The print media I've chosen to analyze is an ad for NV, a weight loss diet pill, found in an old issue of Star Magazine (I honestly don't know why I have these magazines or ever found them entertaining, in retrospect they're beyond terrible). The overall message it attempts to project is that, right now, you are probably overweight and could bear dropping a jean size or two, because to be skinny is to be beautiful and successful.
The main way in which it does this is by showing a before and after picture of "star" Holly Madison, along with her word on how wonderful and effective this product is -- obviously, NV is using the technique of testimony and appealing to the need for prominence. They want the reader to see that a "star" uses their product, and that therefore, the product must be a staple of glamour, luxury, and fame. Additionally, the caption of the "before" picture is, "Yes, that's really me in that awful Before picture. But thanks to NV, I dropped 1 jean size in just 2 weeks and got my body back! NV works really fast!" Madison evokes disgust at the supposedly overweight "before" photo, through calling it "awful" and coming across as shameful/embarrassed, while she glorifies the "after" body on the right, making sure that everyone knows how glad she is to be safely thin again. As a result, the reader is likely to compare the two bodies present and think, "Wow! Look how healthy and great she looks after NV," then proceed to evaluate their own bodily state against Madison's. More than likely, they'll find dissatisfaction at the fact that they don't look just like her, and will be persuaded to try the product.
Unfortunately, this advertising technique is symptomatic of a big problem in society: body-shaming and internalized fatphobia. The "before" picture used is not in any way obese, or even overweight -- I don't see anything wrong with it. However, our culture has created the ideal that anything less than thigh gaps and perfectly flat stomachs is gross and undesirable and unhealthy. We should strive to be the skinniest possible while still being just the right amount of curvy, even though that is literally an impossible standard for most people. Therefore, ads like these lower self-confidence and body positivity immensely -- any person who identifies with the "before" picture will feel terrible about their apparently "awful" body, and think that they need to change themselves to look like the "after" picture, even though -- this is so cliché, I know -- they're beautiful the way they are. Even more so, NV makes it seem like anything more than super skinny is something to immediately be gotten rid of, proven by, "get your body back!" No body type should be degraded like it is in this ad, and not even implicitly.
Additionally, the fact that this ad uses Holly Madison as the poster child for beauty, health, and ideal body type reinforces societal ideals of what attractiveness is -- historically, the desirable, gorgeous girls are the ones with blonde hair, a perfect tan, and pixie-like features, all of which she seems to possess. Of course, this isn't unexpected and pretty typical, but disappointing nonetheless.
xoxo, elyse
Unfortunately, this advertising technique is symptomatic of a big problem in society: body-shaming and internalized fatphobia. The "before" picture used is not in any way obese, or even overweight -- I don't see anything wrong with it. However, our culture has created the ideal that anything less than thigh gaps and perfectly flat stomachs is gross and undesirable and unhealthy. We should strive to be the skinniest possible while still being just the right amount of curvy, even though that is literally an impossible standard for most people. Therefore, ads like these lower self-confidence and body positivity immensely -- any person who identifies with the "before" picture will feel terrible about their apparently "awful" body, and think that they need to change themselves to look like the "after" picture, even though -- this is so cliché, I know -- they're beautiful the way they are. Even more so, NV makes it seem like anything more than super skinny is something to immediately be gotten rid of, proven by, "get your body back!" No body type should be degraded like it is in this ad, and not even implicitly.
Additionally, the fact that this ad uses Holly Madison as the poster child for beauty, health, and ideal body type reinforces societal ideals of what attractiveness is -- historically, the desirable, gorgeous girls are the ones with blonde hair, a perfect tan, and pixie-like features, all of which she seems to possess. Of course, this isn't unexpected and pretty typical, but disappointing nonetheless.
xoxo, elyse
I would say that her outfit also conveys an idea about the perfect woman. She is wearing a strapless top that does not cover her stomach completely. Because she is presented as the ideal, the message is that flaunting your sexuality is ideal. This serves to further shame girls and women who don't desire to show off their bodies or use them to get attention or affiliation. This ad shows several different ideals about womanhood that only serve to further push girls to consume and feel shame.
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