vanity Campaign Advert portrays women in an unhealthy and unrealistic manner. The advert is in form of an image advertising a Valentino’s red dress. The adverts targets women adults from the ages eighteen to sixty five. The advert also affects teenage women and young adolescent women between the ages of twelve to eighteen. Valentino unveiled its Vogue Vanity campaign in 2012, gaining coverage, which also brought up negative publicity (Valentino, 2012). Although the commercial intends to advertise a stunning red dress, it instead directs our attention to the subjugation of women and violence against violence. A male the target audience views as an act of abuse against women. The clear implication behind this ad is that of masculine superiority having the upper hand over the female gender. While Valentino is seeking to sell high-end clothes in this commercial, one would be inclined to think that the intention behind the image is that attractive women consent to oppression to attain a luxurious lifestyle and that men believe that women gladly consent to being dominated. The ad advocates that for women to achieve a high-end lifestyle, they must agree to be dominated by men. It is not only dangerous to their physical health in case of abuse, but degrades the mental and psychological well-being of women (Crittenden, 2016).
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The Advert’s Effect to Women’s Mental Health.
The ad supports a culture that advances viciousness and maltreatment towards women. The compliant and docile portrayal depicted by the woman in this commercial is troubling. How the woman submits to the officer pinning her down without resistance is an action resulting in the society trying to normalize violence towards women. "Turning a human being into a thing is almost always the first step toward justifying violence against that person." (Crittenden, 2016) By representing women as inferior, passive, and instinctive to male superiority, the ad is increasingly encouraging this kind of behavior and fostering a culture that makes it justifiable. To women who may be in abusive relationships, such ads will portray that what they are going through is a societal norm, while that is not the case. Young girls seeing such from a much-respected brand may never stand up to men even in an abusive situation, thinking men have the right to do so. The advertisement offends women's dignity in the context that it portrays them in a derogatory, and discriminative way as it perpetuates the notion that women are sex objects whose function is to fulfill men’s uncontrollable desire for superiority.
The primary concern with this Valentino advert is the negative impact it has not only on women's self-esteem but also on how they will expect men to treat them. The ad gives the wrong impression to women on how they should behave and the wrong idea to men on how they should treat women. Men see these adverts and are inclined to believe it is natural, if not expected, to treat women with such disregard (Crittenden, 2016). A more significant and more troubling concern is that Valentino was undoubtedly fully conscious that this ad resonates strongly with anger from women. Anger evokes a negative emotion yet Valentino releases the commercial because it will result in further adverts and discussions about Valentino’s brand. Another troubling concern is that Valentino is not the only fashion brand degrading women in the pursuit of profits.
Presenting the Ad in a Different Format to achieve Valentino’s Goals.
An advertising campaign must connect with the customers by providing a sincere, inspiring, and authentic message to achieve effectiveness. (Tumpich, 2017). I believe that if Valentino attracts strong, and independent women as its target consumers, they will obtain equivalent, if not increased awareness of their brand. The commercial would be better by highlighting the woman as strong, successful, and confident, ensuring that both the man and the woman are valuable in equal measure. Instead of having a man pinning a woman down to the board, placing them side by side would be more effective. In an era where women aspire for equitability, Valentino should position itself as an advocate of a more significant function that women play in society. Not only will that draw a more progressive and attractive brand, but it will also encourage the community as a whole to overcome the perception of gender bias. It would also go a long way in uplifting the psychological well-being of women.
A Letter to the Valentino Company.
Student's Name,
Institutional Affiliation,
Student Address,
Student Email,
19th August 2020.
Valentino Fashion Group,
Valentino S.p.A.,
Via Turati 16/18 Milano,
20121 Italy.
Dear Sir/Madam
As a loyal customer to the Valentino brand, I present our concern regarding the ad used in your Vogue Vanity Campaign. What attracted us to the advert was the issue of women's depiction in the fashion industry, as we observe that misogyny exists in how you advertise your brands in high fashion. The primary concern is the issue of male dominance. The advert reveals that there is no problem with treating women as objects in a predominantly male culture which makes it acceptable for men to dominate and exploit women. Looking at the original image, we notice that the police officer is placing his shield between her thighs, asserting that it is okay for men to sexually dominate and exploit women when they are in positions of authority. The ad entitles men to a right that even in business, they can create such kinds of advertisements that promoting male superiority and oppression against women, which should not be the case.
I worry that being a large corporation, Valentino is ignoring the potential implications of creating advertisements with a shock factor in mind. Although any publicity is excellent advertising, such negative publicity is inaccurate in this scenario. Such forms of advertising affect not just vulnerable women but also to the Valentino brand because it reveals your beliefs, which may be unacceptable and awful, like in this case. I strongly believe that if Valentino made an effort to portray women as vibrant, successful, and independent, it would not only attract favorable attention but also give these women a powerful message to uplift their well-being. The perception of culture on the real nature of feminine modesty must be portrayed in an appropriate manner. It is our responsibility to promote a healthier societal environment in which the Valentino operates.
Respectfully yours,
Student signature,
Student name.
References
Crittenden, J. (2016). Not just a Barbie girl: Miss Representation and objectification in the media. Screen Education , (81), 72.
Tumpich, J. L. (2017). Advertisements and Social Appeal: Reshaping of the Twentieth Century American Woman.
Valentino, "Vogue Vanity," Media and Cultural Analysis , accessed August 17, 2020, http://counterarchive.hosting.nyu.edu/items/show/1056 .
