論電視廣告與現代女性
05-24, 2014
I. Introduction
As a typical media of spread, advertisements’ basic function is spread and advertisements have the feature of persuasiveness, etc. And different advertisers will choose the media which suits to their products according to their own marketing circumstance. Today, TV has become the most important advertising medium which is also the most extensive sources from which we receive the advertising information. So concerning with the large numbers of products and the diversified consumer’s needs, the advertisers must try to attract their audience in the first step—the process of advertisement communication, and make their advertising information to be remembered by the audience as much as possible. In this process, the origin and expressive technique of advertisements in television are very important. And employing the models, especially female models to act a part relative to the product in the advertisement scene, is an excellent way to show the advertisement’s theme and the product’s quality and function. And so, in the TV advertisement field, there is a new phenomenon that female images are pretty popular, who react the different rants of female images, too.
II. Females’ Influences on Advertisements in Television
Nowadays, as the most important advertising medium, there are so many women’s images appearing frequently in Chinese advertisements. The new phenomenon has its own culture background, and according to it, there appear some types of female images in advertisements in television.
2.1 Culture background of Women’s Images
People in China consider the male as the center of society since ancient times. The expectation and ideal structure of the interaction between men and women in China can be shown through many rules unique to women. Namely, these request women to submit to the male power, strictly adhere to the rules to please man. In the paternal society “the family” is taken as the core of the female and a husband is a wife’s super part. What a female concerns is her family and husband. The woman is forced to go into the paternal society without freedom and is not of privilege to go any school.
Women’s images in advertisements meet the requirements of the traditional Chinese Culture---“a good wife and mother” and a woman should have no talents. Female is described as docile and diligent, and housework is the daily chores of every married woman. The woman does the housework, looks after the child. In those advertisements, female images lack intelligence. In fact they do not need to be intelligent. Their role in the advertisements is to assist men and help them live much more convenient lives.
2.2 Females Being Dominance in Most Advertisements
Advertising is paid none—personal communication from an identified sponsor using mass media to persuade or influence the audience. Advertisements try to find the most effective way to present a sales message to a potential consumer. And advertising, by its very nature, tries to persuade its audience to do something. Relevance, original and impact-(ROL)—are key elements of effective advertising. Being relevant to the things you care about, to some degree, advertisements can influence our lives and thoughts equally.#p#分頁標題#e#
Zhao Yan in the article of The Perspective of Feminine Culture and Feminism in the Mass Media says,
Some materials either proved that, through the scientific investigation, 1197 commercials (except silent advertisements), out of 517 female characters, 87% are the young and attractive female, 7.4% are the youths, 1.5% are the middle—aged women, 3.7% are the old women, and another 0.4% are the women who are of different ages. The proportion of the young ladies among women outnumbers greatly the proportion of young men in the disaster role (61.4%).
Women’s beauty wins the admiration of commercial advertisements, and especially the friendly, kindhearted, young, beautiful, fresh, charming and sexy images comply with the aim of the advertisements. They have become the object that female and male’s sight pursuits with the rapid development of the media. Women are accepted and expected by people, for their colorful figures but in fact they become a product to the commerce.
2.3 Different Images of Females in Advertisements
There are many types of females’ images in advertisements. In this part, we will talk about four types of these images, the image of good wife and mother, the image of iron lady, the image of angel, the image of boy-like girls. And all kinds of women’s images are very friendly, kindhearted, young, beautiful, sweet, sexy and fresh。
2.3.1 The Image of Good Wife and Mother
The image of good wife and mother is based on the family. At present, in most television advertisements, many of women are playing a role about suppliers and consumers in daily life, and it seems that these supplies consumers’ goods become the “special rights” of women; therefore, the phenomenon is exaggerated in advertisements of the real life. Many women who conform these advertisements become the representative images of advertisements. From delicious food to the market, from washing machines to cooks, women with different looks, different colors, different costumes and different ages are appearing in advertisements in television, at the same time, they not only try their best to propagate these products in advertisements, but also played an important role – the good wife and mother. In these advertisements for commerce purpose, the roles of “mother” and “wife” instead of “woman”. The woman's duty is doing the housework, taking care of their families, the importance of their lives is fixed on their family, especially their children and husbands.
They express the merits of traditional women, so the image of the good wife and mother are expected in real life.
Case:
In an advertisement, the narrative structure is very simple: first, the father and the son are taking a DV--show for the mother, and the mother faces to the camera with natural grain cooking oil in her hands, second, and all of the family are sitting around the table and enjoying the meal, and third, the son gives his mother a gold medal.#p#分頁標題#e#
The dialogue:
Mom: For the health of my family, I would like to choose the natural grain oil.
Son: Excellent, and give my mother a gold medal.
Voice Over: The good mothers choose the natural grain oil.
The typical advertisement shaped the image of good wife and mother.
2.3.2 The Image of Iron Lady
The image of iron lady is based on the job. With the development of the society, many capable women are moving toward the society. They are eager to be free from the family, from the power of their husbands. They need to have their own jobs and their own lives. Therefore, the image of iron lady is aroused naturally. In this kind of advertisement, the females who wear the professional attire works in the career, and express their confidence when they are talking and working. They operate each kind of operation in their office, “the iron lady” is engaged in the white-collars, such as the teacher, the secretary and so on.
