Blog #3 - Advertisements

This advertisement is for protein products and is called "Protein World". The product that they are selling is called "The Slender Plan" and it is a unisex product so anyone can use it to get on a plan. The meaning of this ad is for female or male people to take this protein and they want you to see this female thinking you can change into something like her. This product is a full plan, but what you get from Protein World is the protein shake bags. This product is told to help build the metabolism and help burn the fat off of your figure. It helps with eating a more routinely fashion and be able to have a more fun and enjoyable body. This product is trying to sell this product in the best way of saying you will have a totally different figure when taking this product. They even say about the product, "looking to lose weight - even diabetics", (ProteinWorld.com). This advertisement was made to sell the product for more female based, but obviously males can use this product, but they are trying to get females to try this product and encourage them to work out more by using this product. I think this is a social norm of society and what we see in advertisements now a days, because they love to show the feminine body to get more people's attention to the brand. Anxieties is when you buy the product and it doesn't preform, because either that person can't work out like the plan tells you too, or you aren't eating the correct way. I think that the actual product needs to be more out there rather than the female's image. Maybe a better look of the ad would be the girl holding the product, so they know what they are selling rather than the body and actually looking at the product. 

https://www.proteinworld.com/us/shop/shop-all/slender-plan-weight-loss.html

Blog #3

Over the years there has been several different types of physical activity clothing or sports wear made. Through the years the “normal” things to wear have changed. Women’s clothing has become more sexualized when being advertised then the rage of motion in the outfit itself. The advertising company I want to bring your attention to is GymShark. I’ve recently been seeing a lot of ads on Instagram for this company. It is own by a man named Steve Hewitt and its head quarters are in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 2012, but only recently has became popular in the United States.

I feel as though gymshark focuses more on the curves of the women they post then has well the clothing actually performs while your exercising. On there sponsored advertisements it’s always picture of women just like the one above, showing of there figure. Not only is this how they do women but men as well. They give the idea to buy these clothes and you will look flawless. 

Aerie vs. VS

Growing up, I was used to seeing Victoria's Secret ads. I watched the Victoria's Secret runway show. I even wore strictly VS bras and underwear for years because that is what was popular and what everyone else was wearing. These models for VS were all slender with limited muscles. They had "perfect" bodies, or at least that is what I thought a perfect body was growing up. I am 5'9" and I am muscularly built. I work out often. I am not skinny, but I wouldn't consider myself fat either. I am healthy. The girls' bodies in these ads for VS are not what I could ever even achieve. I was not built to look like any of them. This was hard for me growing up. I see so many ads where girls have tiny waists, thigh gaps, and big boobs. I have big thighs, normal boobs, big muscular arms and shoulders, and cellulite.


As I have gotten older, I have come to accept and love my body. Despite many companies still trying to show this one body type as the "ideal" body type, Aerie has decided to change the wave. Aerie is the bra/underwear line through American Eagle. When shopping online you see every type of girl, with every body type. They don't hide their rolls or cellulite. They even display women's body hair in these ads. Growing up, this would have made the world of difference with my insecurities. More brands are becoming more "normal body positive" but for the most part when you are shopping clothes are on mannequins that are size 00.
Advertisements are key in young people's perception of their bodies, styles, size, and even culture. So many ads are so exclusive for skinny, white, dainty, feminine users. This is something that needs to be changed. In my eyes, Aerie is taking the right steps. They use all ethnicities, body sized, and even more feminine and more masculine women for their ads. This is something that could help boost a young girl's confidence. The amount of women in the population that look like VS models are minute. However, any girl can find a model for Aerie close to home. Aerie uses the hashtag #AerieREAL. I think this campaign is a winner. 

