Using two advertisements from contemporary visual culture, discuss the exchange value associated with the commodity signs featured in them. How do these advertisements attract the "desiring gaze" of the consumer to encourage their normalisation?
1. "Glow" by JLO Print Ad
In this print advertisement, a perfume from recording artist Jennifer Lopez is marketed and endorsed using several unique commodity signs. For one, the typical comparison of the perfume bottle as a female body is made clear when placed side-by-side with the implicitly naked figure of Jennifer Lopez next to it. By directly alluding to the curves of the female body by likening them to the shape of the perfume bottle, the product itself is tied to the sexual experience.
The intended effect of this advertisement is to imply sexual satisfaction, or at least sexual allure, by purchasing Glow. Jennifer Lopez attracts the 'desiring gaze' of the consumer, due to her nude figure, strategically placed to still be permissible on a magazine (and not be considered raunchy or filthy) while alluding to her figure. Turned to the side, accenting the curves of her ass and her arm barely covering her breast, her body is directly meant to simulate the perfume bottle as well. For the male consumer, the sex appeal of a beautiful woman draws their eye to the advertisement, and relays to them the impression that they will be guaranteed sexual satisfaction as a consequence of purchasing the product (presumably for their significant other, who will wear it).
For the female consumer, a similar exchange value occurs where the money spent on the perfume will equal sexual attractiveness, as Jennifer Lopez' naked presence alludes. Furthermore, not only will the female consumer be sexy, they will also be Jennifer Lopez themselves - the implication of the advertisement is not just to link the perfume to a sexy female body, but to a widely-known and sought-after public media figure. Not only would the looks come with the perfume, but they fame and notoriety would as well. The
In this print ad, normalisation happens as a result of the mediating force of Jennifer Lopez' naked body. For both male and female consumers, her body is desired - men because they want to gain sexual satisfaction from her, women because they wish to be as alluring and provocative as her. By comparing the curve of her perfect, naked body (the most provocative bits hidden by strategic angles and limb placement) to the perfume, the perfume itself is linked to this sense of sexual gratification and attractiveness. Furthermore, Jennifer Lopez' body is normalised due to the implication given in the advertisement that this is the ideal female form - thin, perfectly tanned and proportioned, curvy and sexually attractive. This also sends the message to the consumer that this is the body you should strive for - either to be or to be with. With this in mind, the advertisement implies to the consumer that the perfume is the way to either look like or feel like Jennifer Lopez - sexy, beautiful, famous and adored.
2. Bali Lycra Bras Advertisement
In this print advertisement, a line of bras is advertised, with a woman clad only in a bra looks intensely out at the consumer. The large text over her neck, directly over her breasts, says "HAS IT." The large text and the bolded, all-caps font gives an intensity to the message, making it an emphatic declaration. The woman behind the message is thin, beautiful, with sharp features on her face and large, attractive breasts - the "it" is referring to the intangible and desirable qualities that men seek and women wish to possess. By defining the woman as having 'it,' the creators of the ad are painting the woman as the female ideal, thus normalising her.
The woman's breasts are almost unrealistically large, which is done to emphasize the product itself and show the bra in greater detail. At the same time, the male fantasy and ideal of large breasts is also emphasized, creating the 'desiring gaze' for a man who happens to look at the advertisement. The black-and-white nature of the advertisement emphasizes the breasts, as they are encased in the lighter-colored bra and therefore highlighted. This emphasis is further conveyed by the black feather high-fashion outfit that she wears along with it - by comparing the white bra to the black outfit, the breasts stand out even further.
The woman's face has an air of self-confidence - her head is high, her lips are pursed and slightly pouting, and her eyes show a vigorous intensity. This is meant to demonstrate a secure, confidence and fashionable woman, normalising her attire and looks through her visible comfort with herself. With this confidence comes a blankness of countenance as well; this allows the consumer to effectively replace her face with that of the consumer (if female) or the face of any given sexual fantasy (if male).
The commodity signs in this advertisement are both the bra and the woman - the presence of the Bali LYCRA Bra is meant to indicate that the woman is made by the bra. She 'has it' in two distinct senses; first, she has the bra itself, and secondly, she has the 'je ne sais quoi' aspect of 'it' that is implicit in the slogan. The advertisement implies that she 'has IT" ("it" factor) because she "has it" (the Bali LYCRA Bra). This creates a strong differentiation between normal and abnormal female forms; the implication is that someone who does not look like her does not have "it." "It" is presented as desirable, and therefore, not looking like her is not desirable; this compels the consumer to consider purchasing the bra.
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In both advertisements, a beautiful woman is used to normalise the ideal female form and to liken the desirability of this ideal woman to the product they are advertising. Exchange values are divided into primary use values (things needed for survival) and secondary use values (everything else) (Mendoza, 2010). In the case of these two advertisements, sex appeal and sexual attractiveness are used to make a commodity that has a secondary use into the means to achieve a primary use. Sexual intercourse is seen as the primary use in this scenario; sex is a basic biological need, and both advertisements cater to the desire to fulfill that need through depictions of scantily clad, beautiful women who are normalised in their extreme attractiveness. The use of such attractive women activates the 'desiring gaze' in both men and women, and draws their eye to the advertisement itself, only then learning about the product. In this way, the product is also linked to the woman, continuing the desiring gaze until it is transferred to desire of the product as well.
With the Glow by JLO print ad, the perfume, a commodity with a secondary use of aesthetics and hygiene, is conveyed as having a primary use - that of facilitating sex. By likening Jennifer Lopez' naked, ideal body to the curves of the perfume bottle, the link is made between having sex and wearing the perfume. These pressing needs to be sexually attractive and popular (like Jennifer Lopez) are implicitly fulfilled by the perfume; by buying the perfume, you're buying Jennifer Lopez and all that entails (wealth, beauty, and sex appeal). Similar colors and skin tones shared by both Jennifer and the perfume bottle further this comparison.
With the Bali LYCRA Bra Ad, the bras, which are commodities with the secondary use of comfort and aesthetics, are conveyed with the same primary use of facilitating sex. With the Bali bra, one is implied to have "it" - in the ad, "it" is conveyed by stunning beauty, intense confidence, and self-assured fashion. The value of having sex is then transferred to the value of having the bra, making the purchase of the bra just as important and pressing a pursuit. The concept of "it" is used here to create an intangible concept of idealism that is at once visible and unattainable. By linking it to the bra, the ad tells the consumer that they will live that ideal and gain "it" in the process, something that is normalised and desired.
The commodity signs used in both print advertisements denote a connection between product and sex. By creating the direct visual comparison between a thing you must have (perfume, bra) and someone you want to be (Jennifer Lopez, someone with "it"), the product itself gains a primary use value (gaining sexual satisfaction). In the process, the act of purchasing these products is normalised as well, as it does not seem odd to consider these products necessary, considering the importance placed on them in the advertisement.
References
Courtney AE & Whipple TW, 1983, Sex stereotyping in Advertising. Lexington Books.
Foucault M, 1995, Discipline and Punish France: Gallimard.
Glow by LJO, 2011, Print Advertisement.
Lycra, 2008, Bali Bra Advertisement.
Mendoza DY, 2010, Commodity, Sign and Spectacle: Retracing Baudrillard's Hyperreality.
Kritike 4(2): 45-59.