At the present, advertisements of toothpaste usually use such image.
Case:
The toothpaste of “Crest” has performed a piece of advertisement:
In the office, the female boss says to the female subordinate that “you only have two weeks left and then you will take the advertisement, in this period you are forbidden to drink the coffee and the red wine, and you cannot eat the chocolate in order to keep you teeth whitely”, and the female subordinate wears the professional attire, with the smiling on her face, and replies “No problem”.
The first lens:
The female subordinate's changes her professional attire into the gorgeous evening dress and holding the red wine, smiling and talking to others.
The second lens:
In the sunlight morning, the female subordinate is putting on the home clothing, sitting leisurely, and drinking the coffee on the sofa.
The third lens:
The female subordinate enjoys the sunlight, and at the same time she tastes the chocolate comfortable.
The fourth close-up:
After finishing the advertisements, the female boss praised the female subordinate and the female subordinate hands the toothpaste of “Crest”, saying “Thanks to you”.
From the advertisement, we can see that it may utilize this kind of image successfully. This advertisement refracts the image of the new-times female, with their merits of independent, enjoying the life.
2.3.3 The Image of Angel
In advertising creativity, there is a golden rule -"3B" - beauty, baby, beast (sex, children, animals). The three carriers attract more attention from audiences. In addition, the beauty appears in the advertising creativity frequently. It is clearly seen that the public has great influence on “beauty effect”. In some advertisements, it is necessary to highlight women with their own charm to express the theme of advertising, for example, some kinds of jewelry, watches, clothing and various cosmetics. If women use their own charm, innocent, sexy, and other characteristics as body language, it must attract much more attention from the consumers, especially the female in the real life.#p#分頁標題#e#
Case:
Maggie Cheung does the "new rejuvenate" for “OLAY” in the advertisement in the case. In all audiences’ hearts, the name of "Maggie Cheung" is elegant, noble, and beautiful and so on. Before the camera, a smile, a word of Maggie Cheung is the charm of the Oriental women. Finally, she says” To become more beautiful, it is very easy”, and naturally, the cosmetic of new rejuvenate appears.
This advertisement utilizes the image of angel of women.
2.3.4 The Image of Boy-like Girls
In the advertisements, most of the people want to use the "beauty" to attract attention from audiences and look forward to increasing the sales of products. But some of advertisements behaved oppositely. The images in these advertisements are not the beauty; oppositely they are lively, vibrant, and gentle. They were known as the “Boy-like Girls ". In a word, the emergence of this image is the liberation of the eyeball of these audiences who see the beauty usually; it is the reform from the vision to the psychology.
Case:
In 2004, in Hunan Satellite TV, the winner of the activity of "super girls", Li Yu Chun is famous in all parts of China. She is a typical boy-like girl.
In 2004, a girl looks like the basketball star Yao Ming, with short, yellow hair, who appears on the platform. She dresses boys’ clothing, and in the arena of Hunan Satellite TV, she is different from other girls who are pure, sexy, vibrant, gently. But no one thinks that this neutral girl will be famous all of China after a few months, and she captures the hearts of millions of young boys and girls. For a time, there are so many persons becomes her fans, and a large number of people begin to imitate her dress.
Therefore, some businessmen employ Li Yu Chun and other super-girls to be the image of their products, for example, the Mengniu Group. As early as in 2004, the Mengniu Group becomes the investor of the activity of “super-girls”, and then the activity called the "Mengniu Milk super -girls," but at that time there are not any image associated with the Mengniu Group. But when Li Yu Chun is famous, the Group Mengniu immediately employs her to become the image of their products, and plans a number of television commercials.
This is the first time to use a “boy-like girl” to be the image of the products in the commercial essentially.
III. Advertisements’ Influences on Females
Today, it has become increasingly common for people to see advertisements on TV. Whenever we turn on our television, we will see various kinds’ advertisements. Advertising is an important social phenomenon in the economic globalization and the information age. It has become an indispensable part of modern society. And there are so many women’s images appearing frequently in Chinese commercial advertisements in television. We can find the connotative meaning from the back of advertisements. With women’s images appearing in advertisements, some positive influences on consuming tendency are appeared, and at the same time some misunderstanding is also appeared. Because of the misunderstanding, women’s images are driven to various fixed roles step by step. So it reflects modern women’s status in society.#p#分頁標題#e#
3.1 Positive Influences
In real life, when the consumers want to buy some product, usually they do not have the definite object, so they must memorize the experience of their own, and get some information from the memory, but the memory is limited. At this time, the information around them may be more important. And these advertisements in television are one of the most important methods to do it. When the information from advertisements is the same with the consumers’ thoughts, it will arouse the desire of shopping. And so, these advertisements will become tips of consumers.
How to make the consumer believe the advertisement and buy the product?
I think the image of the advertisement is very attractive and persuasive. So many companies pay much money to employ the model who suits for their products. Because women’s images are usually friendly, kindhearted, young, beautiful, fresh, charming and sexy, they would be more persuasive. Sometimes, the image of female in advertisements will persuade the female in real life to buy the products easily.
