The ad is
feminine, whimsical, dreamy, romantic, and enchanting.
The ad has one model that is a Caucasian,
young (20 something), girl, completely naked except for strands of pink and
white flowers wrapped around her body. Her eyes and mouth are closed and she is
sort of smiling. Her makeup is very romantic and soft – with hues of pink. Her
hair is pulled back in what is probably a bun – you can’t see it. She also has
a pink gift bow on the top of her head. She is sitting on her knees, hugging a
very large, oversized bottle of perfume. The bottle of perfume has a square,
frosty white cap with a round, clear base so that you can see the perfume
liquid inside which is a very pale pink. The perfume bottle is much bigger than
the model and it is strategically placed on her lap in a way that hides her
private parts and her breasts.
One of
the assumptions the ad makes is that to be beautiful and courageous enough to
take control of opportunity you should wear Chanel perfume. It also makes the
assumption that to be beautiful you need to look similar to the model in the ad
and don’t be afraid to show some skin. Chanel makes the assumption that
Caucasian is beautiful and romantic and able to take advantage of an
opportunity when it presents itself. I think all of the assumptions are
unrealistic. Beauty comes in many shapes, sizes and colors and one is not
required to wear certain perfumes to be beautiful. I also think that young girls
should especially understand that showing skin is not necessary to show your
beauty. They reinforce stereotypes about what beauty is and should be which are
all false.
For a
company to be socially responsible they should be aware of the current issues
that are affecting consumers and make efforts to not negatively contribute to
those issues. I think because I looked up additional Chanel perfume ads and
couldn’t find any with models of other races; Chanel uses ethnic models for
their company but I looked up their perfume ads and was not able to find any
with a model that was not Caucasian. I certainly feel that Chanel is not a
socially responsible company. It’s bad enough that the company is continuing to
send the idea that only certain body shapes are beautiful but I am very
concerned and disappointed by the fact that there are no ads with women of
other races.
To think
of oneself primarily as a citizen and not as a consumer is to know that we
don’t need certain products to survive or thrive.
It’s necessary to not always think like a consumer to know that we are still
competent, successful, and beautiful people without purchasing a specific
product. I think it it’s possible to be a citizen and a consumer but it will
take much effort. By placing a nude model in an ad it is almost impossible to
not criticize ones’ own body and in turn negatively affects the consumer’s body
image. It is important to still say “I’m beautiful even though I’m not that
size, shape, or color” and accept ones realistic body image.
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