Pemberton1

Cyerra Pemberton

Simon Workman

ENG 1101

09/27/2017

What is Beauty?

How often does an ad come on T.V. that features anything but skinny? Almost never.

Skinny is the only beautiful there is, according to advertisers. This is a stereotype that is common

all over America, and the world. When we see an ad for something chic or sexy, we tend to see a

thin man or woman. People are held to the standards of this stereotype. In a Victoria's Secret bra

ad, a Chanel perfume ad, and a YSL Beauty cosmetic ad, this normality is confirmed. In reality,

people of all sizes use the products advertised, but they want appeal, so they advertise thin

women, either using the ¨ideal you¨ approach, or the sex appeal approach to attract men. These

ads picture women that are very slim, and fit. If companies stopped making skinny the only

pretty there is, and include women (and men) of all sizes, many people would feel more secure in

buying their products.

This stereotypical idea of beauty can be confirmed by a Victoria's Secret ad for bras and

underwear. This ad depicts several women, all with very similar body types. They are all very

small, with thigh gaps and perfectly sculpted bodies. In the center of the photo is a portion of text

that states "A BODY FOR EVERY BODY." While this ad claims to have a body (the name of

the bras being advertised) for all bodies, it is clear that they show very limited diversity in body

type. The caption of this advertisement, 'Perfect fit. Perfect comfort. Perfectly soft," goes right

along with the "perfect" models in the background. The body language of the models shows that

they feel sexy, and confident, which could possibly be used to make others yearn for that feeling,
 Pemberton 2

but in reality, it makes people that aren't a size zero feel insecure. Beauty is not limited to The

message expressed here is that their product can make you look and feel sexy, but this ad's limit

to diversity really shows that only skinny people can feel and look sexy in this underwear set.

Victoria’s Secret ad:

Chanel also shows this common definition of beauty in this perfume ad. In this

advertisement, the focus of the photo is on the huge bottle of N°5 Parfum on the right side,

which is sat on by a woman with a very slim body. On the left side of this ad is a simple title,

"N°5," representing the perfume. The flirtatious body language used in this advertisement is

made to convince the consumer to buy this product. The display of this woman over any other

woman can confirm the normality that small is beautiful. In this photo, there is no need for this

particular model to be displayed, as any sized person can wear their perfume, but they are trying

to use her to bring in customers. She is used to enhance packaging, and the size of this woman

can show that Chanel wants to show beauty, or the "normal" version of it, in their ad.
 Pemberton 3

Chanel Ad:

YSL Beauty shows a revealing photo of a woman, who is wearing a bright red lipstick,

(the product being advertised.) Once again, we can see that this woman is very skinny, hinted by

her flat stomach and chiseled jaw. She is lying down, and the color of the furniture closely

matches the lipstick color. This same lipstick is pictured in the bottom right corner of the ad,

along with the name of the product. The pose and revealing outfit are made to show a sexy

model, wearing YSL’s bright red lip color. Along with the perfume, makeup can fit any body.

The advertisers of this product aimed to use placement and aesthetics to draw people in, but for

most “plus” sized women, this is more offensive than anything. The message delivered in this ad

is that skinny, sexy girls can look even sexier with the lipstick depicted, but this may not feel true

to all people.
 Pemberton 4

YSL Beauty ad:

Advertisers may not think about what they are saying before they say it. The choices they

make are based on old normalities that have been around for a long time, and in recent years

society has become more accepting of different body types. In order to get them to stop

enforcing these stereotypes, people must demand to see a more diverse population of models in

their ads. VS, Chanel, and YSL Beauty enforce an age old idea that bigger is less beautiful,

which can be changed by expressing that the idea has changed in society. For now,

advertisements will continue to depict “beautiful” while everyone else is expanding their

horizons.