According to the statistics of the American women’s consumption in 1979, they spend 30 million on the cosmetics, 20 million on their hair, 20 million on the consumption of the perfume, 15 millions on the skin-care, and 4 million on losing fat. And in 1990, the statistics rose in some areas, for example, they paid more money on the area of losing fat, skin-care, and the cosmetic.
Case:
In the advertisement of the Shampoo—Pantene
In the advertisement, there is a beauty with long, black, soft and light hair in the television, and the beautiful attracts eyeballs of audiences. And then the voice begins: “To have the long and black hair, it is not a dream.”
After watching the advertisements, many people, especially the female, will think “How can I get the long, black and beautify hair? If I try the shampoo, I will like the image in the advertisement.” And naturally, the sales of the shampoo will increase.
3.2 Negative Influences
It cannot be denied that advertisements have much good influence on our life. However, ads also have some bad influences. Advertising language, as a kind of persuasive one, has the ultimate goal of informing the potential consumers of the advertised products or service, and persuading them into purchasing action. In order to realize their goal, advertisers rack their brains to employ every means, including linguistic and non—linguistic, to maximize the persuasive effect. For instance, they may lead us to buy what we do not really want. Some advertisements do not tell the truth. So sometimes consumers may feel being cheated when they buy a product whose quality does not live up to what is advertised. So, in my opinion, consumers should hold a rational attitude toward advertisement on TV. And the women images also have these problems.
3.2.1 Becoming the Appendage of Men in Advertisements#p#分頁標題#e#
In this kind of advertisements, as the author has displayed, the female has the following characteristics:
Firstly, female has no status and a vague occupation, yet, no intelligence. Secondly, female admires and heavily relies on the male: no individuality, and finally, female is voluntarily played with by the male, and following the men’s opinion
Case:
In the picture with the change of the design of the ties, a man has love affairs with different women, simultaneously, matched with the pun: “a thousand section, ten thousand choices, Goldlion- a man’s world.”
In the advertisement, the female is a decoration that can be replaced at will, and is merely a paltry prop in “a man’s world.” Completely in the man’s point of view the advertisement describes that the man in the advertisements as the life style that a romantic and successful man should have, as a kind of module, a “romantic” man should be able to deal freely with all kinds of women. On the contrary women are absent, silent and dependent.
3.2.2 Becoming the Specific and Abstract Women Images
In countless advertisements, the women are not only the key point, but also under the careful examination of the man. Male’s praising and approving becomes the standard for feminine beauty. The camera takes the view point of the male, they portray each aspect of the feminine body separately, substituting the whole with partial bodies. The female as an object for appreciation, must gain the approval of men through competition. In this sense, although in the advertisement the female wears beautiful clothes, is alterative and charming, she is still the object of appreciation. They do not have rights to positively appreciate and determine their own value but can only unceasingly change themselves to please the opposite sex.
The female in this advertisement are very beautiful, like an overwhelming force that caresses the face directly, but at a deeper level they took pale and frail. This is attributed to the fact that the female is still the disadvantaged group in modern society.
Take the following advertisement an example: Longsha stockings. The picture shows a young girl wearing a miniskirt with a shopping bag in her hand, gracefully and self—confidently passing by several gentlemen, causing to them turn to stare. From the expanded pupils of the gentlemen, the girl’s sexy back is revealed to the audience as she walks towards the racing bicycle. The entire advertisement is illustrated by the masculine sound that Fashion—Lofty –Moving. Not only attracts –the Longsha stockings.
Through this advertisement takes the female as center, the importance of the feminine is demonstrated only in the pupil close—up of the male on –look. The advertisement intends to transmit the following information; feminine charm can only be approved through male entrusts, it must satisfy male’s desire, and the male is the observer, the connoisseur, and critic. This relationship reveals inconspicuously that the male is stranger, more active. Another element displayed in the advertisements was the air mystery that accompanies the photographs. In one particular advertisement, a woman is posed on a table, looking away from the camera with cigarette between her fingers. The pose is nearly mimicked in another advertisement but the women pictured instead is learning across the table more, facing he camera with her cigarette holding hand covering half of her face. The women are draped as if to say “look at me”. The hovering shadows show the stereo typical notion that women need to be protected, if even just from their own menacing shadows. The way, in which the other woman covers her faces, also sticks with the idea that woman should be quiet. She is posed so that men can take at her, and enforce the idea that she won’t talk back since her hand is blocking her mouth. The women are portrayed as weak and fragile being that is controlled by the power of the gaze held by men. #p#分頁標題#e#
At present advertisements are far different from the past images. A completely naked woman, except the sheet pan on her legs, is crouched over so that her legs are the main focus. She head isn’t shown, providing an in humane view of the female body. She is an object, nothing more. Marian Macurdy once made a similar commentary: “In MTV the most universal subject is their body is divided by the camera, explaining that females may be stared as the goods. In another advertisement for Longsha stockings, the loading lady whose whole body doesn’t appear, only the legs in the silk stockings and the commodity brand is repeatedly stressed. Similar things also can be seen in advertisement for other products like bath fluids and cosmetics. Each part of the body of the feminine—eyes, lips, faces, arms, legs and the back etc. are drifted away from the entire body, then become scattered in disorder fragment discontinuously. Exactly speaking, in this kind of advertisement although the female is present, she is actually not really “in the field”. Comparing with “a good wife and mother”, the female here is obviously degraded to the status of “the absence”, “she” has been obviously already materialized to be a stage prop, and her value lies merely in building up “ the success” of this gentleman “she” is the accessory of “he”.
