Media Essay: Compare how media language is used in the construction of gender in two print advertisements for fragrances. (500-800 words)

Media Essay: Compare how media language is used in the construction of gender in two print advertisements for fragrances. (500-800 words)

 

The two print advertisements I will be analysing are J’adore Dior and Gucci Guilty, both of which use representation in contrasting ways to highlight uses of gender within media. The adverts are both binary opposites of each other signifying different intentions for the consumer. The media codes and conventions help bring each advertisement together. A keyword in my analyzation is patriarchy which is the structural, systematic and historical domination and exploitation of women in the media industry. As well as this, the keyword ‘objectification’ will be used to give connotations about the degrading someone and seeing them as an object.

The first advertisement I am going to analyse is J’adore Dior. The word J’adore translates to Love in French, which gives the consumer the connotations that the advertisement could be signifying love and romance. The camera shot is a medium shot where you can see the model from the chest up, this suggests that the creators wanted to display the model from a sexualised position because of her dress that camouflages with the golden river that she sits in. The ad also has a mise en scene which includes the actual product which is in a gold colour. The choice of colour could connote that the perfume is ‘priceless’ and at a high value just like gold. The angle of the shot is at eye level and the model stares straight at the camera which makes the audience think of the model as strong and juxtaposes the idea of objectification. The image does look airbrush due to the unnatural shape of the model’s body, this could be due to the extremities that models have to go through such as their diets but most likely the image is airbrushed. The advert does show a binary opposition to the male’s fragrance advert because it looks like female is more seductive and looks objectified but strong at the same time.

The male advertisement if for the fragrance Gucci Guilty, the camera shot used is a medium close up, displaying the male model from the chest up and his female counterpart from the shoulder up. This shot is used to make the man look more masculine because of the way he gives a deadly stare at the camera. This connotes mystery within the man which could also be denoted by the black in the background. The shot is taken at an eye level angle which makes the males chest look bigger. The shot also allows the female to be introduced because it denotes her laying on the man’s chest. This gives connotations of the woman being objectified because she is just lying there with no emotion which is just like an object. This suggests that the consumer think that males in the media are supposed to be highlighted as superior and strong which is the binary opposition to females who would be presented as inferior and weak. Also, this specific advertisement is not challenging stereotypes as the way it is upholding women in patriarchy.

From analysing both advertisements, I have seen slight change in gender specific products as they still use patriarchy and still stereotypes both men and women. The stereotypes are very common in most adverts put out in the media. Recently, there has been a slight change with feminism being promoted heavily in the developing and developed world, more women have taken a stand and want equal rights which could be seen in more and more advertisements. This equality has been mostly to stop objectifying women and treat all sexes the same way.