Archive for May, 2009
For a company that prides itself on making all its attire in the United States, American Apparel deserves no congratulations when it comes to its ads. American Apparel already has one ad posted in our Gallery of Offenders and the obviously have done nothing to improve there act–they seem to have gotten worse!
Just take a look at these four recent advertisements from American Apparel:
American Apparel Ad for Socks
American Apparel Ad for Underwear?
American Apparel Ad for ???
American Apparel Ad for Opening in Japan
What is the first thing you see in these pictures? Certainly not the apparel. What kind of position are the women in? What are their faces saying? What does it mean when you can’t see her face? Where are the men? What does their absence mean?
What kind of language is used in the advertisements? How do these words reflect the photos in the ads, and how do they connect to the ads’ messages?
Socks and underwear aside, what are the ads really selling?
After rubbing my eyes a couple times and staring at the computer screen with my mouth agape and my face flushing with anger — incidents that are probably happening to you right now — one of the first things I noticed was the candid-photo style of these photographs. The odd lighting, the grainy-ness — doesn’t the style of these photos give you the feeling that the women were unsuspecting subjects in the photos? There’s a sense in the ads that a man is snapping photos of the woman — helplessly left to be the object –and we are lucky enough to voyeuristically view the results. Gee, that makes me want to go buy socks!
So what are the ads actually getting at? American Apparel advertisements — advertisements that are plastered all over magazines and weekly newspapers nationwide — aren’t selling clothes. They’re selling the notion that scantily clad girls in compromising positions are hip. American Apparel caters to a hipster clientele, and the company is equating coolness with sexualized positions, and the idea that it’s okay to treat women as things that should be stared at.
The women have become the products, not the clothing. We’ve all seen the countless advertisements in fashion magazines and on billboards — women in shopping bags, women without faces, women’s body parts taking up the entire photo. American Apparel wants to be trendy, but they need to step away from this current advertising trend. They need to stop objectifying women to sell socks.
Congratulations, American Apparel. You make clothing in a socially sound manner. For that we thank you. Now please stop using half-naked models in inferior positions to convince us all to buy your company’s underwear.
If you’re as furious as me, please send your thoughts to
American Apparel Inc.
747 Warehouse St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
United States
Or contact them directly on their website by clicking here.
-Kate
May 18th, 2009
Oprah Says You Need Liposuction
It is sad to say, but when most women hear the words “beach season,” we brace ourselves to feel bad about our bodies. This is something I have come to expect from women’s magazines and diet-pill commercials, but I didn’t expect Oprah to join in with a swift kick to women’s body image.
On Oprah’s web site there is an article titled Summer Body Shortcuts. As the word “shortcuts” implies, all of the suggestions on the list are cosmetic surgery. They suggest everything from breast implants and tummy tucks to porcelain veneers and Botox. Some procedures aren’t even FDA approved, and still the reader is corralled into thinking “I could use that…”
Oprah Approves Botox Injections
It is disheartening to see Oprah put up things like this on her website. She has an extremely large following of devoted fans who excitedly watch every episode of her show to see the next “must-have.” For someone who has had her own public body image issues, it is surprising that she would help foster body insecurities in this way. I think it is incredibly irresponsible of Oprah to tell women their bodies aren’t good enough as-is.
We need to stop looking at our bodies as something to be fixed and stop listening to people, like Oprah, who tell us we aren’t perfect by telling us how to “fix” our bodies. Instead of constantly picking apart body “flaws” we need to refocus and set our sights on becoming comfortable with our bodies the way they are.
Here are tips to love your body WITHOUT expensive, risky, and unnecessary cosmetic surgery:
- Cut out the negativity and make a pact with your friends to only say good things about your bodies.
- Write a list of things that you like about yourself (i.e. your hair or sense of humor) and pin it up on your bathroom mirror. Then read it while you brush your teeth in the morning. Reminding yourself of how great you are will put that little extra spring in your step.
- When you are hanging out with your friends, notice all of the different ways to be beautiful (i.e. a person’s boisterous laugh or their loving nature). Remember that people are not meant to look exactly the same. Variety is the spice of life!
- Go for a walk outside. The combination of the fresh air and the light work out can really boost your overall mood.
- Walk around your house in your underwear or bathing suit. This can help you to become comfortable with your body. The more comfortable you are with your body, the more confident you will be when at the beach.
CHALLENGE: Come up with more ways to feel good about your body and share your ideas with the About-Face community by writing them in the comments for this blog!
You can also share your thoughts on the Summer Body Shortcuts article with Oprah by emailing her: click here.
-Ashley
May 11th, 2009
Two of the contestants from the TLC show Toddlers and Tiaras
While previous generations were playing with Barbies, current younglings are opting to become Barbie – and their mothers don’t seem to mind. In a current reality TV series on TLC, Toddlers and Tiaras, the cameras follow young girls and their mothers in their quest to win beauty pageants.
Beauty pageants have always been scrutinized, and the reason for that is becoming more evident. According to an article by Jessica Bennett in Newsweek, girls are starting to use makeup at a younger age (the average age now is 13), than they did just four years ago, when age 17 was “the makeup moment.” Makeup is not the culprit, but seeking ways to “improve” oneself through makeup is problematic.
The same article reports that pre-pubescent girls are using self-tanners, tightening creams, face masks, and are getting laser hair-removal treatments. The amount that is spent on priming these tweens for womanhood is roughly $100 million annually and counting. I guess there will be no camping or free play for these princesses! God forbid she breaks a nail, and then what?
What’s next, “anti-cellulite” and smoothing cream for those stubborn dimples on a newborn baby’s butt? Get her a pair of stilettos and a wig; maybe add more sparkles to her eyes? After all, she must be reared to compete.
It is hard to pinpoint exactly who is responsible for such dramatic occurrences. Do we blame the mother? She is as susceptible to advertisements and our gender-stereotyping culture as her daughters; however, mothers should learn better discretion. How about society and the ad agencies? Are they the devil or are they the scapegoat: do we create the ad or does the ad create us?
What are beauty ads doing to our kids — where has childhood gone? “To the spa” seems to be an appropriate answer. While businesses and entrepreneurs are cashing in on instilled insecurities that women face more and more and at a younger age every day, it makes me wonder: how healthy can this be for girls who barely graduated to big-girl panties? Also, if 19-year-olds are already getting Botox to get rid of their “wrinkles,” what measures will they take in five, ten, or twenty years from now? I am almost afraid to fathom. Everyone only gets one chance at a childhood, a time to be carefree, but that is something these girls are giving up. It is ironic that little girls are made to dress up like women: makeup, high heels, fitted clothing, yet at the same time pressured not to get older.
–O.V.K.
May 1st, 2009