3.2.3 Becoming the Perfect Women Images
Advertising art and the commercial combine, using high technical measures to deal with original picture to create perfect ones similar to Utopia. The women’s images also abstain idealized reappearance. In advertisements, women mostly dress young and sexy, with admiring perfect figures, soft and undamaged skin and splendid semblance. Her image is far higher than the ordinary standard, which is reality the majority of women can never achieve. The exaggerated descriptions of feminine special characteristic, certainly does not show the feminine in reality, but in a greater degree to meet male fantasies: that of the sweet but not threatening: sexy but formed by male’s thoughts; perfect but under the merit demand. The advertisement misleads the female to believe that physical helps most to realize self-worth. A woman can change her person and even her life style with only a new make –up technique. Here, the feminine initiative has not certainly been denied, that is consciously directed to a different track: display physical beauty, to be satisfied and perfect in the domain planned by the male.
3.2.4 Becoming Sexual Objects of Man
Beautiful woman are the biggest temptations for each normal men, and the appreciation and the possession of the opposite sex is a man's possession instinct, of course not all men are able to have a beauty, but they still want to appreciate beauty. To someone’s statistics, one person may contact about 10.000 people in his life, in which, of course, there are even less “beautiful” women.#p#分頁標題#e#
Advertisements offer an opportunity to each of the men to enjoy many lovely girls. They can appreciate various beautiful women from different parts of the world in their comfortable sofas. There are beautiful women on television shows and gorgeous female stars in movies. However, when the screen is filled with tedious advertisements, how attract people in those advertisements? Beautiful woman is the best choice. It is the winning strategy of multitudinous advertisement agents. They offer viewers the most beautiful women. No matter what the products are oriented, the beauty always appears on the screen. Once the potential consumer has focused on advertisements, their initial goal is achieved. Maybe you cannot remember what the commodity was at first, but you will be attracted to it over and again. It is the psychology of the male then does their business.
Therefore, images of women become the spokesman of sex in this kind of turned psychology of the audience. The advertisement agents mistakenly create a vulgar image in order to get their products across to the consumer. As a result, the golden “3B” principle is used improperly.
In order to pursuer the attraction of the advertisements, a pornography measure is used even if it is not related to the product or advertisement. It is a long time that these kinds of advertisement pictures form one kind of intense visual impulse to existing in the advertisements propaganda then become the audiences’ focus. The women’ images have been used, the advertisements are misunderstood about beauty and that’s why corroded persons mind.
In these advertisements the perfect women’s images, case women to worry about their imperfections, and physical beauty becomes the standard of women. This has substituted the women’s intrinsic quality. It’s a result that the facial, vulgar women’s images like a formula in the advertisements.
Domestic media commercial advertisements express the female character in gender discrimination, which forms the model of the advertisement = commodity and female. A sexy body smooth flesh, plentiful chest and enchanting things are exaggerated and emphasized in advertisements, sending a symbol of sex to men, which harm the feminine dignity and image.
V. Conclusion
With the development of the society and variety of the products, the image of the advertising models also should develop with diversify. Facing with the diversified markets and audiences, TV advertisement should be based on the consensus of the function of information communication, utilize the communication effect fully, and make the advertising models play their greatest effect. And women’s images are often used by commercial advertisement in order to make those models imitated by people. The merchant offers for sale the merchandise in great amount to seek exorbitant profits.
The modern woman is usually misled by the advertisements, to decorate her own figure and face. The abundant chest, the liposuction and so on all become the best choices for women who are looking forward to becoming more beautiful. Women should not merely pursue fashion, relish for material things and make up. These images have significantly twisted female’s real beauty, and simultaneously have neglected the intrinsic quality of a woman. Along with the expansion and deepening of the western feminine principle, it’s hoped in our country feminine image in the advertisements will have a new look. But it should be seen that to pursuer the self—perfection, the overall development, and to realize the concern of humanity is the unceasingly progress and the development root of mankind. Therefore, new advertisements enriching people’s spiritual life satisfying people’s spiritual needs, strengthening the dissemination of the human spirit aimed at the truth the good and beauty, the distortion of women’s images can finally vanish.#p#分頁標題#e#
Equally, intelligence and self-confidence of the female can be displayed in advertisements. It’s hoped that women will be portrayed as natural, independent and pursuing self—worth in this advertisement. Finally, making a space for the female in the populace media cultural dissemination, is not only a problem about realization of women, but also related to realization of human-beings.
