Deconstructing Ads: part 2

1940s.                                                                   1980s.

The ad from the 1940s places value on the actual product (it tells us directly that price ranges between $1.50 and $5.00) and the way the product makes the woman feel about herself. She brushes her hair contently and admires her “subtle silhouette” (no pointy-Madonna-cones here). The ad from the 1980s places value on being sexy and mysterious– the “maiden form woman”, the emphasis is appealing to others rather than self. This shift in value is quite apparent. In the first ad, the woman is alone; in the second ad, men surround the woman. In his book The Culture of Narcissism, Christopher Lasch explains the narcissistic personality as “other-directed”, someone who is consumed by the need for other’s praise and approval. This shift to attention-craving personalities is clearly displayed in our advertisements. The cosmetic and lingerie industries make their money off of women’s desires to obtain attention from men. The ad from the 1980s does not feature the price of the underwear because women have such an intense desire to impress that they don’t care how much it costs, as long as they receive it. The process of deconstruction allows the public to see advertising for what it really is: a business. Like any other business, advertisers want to make money. Advertisers feed off of what they know will sell, and they know the insecurities of women are constant and widespread. As long as women let these insecurities stand, advertising will continue to yield more and more power and create even more binding stereotypes.