Advertisements

Taking into consideration this interview conducted by the researcher, which found out that adverts put great pressure on young woman to look a certain way, the group wanted to use adverts in the magazine which showcase real, average-built models. This project aims to help combat the lack of diversity sold by the current media and imposed on young females. Therefore, several advertorial campaigns have been carefully chosen to be part of Miss Portrayed and to fit within its manifesto.

According to the “mirror” and the “mould” opposing arguments (Holbrook 1987; Pollay, 1986, 1987), advertising could either reflect values that already prevail in society, either that it moulds and impacts on the values of its target audience. Women in ads have been classified as exotic, trendy, classic, girl-next-door, sex kitten, or cute and they are rarely unattractive (Englis, Solomon & Ashmore 1994). In a study of the unintended consequences of advertising, Martin and Gentry (1997) found that adolescent and pre-adolescent girls compare their physical attractiveness with that of models in ads. They found that these comparisons sometimes led to a negative effect on self-esteem and self-perception.

Cortese (1999) and Lazar (2006) concluded that advertising clearly promotes sexism and distorted body image ideals as valid and acceptable. Therefore, the group decided to focus on advertising as part of the project as a way of diminishing self-esteem and so, they commenced further with their own methods in pursuance of realising this research-based project.

This project aims to help combat the lack of diversity sold by the current media and imposed on young females. This advanced project intends to value the personality and intelligence of women, rather than their appearance. It also wants to make a statement that women do not ought to look a certain way to be happy individuals. Therefore, several advertorial campaigns have been carefully chosen to be part of Miss Portrayed and to fit within its manifesto.

• Dove‘s ‘Real Beauty’ campaign vows to always feature real women, never models, saying that models reflect a narrow view of beauty. They portray women as they are in real life, never presenting the unachievable, manipulated, flawless images of “perfect” beauty which the use of retouching tools can promote. Dove has also pledged to help girls build body confidence and self-esteem, wanting for the next generation to grow up enjoying a positive relationship with the way they look – helping young people raise their self-esteem and realise their full potential.This campaign also aids in educating 20 million more young people around the world on body confidence and self-esteem by 2020.

 

 

Advert used in Miss Portrayed

• Aerie is another brand that resonated with Miss Portrayed’s project statement. The ‘Share Your Spark’ campaign was launched by the intimates and loungewear brand Aerie to empower women and expand its #AerieREAL message. The campaign encourages women to share their sparks—their positive thoughts and words of advice—on social media to inspire others. The launch also celebrated more than two years of #AerieREAL, a commitment to 100% unretouched models that has grown into a movement about body positivity and self-love. “The campaign celebrates real beauty, inside and out. It’s a message that resonates with our girls,” states Aerie Global Brand President, Jennifer Foyle (2016).
  

  The Aerie ‘Share your Spark’ campaign chosen for the magazine

• As a plus-size clothing brand, Lane Bryant launched their ‘#Plus is Equal‘ campaign in 2015, in an attempt to celebrate all women equally. They bring to light that issue of women not being properly represented in the media: 67% of US women are size 14 to 34, but they are underrepresented on billboards, magazines, TV, and therefore, this Lane Bryant campaign calls for equal representation among women. Plus-size model Ashley Graham (2015) believes that ‘Everyone deserves to see themselves being represented equally. #PlusIsEqual is showing that curvy women are accepted, they’re represented and being made a priority in the fashion industry.’

The Lane Bryant plus-size campaign featured in Miss Portrayed

• A clothing brand, Desigual featured Winnie Harlow in their advertisements, a fashion model known for having a prominent form of the skin condition vitiligo. She is the current brand ambassador for the Barcelona-based casual clothing brand Desigual alongside Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima. Diesel artistic director Nicola Formichetti (2015) said that “We believe in showing different types of body and beauty—celebrating uncommon beauties, this is what Diesel is and always has been about. With this […] campaign for SS15, we want to convey a message of inclusiveness and positivity—and all of our models are smiling which is unfortunately rare in this industry.”

The Desigual campaign featuring Winnie Harlow shown in Miss Portrayed Magazine

• This Girl Can is a UK nationwide campaign launched by Sport England to get women and girls moving, regardless of shape, size and ability. It is the first campaign of its kind to feature women who sweat and jiggle as they exercise. It seeks to tell the real story of women who play sport by using images that are the complete opposite of the idealised and stylised images of women we are now used to seeing. Sport England CEO Jennie Price (2017) said: “The figures on participation are crystal clear. There is a significant gender gap, with two million more men than women exercising or playing sport regularly. I believe we can tackle this gap, because our research shows that 75% of women would like to do more.”

The ‘This Girl Can’ advert used in the magazine

 

References:

Cortese, A. (1999). Provocateur: Images of Women and Minorities in Advertising. 1st ed. Rowman & Littlefield.

Dove (2017). 60 Years of #RealBeauty. [online] Dove. Available at: https://www.dove.com/uk/stories/campaigns/60-years-of-realbeauty.html [Accessed 8 May 2017].

Englis, Solomon, and Ashmore, (1994). Beauty before the eyes of beholders: The cultural encoding of beauty types in magazine advertising and music television. Journal of Advertising, 23(2), pp.49–63.

Formichetti, N. (2017). [online] Available at: http://www.eonline.com/ca/news/622358/america-s-next-top-model-contestant-with-vitiligo-scores-two-major-fashion-campaigns-see-the-pics [Accessed 8 May 2017].

Foyle, J. (2016). [online] Available at: http://investors.ae.com/news-releases/news-releases-details/2016/Aerie-Empowers-Women-with-Share-Your-Spark-Campaign/default.aspx [Accessed 8 May 2017].

Graham, A. (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3229745/Lane-Bryant-unveils-images-mysterious-Plus-Equal-campaign-reveal-star-cast-fuller-figured-models.html [Accessed 8 May 2017].

Holbrook, (1987). What is Consumer Research?. The Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 14, No. 1. (Jun., 1987), pp.128-132.

Lazar, M. (2006). Discover The Power Of Femininity!. pp.505-517.

Martin, and Gentry, (1997). inShare The Role of Esteem-Relevance and Perceived Control in Determining the Effects of Physically Attractive Models in Advertising on Female and Male Adolescents. E – European Advances in Consumer Research, Volume 3, eds. Basil G. Englis and Anna Olofsson, pp.82-89.

Price, J. (2017). [online] Available at: https://www.sportengland.org/our-work/women/this-girl-can/ [Accessed 8 May 2017].