Bibliography
[1] Cigarette Advertising and Female Smoking Prevalence in Spain, 1982-1997
[2]. Characteristics of Television Advertisements
[3] Females and Advertising The Oppression of Females in Advertising
[4] Geis, Michael .The Language of Television Advertising. New York: Academic Press，1982
[5] Maggie-Jo St John Advertising and The promotion industry 清華大學出版社，1998，1
[6] 卜衛 《媒介與性別》 江蘇：江蘇人民出版社，1999
[7] 電子雜志《電視廣告中女性形象的功能分析》 2002
[8] 蔣原倫 《媒體文化與消費時代》北京：中央人民出版社，2004
[9] 李敏 “女性主義視域中的媒介研究”，《新聞與傳播研究》 2005，3
[10] 梅德明 《中級口譯教程》上海：上海外語教育出版社 2003
As a typical media of spread, advertisements’ basic function is spread and advertisements have the feature of persuasiveness, etc. And different advertisers will choose the media which suits to their products according to their own marketing circumstance. Today, TV has become the most important advertising medium which is also the most extensive sources from which we receive the advertising information. So concerning with the large numbers of products and the diversified consumer’s needs, the advertisers must try to attract their audience in the first step—the process of advertisement communication, and make their advertising information to be remembered by the audience as much as possible. In this process, the origin and expressive technique of advertisements in television are very important. And employing the models, especially female models to act a part relative to the product in the advertisement scene, is an excellent way to show the advertisement’s theme and the product’s quality and function. And so, in the TV advertisement field, there is a new phenomenon that female images are pretty popular, who react the different rants of female images, too.
II. Females’ Influences on Advertisements in Television
Nowadays, as the most important advertising medium, there are so many women’s images appearing frequently in Chinese advertisements. The new phenomenon has its own culture background, and according to it, there appear some types of female images in advertisements in television.
2.1 Culture background of Women’s Images
People in China consider the male as the center of society since ancient times. The expectation and ideal structure of the interaction between men and women in China can be shown through many rules unique to women. Namely, these request women to submit to the male power, strictly adhere to the rules to please man. In the paternal society “the family” is taken as the core of the female and a husband is a wife’s super part. What a female concerns is her family and husband. The woman is forced to go into the paternal society without freedom and is not of privilege to go any school.
Women’s images in advertisements meet the requirements of the traditional Chinese Culture---“a good wife and mother” and a woman should have no talents. Female is described as docile and diligent, and housework is the daily chores of every married woman. The woman does the housework, looks after the child. In those advertisements, female images lack intelligence. In fact they do not need to be intelligent. Their role in the advertisements is to assist men and help them live much more convenient lives.
2.2 Females Being Dominance in Most Advertisements
Advertising is paid none—personal communication from an identified sponsor using mass media to persuade or influence the audience. Advertisements try to find the most effective way to present a sales message to a potential consumer. And advertising, by its very nature, tries to persuade its audience to do something. Relevance, original and impact-(ROL)—are key elements of effective advertising. Being relevant to the things you care about, to some degree, advertisements can influence our lives and thoughts equally.#p#分頁標題#e#
Zhao Yan in the article of The Perspective of Feminine Culture and Feminism in the Mass Media says,
Some materials either proved that, through the scientific investigation, 1197 commercials (except silent advertisements), out of 517 female characters, 87% are the young and attractive female, 7.4% are the youths, 1.5% are the middle—aged women, 3.7% are the old women, and another 0.4% are the women who are of different ages. The proportion of the young ladies among women outnumbers greatly the proportion of young men in the disaster role (61.4%).
Women’s beauty wins the admiration of commercial advertisements, and especially the friendly, kindhearted, young, beautiful, fresh, charming and sexy images comply with the aim of the advertisements. They have become the object that female and male’s sight pursuits with the rapid development of the media. Women are accepted and expected by people, for their colorful figures but in fact they become a product to the commerce.
2.3 Different Images of Females in Advertisements
There are many types of females’ images in advertisements. In this part, we will talk about four types of these images, the image of good wife and mother, the image of iron lady, the image of angel, the image of boy-like girls. And all kinds of women’s images are very friendly, kindhearted, young, beautiful, sweet, sexy and fresh。
2.3.1 The Image of Good Wife and Mother
The image of good wife and mother is based on the family. At present, in most television advertisements, many of women are playing a role about suppliers and consumers in daily life, and it seems that these supplies consumers’ goods become the “special rights” of women; therefore, the phenomenon is exaggerated in advertisements of the real life. Many women who conform these advertisements become the representative images of advertisements. From delicious food to the market, from washing machines to cooks, women with different looks, different colors, different costumes and different ages are appearing in advertisements in television, at the same time, they not only try their best to propagate these products in advertisements, but also played an important role – the good wife and mother. In these advertisements for commerce purpose, the roles of “mother” and “wife” instead of “woman”. The woman's duty is doing the housework, taking care of their families, the importance of their lives is fixed on their family, especially their children and husbands.
They express the merits of traditional women, so the image of the good wife and mother are expected in real life.
Case:
In an advertisement, the narrative structure is very simple: first, the father and the son are taking a DV--show for the mother, and the mother faces to the camera with natural grain cooking oil in her hands, second, and all of the family are sitting around the table and enjoying the meal, and third, the son gives his mother a gold medal.#p#分頁標題#e#
The dialogue:
Mom: For the health of my family, I would like to choose the natural grain oil.
Son: Excellent, and give my mother a gold medal.
Voice Over: The good mothers choose the natural grain oil.
The typical advertisement shaped the image of good wife and mother.
