I. Introduction
Jean Kilbourne is a media analyst who was recently featured in the New York Times Magazine as one of the three most popular lecturers on college campus. She became famous for her 1979 film “Killing Us Softly”, as she raised public consciousness about social issues that affect young women. One of her remarkable work includes conducting research on advertising of women’s image, alcoholism, nicotine addiction and eating disorders. In order to send her message across, she creates videos and slide shows which are designed to aid her audience become critical consumers of advertising. She was born in Kansas in 1943 and both of her parents hailed from New York. As a student, she was on top of her class, being a straight-A student, and was the first student in high school to garner a perfect score in the verbal SAT. During her college days, he received a full scholarship to Wellesley College. Two of her influences include writer, May Sarton and Thelma Alper, who is a psychologist (Sinorielli 237).1
II. Discussion
In the article written by Kilbourne entitled “Beauty and the Beast of Advertising”, she presented how a typical American model will look like to be able to convince the consumers to buy the product that is being endorsed by the beautiful woman. In the opening sentence of her article, she briefly described the model as, “You’re a Halston woman from the beginning”; as she continues to described the female model having a blonde hair, with blue eyes, while showing two bottles to given an illusion of her breasts and her cleavage. This female blonde model is only five years old (Medialit.org).2
Critique Thesis: Jean Kilbourne believes that the primary problem of the advertising industry is the continued objectification of women, or by using women’s body parts to show that sex appeal is an effective means to promote and market a product.
Kilbourne’s argument is that the practice of dismemberment, which usually happens in majority of advertisements involve women and cutting their body parts as a representation of an inanimate object, shall be considered as an act of violence against women (Lind and Brzuzy 316).3 Further, Kilbourne contends that culture in advertising is to perceive women, particularly housewives as sex objects, by looking exceptionally thin and beautiful by exposing her thin long legs and perfect body. Kilbourne critics the advertising industry to have a wrong influence on women and even teenage girls, who strive to achieve the body of the models, which can lead to eating disorders and unhealthy lifestyle.
III. Conclusion
In her article, Kilbourne demonstrates that the culture of thinness and perfection leaves a dangerous effect on women. By treating women as inanimate sex objects in the advertisements sends wrong messages to women and young girls as well, who are led to believe that the concept of beautiful is confined to having blonde hair, blue eyes, thin body and large breasts. This misconception can be considered as violence against women and young girls.
Works Cited:
Kilbourne, Jeanne. Beauty and the Beast of Advertising. Center for Media Literacy. Web. Retrieved on February 20, 2012, from < http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/beautyand-beast-advertising>.
Lind, Amy and Brzuzy, Stephanie. Battleground: Women, Gender and Sexuality. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing, 2008. Print.
Signorielli, Nancy. Women in Communication: A Biographical Sourcebook. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing, 1996. Print.
