Essay on Media Influence Through Advertising

In the contemporary world, media has become a great source of influence on the appearance and what persona society has to exhibit. The growing need to get the absolute look has made consumers try as many advertised products to satisfy their desires. As a result, people have altered their attitudes, beliefs, behaviours as well as culture. Sut Jhally’s article, “Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture” examines the communication between consumers and companies through advertising. Sut depicts that media has influenced consumerism, and brings out the belief that in abundance people find happiness (Jhally, p.79). The purchase of commodities from advertised goods or services has overwhelmed society today. Therefore, to understand the role of media through advertising, in giving satisfaction and happiness, we try to understand how marketable such commodities have become. This essay will argue that the chosen advertisement influences women through skin tone and by applying the beaty cream women would enhance their happiness and satisfaction.

Women have always wanted a flawless glamorous look and have been the targeted market for many beauty products. Among such products is the whitening cream and pills to turn ivory as advertised by GlutaMAX. The specific target is darkened women and those with uneven skin tones. GlutaMAX is focused on convincing women with a darker complexion to purchase their cream or pills and they will gain fair or ivory skin resulting in happiness. Society today has associated lighter skin with beauty and hence dark-skinned women going for such cream or pills to gain as much attention as the light-skinned. The product convinces women with darker skin will only gain happiness only when they are light-skinned. As a result of mass purchases, the company makes huge profits from these women. The subject of colourism has driven many dark-skinned women to embrace the products that would make them light-skinned. In the black communities, skin bleaching has become a common practice even in the villages (McIntosh, p.189). Companies such as GlutaMAX have then preyed on this desire to have light skin. They have advertised and the need for happiness and satisfaction has made many purchases the whitening cream or pills to turn ivory. Several media sources are considered to show how such products reach the targeted consumers.

The media has painted a picture that unless as a woman you embrace the western culture then you not appealing to society. The idea is becoming ‘attractive’ or ‘sexy’ as a woman (Jhally, p.82). Sut Jhally highlights that the consumption of such beauty products makes individuals to be considered appealing and worth of attention from society (Jhally, p.79). The media has set standards and laid down predefined ways how women should look and dress and failing to conform, then they are deemed unattractive or ‘not sexy’.

Besides, Sut states that the image women portray is not only an object to attraction to men but also such image attracts female audience (Rice, p.394). There is a feeling of happiness and self-worth when women are given attention from right, left, and center by all even fellow women. Therefore, GlutaMAX has preyed on this and advertised their cream and pills depicting that being lighter is better. For such targeted women to conform to the modern societal norms, they have to purchase such products (Rice, p.240). Media has proven over and over to be a great influence in determining one’s character and self-perception. Sut Jhally points out that advertising has been mirrored into our dreams depicting that individuals are lying to themselves by concealing their true selves (Jhally, p.80).

The stigma that women have been subjected to based on age and beauty is overwhelming. According to Lipscomb advertisement has had diverse impacts on the subject of repulsion being inflicted on the marginalized lot in the society (Lipscomb, p.418). He points out that certain people will pity their appearance and even worry more about what others have to say about them. Such people have been forced to conform to particular looks and dressings to be acceptable in contemporary society (Lipscomb, p.418). Many women have been victims of stigma due to the inability to live up to the expectations posed by media as well as the inability to remain youthful as they age (Lorde, p.376). Women have become repulsive to aging as society has emphasized the youth’s physical attributes. Through the constant advertisement of youthful products, media has promoted a popular culture that shames older women for aging (Lipscomb, p.418). Then companies such as GlutaMAX exploit such women through making remedies to a youthful look. Older women remain stigmatized while the young ones are glorified thereby depicting the influence of media on satisfaction and happiness.

In conclusion, the many media platforms such as magazines, TV, Facebook, Instagram have molded an unrealistic society. The standards of happiness and acceptance which media has created through advertising have stigmatized many with short-lived self-worth and self-confidence. Therefore, it is advisable that the media platforms need to be cross-checked on the accuracy of what they are advertising. Happiness and self-confidence have been materialized and since it is seasonal, the result is mayhem of depression and self-pity. It is a misguided popular culture which many women have fallen into. They are constantly questioned based on their looks and dressing. People are in constant need of attention and perfect look and cosmetic companies have preyed on that and made a profit from giving seasonal happiness and satisfaction. Media has become a very powerful asset in contemporary society as they exploit the insecurities of many and it needs to be challenged to maintain a balanced and normal life in society today.

Works Cited

Jhally, Sut. “Image-based culture: Advertising and popular culture.” Gender, race, and class in media (1995): 77-87.

Lipscomb, Valerie Barnes. “Cynthia Rich, Women’s Studies, and Ageism: An Interview.” Gender and Women’s Studies in Canada: Critical Terrain (2013): 417.

Lorde, Audre. “Age, race, class, and sex: Women redefining difference.” Cultural Politics 11 (1997): 374-380.

McIntosh, Peggy. “White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack.” Race, class, and gender in the United States: An integrated study 6 (2004): 188-192.

Rice, Carla. “7. In the Mirror of Beauty Culture.” Becoming Women. University of Toronto Press, 2018. 234-266.

Rice, Carla. “Exacting beauty: Exploring women’s body projects and problems in the 21st century.” Feminist issues: Race, class and sexuality (2009): 390-410.