2.3.2 The Image of Iron Lady
The image of iron lady is based on the job. With the development of the society, many capable women are moving toward the society. They are eager to be free from the family, from the power of their husbands. They need to have their own jobs and their own lives. Therefore, the image of iron lady is aroused naturally. In this kind of advertisement, the females who wear the professional attire works in the career, and express their confidence when they are talking and working. They operate each kind of operation in their office, “the iron lady” is engaged in the white-collars, such as the teacher, the secretary and so on.
At the present, advertisements of toothpaste usually use such image.
Case:
The toothpaste of “Crest” has performed a piece of advertisement:
In the office, the female boss says to the female subordinate that “you only have two weeks left and then you will take the advertisement, in this period you are forbidden to drink the coffee and the red wine, and you cannot eat the chocolate in order to keep you teeth whitely”, and the female subordinate wears the professional attire, with the smiling on her face, and replies “No problem”.
The first lens:
The female subordinate's changes her professional attire into the gorgeous evening dress and holding the red wine, smiling and talking to others.
The second lens:
In the sunlight morning, the female subordinate is putting on the home clothing, sitting leisurely, and drinking the coffee on the sofa.
The third lens:
The female subordinate enjoys the sunlight, and at the same time she tastes the chocolate comfortable.
The fourth close-up:
After finishing the advertisements, the female boss praised the female subordinate and the female subordinate hands the toothpaste of “Crest”, saying “Thanks to you”.
From the advertisement, we can see that it may utilize this kind of image successfully. This advertisement refracts the image of the new-times female, with their merits of independent, enjoying the life.
2.3.3 The Image of Angel
In advertising creativity, there is a golden rule -"3B" - beauty, baby, beast (sex, children, animals). The three carriers attract more attention from audiences. In addition, the beauty appears in the advertising creativity frequently. It is clearly seen that the public has great influence on “beauty effect”. In some advertisements, it is necessary to highlight women with their own charm to express the theme of advertising, for example, some kinds of jewelry, watches, clothing and various cosmetics. If women use their own charm, innocent, sexy, and other characteristics as body language, it must attract much more attention from the consumers, especially the female in the real life.#p#分頁標題#e#
Case:
Maggie Cheung does the "new rejuvenate" for “OLAY” in the advertisement in the case. In all audiences’ hearts, the name of "Maggie Cheung" is elegant, noble, and beautiful and so on. Before the camera, a smile, a word of Maggie Cheung is the charm of the Oriental women. Finally, she says” To become more beautiful, it is very easy”, and naturally, the cosmetic of new rejuvenate appears.
This advertisement utilizes the image of angel of women.
2.3.4 The Image of Boy-like Girls
In the advertisements, most of the people want to use the "beauty" to attract attention from audiences and look forward to increasing the sales of products. But some of advertisements behaved oppositely. The images in these advertisements are not the beauty; oppositely they are lively, vibrant, and gentle. They were known as the “Boy-like Girls ". In a word, the emergence of this image is the liberation of the eyeball of these audiences who see the beauty usually; it is the reform from the vision to the psychology.
Case:
In 2004, in Hunan Satellite TV, the winner of the activity of "super girls", Li Yu Chun is famous in all parts of China. She is a typical boy-like girl.
In 2004, a girl looks like the basketball star Yao Ming, with short, yellow hair, who appears on the platform. She dresses boys’ clothing, and in the arena of Hunan Satellite TV, she is different from other girls who are pure, sexy, vibrant, gently. But no one thinks that this neutral girl will be famous all of China after a few months, and she captures the hearts of millions of young boys and girls. For a time, there are so many persons becomes her fans, and a large number of people begin to imitate her dress.
Therefore, some businessmen employ Li Yu Chun and other super-girls to be the image of their products, for example, the Mengniu Group. As early as in 2004, the Mengniu Group becomes the investor of the activity of “super-girls”, and then the activity called the "Mengniu Milk super -girls," but at that time there are not any image associated with the Mengniu Group. But when Li Yu Chun is famous, the Group Mengniu immediately employs her to become the image of their products, and plans a number of television commercials.
This is the first time to use a “boy-like girl” to be the image of the products in the commercial essentially.
III. Advertisements’ Influences on Females
Today, it has become increasingly common for people to see advertisements on TV. Whenever we turn on our television, we will see various kinds’ advertisements. Advertising is an important social phenomenon in the economic globalization and the information age. It has become an indispensable part of modern society. And there are so many women’s images appearing frequently in Chinese commercial advertisements in television. We can find the connotative meaning from the back of advertisements. With women’s images appearing in advertisements, some positive influences on consuming tendency are appeared, and at the same time some misunderstanding is also appeared. Because of the misunderstanding, women’s images are driven to various fixed roles step by step. So it reflects modern women’s status in society.#p#分頁標題#e#
3.1 Positive Influences
In real life, when the consumers want to buy some product, usually they do not have the definite object, so they must memorize the experience of their own, and get some information from the memory, but the memory is limited. At this time, the information around them may be more important. And these advertisements in television are one of the most important methods to do it. When the information from advertisements is the same with the consumers’ thoughts, it will arouse the desire of shopping. And so, these advertisements will become tips of consumers.
