I found this advertisement for yogurt when I was thinking about what to blog about. Let's talk about the rhetoric of yogurt advertising for a minute. Many television advertisements for women suggest that if they eat yogurt in the place of some daily meals, they will loose weight. This advertisement suggest that if you are fat, which I don't think this woman is, you need to eat yogurt to make you socially acceptable. I would like to open this up to discussion...
As we know, America has a high percentage of those who are obese. I believe that for health reasons this issue needs to be addressed. But I don't think that a persons weight, no matter what it may be, takes away from their value as a human being. I believe that the issue of weight should be discussed not through advertisements that tell them they are unacceptable but by a discussion that addresses WHY obesity is a growing epidemic in this country. Let us look at how we can change certain parts of culture that promote unhealthy lifestyles. Alright, on to the visual rhetoric deconstruction.
Red, according to Sheila Jeffreys, is the ultimate sign of femininity. This advertisements suggests that obesity is only pertain-able to women. Also, the reference to the birth of Aphrodite is distinctly feminine. She is covering herself in a way that was much like Aphrodite when she birthed from the water. These elements further comment on how women need to eat yogurt to either release themselves from female stereotypes OR to yield and believe that they are not worthy of social acceptance because of their weight. This woman's body is exploited. She is barely covered. I believe that the underlying message is that woman are mere objects that need to perfect.
This advertisement got to me. I myself am not a super skinny woman, but over the past year I have grown to like myself. But images like this make me question my worth for about five minutes. I guess that is often the intent of various yogurt ads. I think that more modes of activism need to promote a healthy body image. As of right now the most popular campaign hails from the Dove product line. The interesting thing about Dove is that it is marketed by Unilever. Unilever also markets Axe. This situation makes me question whether Dove truly believes in their message or if they use the campaign as a means of making money. Perhaps it is a bit of both? I am not sure. But there is a lot I don't know.
