http://wallstreetjobreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Ralph-Lauren-1-83Kd1Rqozn-1024X768.jpg
Author: unknown
Date: unknown
Date: unknown
Place of publication: Ralph Lauren
In this advertisement for the clothing line Ralph Lauren, a couple is seductively lying on the beach. They are obviously wearing Ralph Lauren clothes, which is the purpose of such advertisement. But if you dive deeper into the meaning, you can tell that this ad displays the Deadly Sins of avarice and lust. Whoever took this picture had the intention of selling the (insanely expensive) clothes, saying that if you buy Ralph Lauren, you and your love could end up happily together lying on a beach. Which, of course, is completely unrealistic but hey, I guess it could happen to those select few. The intended audience for this ad is for youngish men and women who are well off enough to afford such clothing and who desire to love and to be loved. Such an advertisement may also be aimed at people of a specific body type, because the models shown in this picture are what our society has defined as "flawless." That's why they are models.
Mass media uses language and in this image especially, layout and color, to invoke a feeling of avarice and lust. From a photographer's point of view, the two models' eyes are looking directly at the viewer, drawing them in and suggesting power. The colors of the picture are also cool, suggesting that they are in a simple place. In this ad, there is no language except for the logo of the company. This way, the author is making the viewer interpret the meaning of the picture themselves. Stereo-typically, Ralph Lauren is a clothing line for wealthy individuals who feel the need to show others how much money they have by spending it on these clothes. Avarice is directly involved with this ad because those who typically buy Ralph Lauren feel the need to buy more of their clothes. Textual bias is apparent because originally, this picture would have been in an issue of the Ralph Lauren catalog. The authors of such chose models they felt represented the ideas they want to portray through their clothing line, like how it is for the "elite" (who play polo, for example) and those full of lust. Stereotypically, most advertisements for Ralph Lauren feature either a beautiful white female or a handsome white man, which, again, plays into the intended, targeted audience. That's not to say, however, that people of other races can't or don't buy this brand. In a few other ads, there is a black male who is the sole model. But those don't appear frequently.
Advertisements, such as this and most of the other Ralph Lauren pictures, are beautiful to look at (at least I think so) but the message they portray is that of avarice and lust. To some, this is exactly what they are looking for. For others, it's just a reminder of how materialistic our world is.
I also feel like the ad uses envy and pride to a certain extent as a way to lure people into buying Ralph Lauren clothes. Wealthy people that are well dressed tend to like to be the best dressed, so if they see this they could become envious of what the 2 models have (love, nice clothes, beautiful setting, pretty). Also people that wear Ralph Lauren are proud to wear it. Which they should be for how expensive it is. But too much pride is bad and I personally feel that the level portrayed through their expressions and positions in the photo is borderline too much pride. I agree that this ad is better off without text in it from an advertising standpoint. The models say enough without having words on it.
ReplyDeleteHey Mom.
ReplyDeleteYou had some excellent points regarding the effects of Ralph Lauren's clothing advertisements, but I wish you would have touched on the romanticism found in the ad. The clothes that are worn by models in clothing advertisements are often not the clothes you would find in-store, rather identical articles of clothing that are of a much higher quality or are pinned to make the clothes fit extremely well. Due to this, the clothes look marginally better on the models than they would on the average consumer, thus romanticizing the products shown. I also like how you emphasized the attractiveness of the models shown, because I know that if I were to be the one modeling, the product would not be nearly as appealing to the audience as it was originally (contrary to popular belief).