How to make the consumer believe the advertisement and buy the product?
I think the image of the advertisement is very attractive and persuasive. So many companies pay much money to employ the model who suits for their products. Because women’s images are usually friendly, kindhearted, young, beautiful, fresh, charming and sexy, they would be more persuasive. Sometimes, the image of female in advertisements will persuade the female in real life to buy the products easily.
According to the statistics of the American women’s consumption in 1979, they spend 30 million on the cosmetics, 20 million on their hair, 20 million on the consumption of the perfume, 15 millions on the skin-care, and 4 million on losing fat. And in 1990, the statistics rose in some areas, for example, they paid more money on the area of losing fat, skin-care, and the cosmetic.
Case:
In the advertisement of the Shampoo—Pantene
In the advertisement, there is a beauty with long, black, soft and light hair in the television, and the beautiful attracts eyeballs of audiences. And then the voice begins: “To have the long and black hair, it is not a dream.”
After watching the advertisements, many people, especially the female, will think “How can I get the long, black and beautify hair? If I try the shampoo, I will like the image in the advertisement.” And naturally, the sales of the shampoo will increase.
3.2 Negative Influences
It cannot be denied that advertisements have much good influence on our life. However, ads also have some bad influences. Advertising language, as a kind of persuasive one, has the ultimate goal of informing the potential consumers of the advertised products or service, and persuading them into purchasing action. In order to realize their goal, advertisers rack their brains to employ every means, including linguistic and non—linguistic, to maximize the persuasive effect. For instance, they may lead us to buy what we do not really want. Some advertisements do not tell the truth. So sometimes consumers may feel being cheated when they buy a product whose quality does not live up to what is advertised. So, in my opinion, consumers should hold a rational attitude toward advertisement on TV. And the women images also have these problems.
3.2.1 Becoming the Appendage of Men in Advertisements#p#分頁標題#e#
In this kind of advertisements, as the author has displayed, the female has the following characteristics:
Firstly, female has no status and a vague occupation, yet, no intelligence. Secondly, female admires and heavily relies on the male: no individuality, and finally, female is voluntarily played with by the male, and following the men’s opinion
Case:
In the picture with the change of the design of the ties, a man has love affairs with different women, simultaneously, matched with the pun: “a thousand section, ten thousand choices, Goldlion- a man’s world.”
In the advertisement, the female is a decoration that can be replaced at will, and is merely a paltry prop in “a man’s world.” Completely in the man’s point of view the advertisement describes that the man in the advertisements as the life style that a romantic and successful man should have, as a kind of module, a “romantic” man should be able to deal freely with all kinds of women. On the contrary women are absent, silent and dependent.
3.2.2 Becoming the Specific and Abstract Women Images
In countless advertisements, the women are not only the key point, but also under the careful examination of the man. Male’s praising and approving becomes the standard for feminine beauty. The camera takes the view point of the male, they portray each aspect of the feminine body separately, substituting the whole with partial bodies. The female as an object for appreciation, must gain the approval of men through competition. In this sense, although in the advertisement the female wears beautiful clothes, is alterative and charming, she is still the object of appreciation. They do not have rights to positively appreciate and determine their own value but can only unceasingly change themselves to please the opposite sex.
The female in this advertisement are very beautiful, like an overwhelming force that caresses the face directly, but at a deeper level they took pale and frail. This is attributed to the fact that the female is still the disadvantaged group in modern society.
Take the following advertisement an example: Longsha stockings. The picture shows a young girl wearing a miniskirt with a shopping bag in her hand, gracefully and self—confidently passing by several gentlemen, causing to them turn to stare. From the expanded pupils of the gentlemen, the girl’s sexy back is revealed to the audience as she walks towards the racing bicycle. The entire advertisement is illustrated by the masculine sound that Fashion—Lofty –Moving. Not only attracts –the Longsha stockings.
Through this advertisement takes the female as center, the importance of the feminine is demonstrated only in the pupil close—up of the male on –look. The advertisement intends to transmit the following information; feminine charm can only be approved through male entrusts, it must satisfy male’s desire, and the male is the observer, the connoisseur, and critic. This relationship reveals inconspicuously that the male is stranger, more active. Another element displayed in the advertisements was the air mystery that accompanies the photographs. In one particular advertisement, a woman is posed on a table, looking away from the camera with cigarette between her fingers. The pose is nearly mimicked in another advertisement but the women pictured instead is learning across the table more, facing he camera with her cigarette holding hand covering half of her face. The women are draped as if to say “look at me”. The hovering shadows show the stereo typical notion that women need to be protected, if even just from their own menacing shadows. The way, in which the other woman covers her faces, also sticks with the idea that woman should be quiet. She is posed so that men can take at her, and enforce the idea that she won’t talk back since her hand is blocking her mouth. The women are portrayed as weak and fragile being that is controlled by the power of the gaze held by men. #p#分頁標題#e#
At present advertisements are far different from the past images. A completely naked woman, except the sheet pan on her legs, is crouched over so that her legs are the main focus. She head isn’t shown, providing an in humane view of the female body. She is an object, nothing more. Marian Macurdy once made a similar commentary: “In MTV the most universal subject is their body is divided by the camera, explaining that females may be stared as the goods. In another advertisement for Longsha stockings, the loading lady whose whole body doesn’t appear, only the legs in the silk stockings and the commodity brand is repeatedly stressed. Similar things also can be seen in advertisement for other products like bath fluids and cosmetics. Each part of the body of the feminine—eyes, lips, faces, arms, legs and the back etc. are drifted away from the entire body, then become scattered in disorder fragment discontinuously. Exactly speaking, in this kind of advertisement although the female is present, she is actually not really “in the field”. Comparing with “a good wife and mother”, the female here is obviously degraded to the status of “the absence”, “she” has been obviously already materialized to be a stage prop, and her value lies merely in building up “ the success” of this gentleman “she” is the accessory of “he”.