Oakley Sportswear

      A few years ago, Oakley was trying to boost sales of their women’s collection. The statement of the campaign was, “For running, not running errands.” One photo shows a woman hunched over from exhaustion while other women are dressed nicer clothes carrying various bags. Another statement of the campaign was, “For exercising, not socializing.” This photo shows a woman in Oakley athletic wear running on a treadmill and a “basic white girl” in the background wearing athleisure and holding a Starbucks drink walking on the treadmill. It seems like Oakley is trying to break the stigma of women exercising instead of only being seen as homemakers and caregivers. They are also marketing their products to be performance gear instead of just trendy clothing. For this campaign they are saying that they “make real performance products for real women who get after it everyday.” They seem to not want their gear to just be used for athleisure wear, but for actual working out. 

     Another side of this campaign is that people could think Oakley is trying to shame them for being “basic.” For many young women today, athletic clothing is a part of their everyday wardrobe. Even if they are not planning on working out, they still wear leggings, running shorts and t-shirts. Nicer clothing is normally reserved for more special occasions. The ads also only show fit and skinny women, so this is not a successful campaign to get the attention of all types of women. These ads are directed towards the women the regularly workout and take their sportswear seriously. I feel like this ad does a good job in empowering women through fitness. They are trying to encourage them to take exercise more serious and to not be afraid to do that. The only bad thing about this ad, that they should not do again, is that they are shaming women who wear sportswear everyday for leisure activity. This puts some women off from supporting the brand and they should not continue to do that in the future if they want to stay in the female sportswear market.

Advertisement

A big question in today's world focuses on sports related clothing towards women. Marketers often focus on the sex appeal of women in targeting the audience to try and increase the sales of the product. I think this advertisement is different than others. Many other ads have women that look more like models while modeling or wearing the clothing that is being advertised. That is where I think that this ad is different. The picture above is showing a woman that is running or seems to be in the middle of a workout. Nike is trying to market their running shorts or workout apparel towards women. The gains made by this advertisement is saying how you will move more or better while wearing the Nike workout clothing. I think that the ad fits with the cultural norm of most of the ads directed about women or with women in the advertisement. The ad is showing an attractive looking women with not a lot of clothing on. For the product being marketed it is more acceptable since running shorts seem to be shorter and most people do not workout with a lot of clothing on. This ad is directed to female runners, or possibly any female that works out, or maybe a female that just thinks the clothes are comfortable to wear around. An element of the ad I would like to see more of in advertisements is the females performing a physical activity like the one above. There are a lot of great female athletes in the world and that should be seen in the advertisements for sports related products. The athletes should not be pictured as models, they might be good looking but that female is not a model but an athlete so that should be the main focus. "All but a handful reported that they had learned to see women as more than sex objects" (Schultz, 2014, 145). I found this quote in the reading to be a good one to relate into this blog post. The days of women just being seen as sex objects are over and I think advertising companies need to realize this too. There are many talented women in this world and they need to be recognized for their skills rather than just being put on something because of their looks. 

Blog 3

The advertisement above is a combined advertisement of all the different types of Nike Pro sports bra products they have on their line as of now. Nike chose this picture as part of the advertisement to show that there are multiple different body types and chest shapes that these sports bras can conform to. The simple quote of “unbeatable support. Unlimited possibilities” means that if you have the correct chest support during physical activity than you can accomplish anything. These four words are creating a passion for women who decide to wear these sports bras. Creating that passion creates a bond between the females and the brand Nike itself. Along with the quote, the faces and body language the women have in the photo show power and confidence. This shows other women that when wearing this sports bra, you will feel confident in what you’re doing and how you look, no matter skin tone or body type.

While this is an athletic apparel advertisement, it indirectly touches on the stereotypical norm of what type of women should be posing with just a sports bra. Since there are all different types of body types in one image, this shows that Nike is not just saying women who are slim or considered “fit” in today’s society can wear these. This is touching on the cultural anxiety of only having woman who have a “sexy model shape” to pose for. Many athletic apparel companies are going towards this way of advertising. This shows that all female athletes can feel confident and proud in what they’re wearing.

