Rhetorical and Visual Analysis of Advertisement with Objectification of Females - Essay Example

Rhetorical Analysis Introduction Although it is generally considered that the sole purpose of advertisements is the promotion of products or services; there are scenarios which force one to think that apart from this essential purpose, advertisements do carry an underlying message and purpose in addition to promotion of the products. It may be the case that such additional messages are not intentional; yet the fact that they exert powerful influence on viewers cannot be overlooked. One such example is the use of female models in advertisements for the purpose of promoting products. During the past few decades, the general trend has been to use female models in advertisements of all kinds to promote services or products (Hill 270). This notion has been followed by nearly all circles without regard to relevance of female models to the products or services being offered or sold. As a consequence, one may witness the presence of females in advertisements of cars or banks on regular basis; the need for which cannot be explained logically. The trend becomes more deleterious for the female sex, when their sexuality is exploited to attract the male viewers to convince them into buying a product or service. This practice literally turns the living female models into objects which are then perceived as equivalent to consumables or disposables, thereby creating problems for the females in real life (Ross & Byerly 51). Thesis Statement “Representation of females as objects of arts separates the selves from the bodies and in doing so force the viewers to perceive females as objects rather than beings”. Visual Analysis of the advertisements (Gandelman n.p.) This advertisement utilizes pathos as its central element to exploit emotions of its viewers to promote a product. Taking a look at the above advertisement, one can clearly get the idea that Burger King is selling its new bigger burger in the market now. The price is written on the lower side and the logo on top right aspect of the advertisement. Apparently, this is a simple way of promoting a product that is new in the market. However, the portrayal of a woman with an expression of astonishment on her face, her lips covered with a deep shade of lipstick and face buried under layers of makeup with her gaze fixed at the object that is present on the right side of the advertisement right in the front of her face raises questions regarding the hidden message that this advertisement delivers to the viewers. What is the object at which this model is staring? Is it merely a seven inch long, thick, dripping with white creamy mayonnaise burger in front of her face; that has made her astonished to the extent of protruding her eyes out of their sockets? The answer to all these questions is given in the line that underlines the pictorial representation; which says “IT’LL BLOW”. Interestingly, the font used for these words are the largest in the whole advertisement and the words used are extremely familiar to the adults of society. As opposed to the first impression that one gets, the advertisement is in fact made attractive for the ‘males’ of the society by using a female as on object that is astonished at the male power or dominance which is depicted in front of her face in the form of a “burger”. Sadly, this is another example of objectifying females and in the words of Sanders “Women need not make spectacles of themselves in order to draw the attention of men” (Sanders . The underlying message for females of the society is that they should react in ‘this particular way’ to appear attractive and acceptable in the society and especially to the males. (Wilsonkia n.p.) The second advertisement chosen is that of Kia Optima – Dream Machine. The ad makes use of ethos and portrays a product which has a credibility well accepted in the market. Additionally, the use famous models and music artists with known credibility again points towards the fact that ethos is used to promote the product. The second element that is used is pathos which explores the possibility of exploiting the emotional weaknesses of the viewers. The portrayal of a boxing player in the background is reflective of the power that this car possesses. The portrayal of a model as race flag girl with a flag in her hand that she is about to wave and wearing clothes which leave her body mostly uncovered and positioned right in front of the car, is done intentionally to attract the males viewers. As Sanders questions “By turning herself into (or allowing herself to be turned into) a work of art, does a women truly escape men’s proprietary stare?” (Sanders 390); one can clearly see that this object of art cannot possibly escape the stare of men. It therefore follows that this advertisement is yet another reflection of the usual phenomenon of objectification of women which is done to gain attention of the male class of viewers. Overall, the portrayal of a half-naked flag-waving model, with a boxing player in the back and a band of musicians on the left aspect of the advertisement, a dream-like situation is created that is both vivid and unreal. This is closely reflective of the “Dream Machine” logo, which delivers the underlying message that this product is the dream of all men alike. Comparison and contrast As far as the similarity between both advertisements is concerned, it is clear from the above discussion that both utilize one central object as a means of attracting the male class of the society. This object in both cases is a female. In Burger King’s ad, the female is modeled in the form of a doll with one major expression on her face i.e. amazement. Her makeup is done in a fashion that avoids delivery of her facial details – overall a look that is found on doll faces. The female model in Kia Optima’s ad also has a similar presentation. With mostly uncovered body and revealing body contours the advertisement portrays the model as an object of art. Sanders explanation of such portrayals of female models is strikingly similar when he asserts that “the women in glossy photographs would have become merely another category of objects for sale alongside the sports cars and stereo systems and liquors advertised on the same pages” (Sanders 387). It is therefore clear that both brands are using the female models as objects which have been separated from their selves and have become merely tools for the promotion of products. Interestingly, in Burger King’s ad the object which is being marketed is half-displayed in the advertisement; instead the focus is on its presentation in a way that allows the viewers use their own imagination to interpret the underlying message. In Kia Optima’s ad on the other hand, the product is displayed in a stylish fashion. The car is portrayed in the center of the ad with its wheel slightly turned to give an impression of being dynamic and active. The flag-girl’s presence indicated the ‘sports’ feel of the car that is generally appealing to the male viewers. Although both advertisements exploit sexuality as a tool of attraction, the way in which Burger King uses this tool is way more explicit and unethical as compared to Kia Optima’s advertisement. Also important to note is the fact that Burger King’s ad revolves around sexuality only, whereas Kia Optima’s ad also portrays other attractions such as other famous models, musical band and a boxing player. It is therefore logical to say that Burger King’s strategy of advertisement is more specific as far as the subject of ad is concerned, whereas Kia Optima’s approach is comparatively more general thereby depicting a mix of attractions to its viewers. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be concluded that objectification of females can have a variety of deleterious effects on the society as a whole. Although there is general tendency of using female models in the field of advertisement to promote the products or services, the understanding of the negative consequences that this practice can possibly have on viewers are rarely known by advertisers. Also important to note is the ignorance of viewers in this regard. Sanders has very openly discussed the negative aspects of exposing the female sex beyond a certain limit. His assertion is that it is not only the males who are inclined towards exploiting the females’ sexuality; in fact there are many females who are themselves inclined towards exposing their bodies to get the attention of the opposite sex. Sanders clearly rejects the idea of objectification of females and advises women to avoid portraying themselves as objects of sex which is a practice detrimental to them as a class. When today’s advertisements trends are analyzed in the light of Sanders’ ideas, it becomes clear that the present day advertisement is in fact creating problems for the females of the society by changing the way in which men perceive the existence of women around them . This can be seen by the growing tendency of men to exploit the females of the society in sexual terms.  Works Cited Gandelman, Joe. "Burger King’s New Ad: A New Low In Vulgar Ads Aimed At Young Customers (UPDATED)." The Moderate Voice. N.p., 24 June 2009. Web. 16 May 2014. Hill, Daniel D. Advertising to the American Woman: 1900 - 1999. Columbus: Ohio State Univ. Press, 2002. Print. Ross, Karen, and Carolyn M. Byerly, eds. Women and media: international perspectives. John Wiley & Sons, 2008. Sanders, Scott Russell. "Looking at Women." 1989. Internet Resource. Wilsonkia. "Wilson Kia: 2012 Kia Optima Dream Machine." Wilson Kia. N.p., 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 16 May 2014. Read More