“Unrealistic, Insecure, Unattainable”
For this culture-jamming task, I chose to use the advertisement by Cover Girl, a makeup brand that has been criticized for promoting narrow beauty standards. I have decided to replace their initial slogan for their promotion from “easy breezy beautiful” to “unrealistic, insecure, unattainable.”
Importance of the Culture Jamming Ad
The selection of this advertisement for culture jamming helps to address the various social and personal issues faced by the individuals who fall into the brand’s target customers category. For instance, the ad and its caption predominantly promote narrow beauty standards that greatly exclude many women who do not actually fit into the conventional beauty forms, thus making them feel insecure and unable to identify themselves as beautiful. Again, by culture jamming the ad, it has been easier to promote body positivity, especially among teenage girls and younger women. The advertisement promotes unrealistic beauty standards that all women cannot achieve globally. This leads to body shaming, especially when they find themselves in societies or groups that value makeup beauty.[1] Notably, not all women can afford the beauty products by Cover Girl, which could make them develop a negative self-image every time they see the glowing faces in beauty advertisements.
The other significance of the ad is to help empower women. The primary target of all beauty product ads is women. These ads usually contain manipulative messages intended to create a feeling of inadequacy and self-doubt among all women that would come across those ads. This culture jam helps to empower women and make them feel more confident and appreciate their unique beauty rather than feeling like they need to conform to the various set unrealistic beauty standards. Further, it is good to make women and young girls aware of the different negative health implications that beauty products bring along; for instance, not all types of skin would react well to the cosmetics advertised, and this could lead to allergic reactions that components like preservatives or fragrances can cause. Notably, extreme health risks such as cancers or damaged organs can be caused when the users are exposed to harmful toxins in cosmetics, such as lead or mercury, that can easily be absorbed through the skin.
From an environmental perspective, the beauty products by Cover Girl are responsible for the pollution of the environment; for instance, they do not have a recycling program for their beauty containers, and this leads to plastic pollution and increased landfills that affect the ecosystem. Again, the manufacturing process of the products is responsible for water and air pollution, impacting the social and physical health of the communities involved; thus, the consumers should make informed decisions and withdraw their support for the brand.
Importance of the Changes Made To the Ad
The company’s slogan, “easy breezy beautiful,” is a manipulative way of advertising products to society, especially to women, who are naturally troubled by their looks and appearances. The advertisement is biased and does not consider all the possible groups of women in terms of race, skin tone, or face type. Changing the ad slogan to “unrealistic, insecure, and unattainable” helps to disrupt the potentially harmful message that the brand was previously displaying, thus creating awareness among buyers on the various ways they are being manipulated and negatively influenced. Again, the changes I made to this advertisement are like a form of activism, thus drawing attention to the various negative social effects associated with beauty products and their use of models to encourage women and young girls to think critically before falling victim to the manipulative messages.[2] Again, I intended to challenge the dominant media narratives and advertising techniques that have always avoided advertising their products based on standards everyone cannot achieve and thus push for a greater representation and inclusivity in these spaces.
Bibliography
De Lenne, Orpha, Laura Vandenbosch, Tim Smits, and Steven Eggermont. “Framing real beauty: A framing approach to the effects of beauty advertisements on body image and advertising effectiveness.” Body image 37 (2021): 255-268.
Hermanda, Atika, Ujang Sumarwan, and Netti Tinaprillia. “The effect of social media influencer on brand image, self-concept, and purchase intention.” Journal of Consumer Sciences 4, no. 2 (2019): 76-89.
[1] De Lenne, Orpha, Laura Vandenbosch, Tim Smits, and Steven Eggermont. “Framing real beauty: A framing approach to the effects of beauty advertisements on body image and advertising effectiveness.” Body Image 37 (2021): 255-268.
[2] Hermanda, Atika, Ujang Sumarwan, and Netti Tinaprillia. “The effect of social media influencer on brand image, self-concept, and purchase intention.” Journal of Consumer Sciences 4, no. 2 (2019): 76-89.
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