I enjoy this ad and the feeling it gives me as a female athlete. I am big fan on the Nike Pro sports bras and with a quote like that along with the picture, it gives me the confidence to wear this in a big basketball game of mine. One thing that I like to see more of in all athletic apparel advertisements is the science of how the apparel can enhance my game. As a basketball player, it is neat to see the way your wardrobe can improve your performance on the court, even if it might not be the whole truth.

Blog #3 - Advertisements: Leggings

   

     Its safe to say that leggings are a popular piece of clothing among females and more than likely all women own at least one or more pairs of leggings. Leggings are a great multi-use type of clothing; can be worn for comfort, style, working out, etc. This particular legging advertisement is for athletic, yoga leggings for women. It exemplifies a few examples of the possible variety of colors and patterns and how good your legs will look with them on, especially how popping your butt will be. I think that this particular advertisement is intending to draw women into buying this specific product of leggings because of their style appeal and the way they can make a persons legs and butt look. These leggings are more geared towards a more feminine look and style other than the quality it needs for participating in sports and working out. The way this advertisement is set up reminds me of the comparison of the Time Magazine covers in the beginning of chapter 5: "Women Sports" to the "New Ideal of Beauty" in Jamie Schultz's book, Qualifying Times. Schultz compares the shift between a cover from "Women In Sports," Time, June 26, 1978 and the cover from "Coming on Strong," Time, August 30, 1982. The cover from 1978's image is of two intercollegiate lacrosse players who are caught in the middle of a match and the main focus is on a women with her stick raised in mid-stride with her muscular legs exposed between the end of her skirt and the top of her socks. The women in this image were clearly playing without knowing any camera was present. While the cover from 1982's image is of a model posing in a provocative way for the camera in red, faintly transparent leotard with matching thigh-high leg warmers. Schultz compares how the action shot was shifted into the provocative posing for the camera shot and the effects of that change.
Since that shift advertisements and the media that cover women and gear it around them have a similar look and style to the provocative posing shot. Leading to how women need to have the 'total package' to get sponsors to be able to practice their sport for a living. This legging advertisement reminds me of the 1982 cover because of the deliberate posing that is no where close to the way a person would hold themselves while playing sports or working out. This advertisement is more centered on the 'feminine' look and style for active wear. These type of advertisements are seen all over the place for many different types of sportswear, clothing, etc. and unfortunately they are a part of the American society's cultural norms. I personally would like to see less 'provocative' posing that represents sportswear and more poses or action shots that show the particular piece of clothing in action and having a good quality for sports and working out wear and tear that it will endure.

Blog 3

Women leggings are used for many different activities, but people see females wearing them on a daily basis. Athletic leggings are used for sports activities and sport related thing, but you see females wear them around all the time like school, shopping, jobs, etc.…Women doesn’t always wear leggings while workout they also wear athletic running shorts that everyone also see every day. The shorts aren’t not skintight like the leggings, but it shows that you can feel comfortable while working out or doing any activity with these types of shorts. The shorts also have more mobility than the leggings do and are targeting females that these shorts are for everyone no matter what their body type is. The leggings are targeting more fit females and good looking women that men would find attractive.

