pg. 70 "Think About Your Writing"

My advertisement analysis essay for English is about the portrayal of women in the media and how the ad industry advertises to women. This is a topic that matters to me, is part of a larger national conversation on beauty and advertising, and I think that my motivation for writing is clear- to analyze how advertisements for women use tactics to make them feel that they are not good enough the way that they are, and that is why they need the advertised product/service to make them beautiful. They play on women's insecurities (about themselves and their bodies) and their desire to be beautiful in order to sell products. These ads for beauty products always feature young, beautiful women that have been airbrushed, retouched, and edited to perfection. Advertisers are counting on consumers to not think about all of the behind the scenes editing that goes into these ads, and to just focus on their aesthetic appeal, which will make them want to buy the product. Celebrities are also often in the ads, which is an effective advertising technique because people want to be like their favorite celebrities and use the products they do.  My position is clearly that these advertisements set unrealistic, unachievable, and unhealthy standards and expectations of beauty that women and girls endlessly strive to achieve.