Essay 3

Jansson-Boyd (2010) Consumer pyschology. New York: McGraw Hill Education

"Many studies have found that both women and men do not believe that their current body form is attractive... Research has repeatedly found that physically attractive individuals are perceived by most to be socially more desirable than those that are perceived as being unattractive, something that is likely to have been reinforced by consumer societies..."

In response to the chosen module theme - Society I produced a body of work. More specifically the work was created in response to body image, self esteem and the use of Photoshop in the media, as well as the problems that this creates such as mental health issues and health problems such as anorexia and bulimia. There are two ends to the spectrum and it was important to keep them both in mind; the people who are self conscious as a result of the media’s portrayal of the ‘perfect body’ and those who are under pressure in the industry like models for example. Another factor in society nowadays putting pressure on women is the Barbie Doll “For many years this was how I perceived what an ideal woman was supposed to look like – the notion was planted in me from an early age, perhaps 5 or 6, when I got my first glimpse at an unclothed Barbie” (M F Rogers, Barbie Culture 1999)  However it has now escalated with technology to the point where models can be edited to be as flawless as Barbie Dolls on Photoshop. A lot of women don’t realise that this is happening and need to learn it is unrealistic and how to love themselves for who they are. Krawitz (2014) says that readers cannot tell what has and what has not been Photoshopped – a lot of people believe everything they see to be factual and real.

The client in question for studio brief 02 was Dove and the rationale for the project is as follows:

Create an initial set of designs that can be used to promote our Real Beauty Campaign in a refreshing way that does not use models or point out real women’s flaws, the material should be eye-catching and appeal to all women out there, all ages and all sizes around the globe as that is the reach. “The Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report interviewed 10,500 females across 13 countries and found that women's confidence in their bodies is on a steady decline, with low body esteem, becoming a unifying challenge shared by women and girls around the world - regardless of age or where they are living.” (The Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report 2016). There should be at least 3 different outcomes with reasons for each one. The target audience is all women, all ages and all sizes.
It is every woman who has ever thought that they are not good enough, every woman who has seen someone else be it the average woman or a supermodel and been jealous of their looks in a way that they don't feel happy about their own. They are the women that read fashion magazines, those that go and see films starring gorgeous actresses, those who see beauty campaigns on huge billboards. I took inspiration from the style of these advertisements and publications as well as other illustrative posters and campaigns as it is what appeals to the women out there.

Some of the most important messages that are coming across in the poster design are Support - in whatever our friends, family and each other are doing in their life. Compliment - a compliment from a woman usually means a lot more than one off a man, as it actually comes from knowledge and is genuine rather than having an agenda. Inspire - be good at what you do, be thoughtful and produce work that gives other women hope. Encourage - similar to support, encourage other women whenever you can you never know how much it could help someone. Help - whether they ask for the help or not. Reassure - when someone is feeling down or unimportant reassure them that everything will get better and they are capable of whatever they set their mind to.

The design work produced is suitable for public viewing and shouldn’t offend anyone, unlike the Protein World Ad ‘Are You Beach Body Ready’ which received a series of complaints claiming it was sexist and body shaming, it was eventually banned from London underground transport (The Guardian 2015) as a lot of people considered it offensive and sexist towards women. The image shows a very slim model who seems to have no imperfections but a very toned and shapely figure. It is unrealistic for most women and extremely rude to portray this as the only body type deemed 'beach ready'. The image was advertising a range of weight loss supplements and meal replacements - the ad is implying that using the product will allow you to achieve this body however all it has primarily done is make women feel embarrassed about their bodies if they do not look like that. The work I have produced is of a friendly nature and catches the attention of someone passing by without shouting at them. The use of pink is cliched however worth using to the advantage of people assuming it will be aimed towards women.

The outcomes produced achieve the goal of promoting unity for all women and self confidence as the design features the venus symbol for women joint together in a continuous line style implying that we are all connected and one together, no matter our background and looks support is needed. The continuous line pattern also creates an infinity sign in some areas which represents the importance and lasting effect of this campaign.

Bibliography:

F Rogers, M (1999). Barbie Culture.

M, Krawitz. (2014). Connection between eating disorders and media images.

Dove. (2016). New Dove Research Finds Beauty Pressures Up, and Women and Girls Calling for Change. Available: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-dove-research-finds-beauty-pressures-up-and-women-and-girls-calling-for-change-583743391.html.

Sweney, M. (2015). ‘Beach body ready’ ad banned from returning to tube, watchdog rules. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/apr/29/beach-body-ready-ad-faces-formal-inquiry-as-campaign-sparks-outrage.