women sports bra

These ads were posted by NIKE for their launch of their new "NIKE PRO BRA". Almost all women who play sports will be found wearing one of these types of bras underneath their jersey, like in basketball, soccer or softball. There are some times when the sports bra takes the role of the jersey it self and women will only wear that as their top piece. This can be found in sports like beach volleyball or track & field. In the ad on the left, you can see that this athlete is a basketball player due to the fact of her holding a basketball. The quote next to her is meant to show that women want to be known as just athletes. Not "a women that is an athlete". She feels like there should not be a difference from a women athlete to a male athlete. The ad on the right shows the athlete doing a sort of stretch or about to do a back bend. This can hint that she might be a gymnast. The quote next to her is meant to let women know that NIKE has sports bras for the "larger-breasted athletes". They want women to be confident when they are participating in their activity and not have to worry about any malfunctions with the clothes they are wearing. Both of these ads focus on the athletes upper body and most the breast area. They also portray an ideal "fit look" for women as these athletes are in very good shape and show a body type that a lot of women aim for when working out. Based off of these two ads, NIKE is giving an unintended message that their athletes are usually in pretty good shape with using these two pictures.
Even in today's society, women are still sexualized for what they wear on the court/field and it unfortunately plays a huge part in the number of viewers they receive. It was states in the film "branded" that the WNBA get a hard time getting a large audience because the players are dressed similarly to the players in the NBA. They are wearing baggy tank top jerseys just like the guys are. On the other hand, beach volleyball always has a fan base because the females are playing in sports bras and bikini bottoms. Wearing less creates more buzz and interest around yourself and your sport.
These two ads are mainly focused toward females who do play a sport regularly or just females who workout in their lives. NIKE is assuming that if you don't do one of those things in your daily life, then the need of a sports bra is pretty small. I understand that the photographer is going to focus on the breast area of the athlete because they are launching a new bra. I think that you will still be able to get the full massage is the athletes entire body was in the photo.


Both of these ads were featured Behance for NIKE's launch of the new sports bra. https://www.behance.net/gallery/18800151/Nike-Women

Blog #3

Kim Kardashian is one of the most synonymously sexualized faces in today's culture. Her carefully shaped body exemplifies the way in which many women attempt to present themselves today. She uses this great influence to her advantage by promoting a number of different products, many of which with blatant disregard for the messaging promoting such a product would send. This product and ad, however, stands out particularly to me. Appetite suppressing lollipops are a prime example of products targeting women's' body insecurities birthed by societal expectations of them. The whole point of them is to lose weight and "skinny," or at least skinny and curvy has been the woman's body norm of recent years. Not only is the product itself promote the sexualization of women but the way in which she's presenting it does as well. Suggestively caressing the lollipop in her mouth while seemingly wearing no clothes at all is about as sexualized as she could have gone with it. An average woman scrolling through her instagram feed seeing this ad is sure to feel anxiety in at least one of two ways. Either towards the fact that they feel inferior to Kim's sex appeal and want to look more like her, or by the product itself that holds the promise of possible weight loss when they may have already been self conscious of their own. Another even greater impact of this ad is who will all see it. If this were a full paged Vanity Fair ad I would imagine that the viewers of it would be at least of age to have some sort of body confidence most likely. However, the fact that this is just a post on her instagram meaning that anyone with an instagram account can see it, and that includes young impressionable girls. Seeing a woman that I am sure many of them look up to promoting such a product is sure to push that girl into believing that is what she should look like someday. I know that she has received public backlash from this advertisement and I am personally glad for it. It is exactly what women of any age don't need and that's clouding their judgement of themselves. I hope that because of this backlash we see a decline in blatantly sexualized ads such as this one. 

sports wear

Although not completely inappropriate, there are ways that this ad could still promote what they are trying to say and what parts of the body it is mean to help or enhance, it could have been portrayed differently. A shoe that helps out certain parts of the body are great, but why have a naked woman to show the targeted areas. In addition, had the woman not be as slim as she is (all around) would it catch as much attention?  According to Schultz (139), women were largely shown that to have a very toned body that it brought women to feel a sense of empowerment; but in this ad, it just shows a toned woman, but also a naked one. Not that an ad should have a naked woman’s body to sell their product, but it could show a dressed version of herself in a way that shows her expression as feeling empowered; rather than just being a slender, lower half of a body. Another part mentioned by Schultz is about creating a sex appeal; there was the idea that if a woman was fit (which this ad suggests) there is a higher chance of enhancing sex. (126). If a woman was not following along with the sex appeal that follows in sports, or in this instance, advertising, then the model, or athlete, would find themselves in some sort of backlash that went against gender order. (126).



J. Schultz. (2014). Qualifying times: points of change in US Women’s Sport. Urbana University of Illinois Press.