3.2.3 Becoming the Perfect Women Images
Advertising art and the commercial combine, using high technical measures to deal with original picture to create perfect ones similar to Utopia. The women’s images also abstain idealized reappearance. In advertisements, women mostly dress young and sexy, with admiring perfect figures, soft and undamaged skin and splendid semblance. Her image is far higher than the ordinary standard, which is reality the majority of women can never achieve. The exaggerated descriptions of feminine special characteristic, certainly does not show the feminine in reality, but in a greater degree to meet male fantasies: that of the sweet but not threatening: sexy but formed by male’s thoughts; perfect but under the merit demand. The advertisement misleads the female to believe that physical helps most to realize self-worth. A woman can change her person and even her life style with only a new make –up technique. Here, the feminine initiative has not certainly been denied, that is consciously directed to a different track: display physical beauty, to be satisfied and perfect in the domain planned by the male.
3.2.4 Becoming Sexual Objects of Man
Beautiful woman are the biggest temptations for each normal men, and the appreciation and the possession of the opposite sex is a man's possession instinct, of course not all men are able to have a beauty, but they still want to appreciate beauty. To someone’s statistics, one person may contact about 10.000 people in his life, in which, of course, there are even less “beautiful” women.#p#分頁標題#e#
Advertisements offer an opportunity to each of the men to enjoy many lovely girls. They can appreciate various beautiful women from different parts of the world in their comfortable sofas. There are beautiful women on television shows and gorgeous female stars in movies. However, when the screen is filled with tedious advertisements, how attract people in those advertisements? Beautiful woman is the best choice. It is the winning strategy of multitudinous advertisement agents. They offer viewers the most beautiful women. No matter what the products are oriented, the beauty always appears on the screen. Once the potential consumer has focused on advertisements, their initial goal is achieved. Maybe you cannot remember what the commodity was at first, but you will be attracted to it over and again. It is the psychology of the male then does their business.
Therefore, images of women become the spokesman of sex in this kind of turned psychology of the audience. The advertisement agents mistakenly create a vulgar image in order to get their products across to the consumer. As a result, the golden “3B” principle is used improperly.
In order to pursuer the attraction of the advertisements, a pornography measure is used even if it is not related to the product or advertisement. It is a long time that these kinds of advertisement pictures form one kind of intense visual impulse to existing in the advertisements propaganda then become the audiences’ focus. The women’ images have been used, the advertisements are misunderstood about beauty and that’s why corroded persons mind.
In these advertisements the perfect women’s images, case women to worry about their imperfections, and physical beauty becomes the standard of women. This has substituted the women’s intrinsic quality. It’s a result that the facial, vulgar women’s images like a formula in the advertisements.
Domestic media commercial advertisements express the female character in gender discrimination, which forms the model of the advertisement = commodity and female. A sexy body smooth flesh, plentiful chest and enchanting things are exaggerated and emphasized in advertisements, sending a symbol of sex to men, which harm the feminine dignity and image.
V. Conclusion
With the development of the society and variety of the products, the image of the advertising models also should develop with diversify. Facing with the diversified markets and audiences, TV advertisement should be based on the consensus of the function of information communication, utilize the communication effect fully, and make the advertising models play their greatest effect. And women’s images are often used by commercial advertisement in order to make those models imitated by people. The merchant offers for sale the merchandise in great amount to seek exorbitant profits.
The modern woman is usually misled by the advertisements, to decorate her own figure and face. The abundant chest, the liposuction and so on all become the best choices for women who are looking forward to becoming more beautiful. Women should not merely pursue fashion, relish for material things and make up. These images have significantly twisted female’s real beauty, and simultaneously have neglected the intrinsic quality of a woman. Along with the expansion and deepening of the western feminine principle, it’s hoped in our country feminine image in the advertisements will have a new look. But it should be seen that to pursuer the self—perfection, the overall development, and to realize the concern of humanity is the unceasingly progress and the development root of mankind. Therefore, new advertisements enriching people’s spiritual life satisfying people’s spiritual needs, strengthening the dissemination of the human spirit aimed at the truth the good and beauty, the distortion of women’s images can finally vanish.#p#分頁標題#e#
Equally, intelligence and self-confidence of the female can be displayed in advertisements. It’s hoped that women will be portrayed as natural, independent and pursuing self—worth in this advertisement. Finally, making a space for the female in the populace media cultural dissemination, is not only a problem about realization of women, but also related to realization of human-beings.
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