Van 1 Tylor Van Professor Bolton ENG 101 18 February 2014 Advertisements Seeking for Attention There is always

something out there that catches ones attention. One of the main things that captures attention are advertisements. Ads are everywhere; whether walking around, driving, or even using the public bathrooms, ads are always going to be out there to get people to buy products. Ads even use famous celebrities, music artists, and sport athletes to show that they achieved have greatness by using a certain product. Jean Kilbourne explains in her videos, Killing Us Softly, that ads are impacting todays society. Ads not only try to sell products, but they try to get everyone to become what they see in the ads, changing looks and feelings. Advertisements capture attention by showing sexual images and using women in them. The first reason why advertisements capture the readers attention is by showing some sexual images. Jean Kilbourne said in her videos that ads are showing more sexual images to grab peoples attention just to have them see these ads. An ad on the back of a Cosmopolitan magazine is an example of showing sexual images. This fragrance ad featuring Georgia May Jagger, also seen on television for Scandals Eye Mascara, nearly on top of a guy in bed with both facing the camera. She has blonde hair, green eyes, and a space in between her front two teeth. They both appear to be naked. Also, she is showing some cleavage but is covered by her left arm and extending it to the side of the mans right hip. The man has long black hair, brown eyes, and some facial hair. He is laid back, allowing the woman to lean on him, and looks fit. His right arm is angled to support his weight. They both have similar tattoos on their necks that look like an H shape but tilted to the side with sharp edges. In the middle of the ad is the word JUST in a purple snake skin look, and at the bottom right are two bottled fragrances. At the

Van 2 bottom left it says JUSTCAVALLI: THE NEW FRAGRANCE FOR HER AND HIM. Showing sexual images not only gets the publics attention, but they also get readers to buy the products. Ads like these make people think that if they purchase the product(s) they will look like a model. The funny thing that most people dont see is that sometimes the images dont relate to the product. The ad with the two couple doesnt explain how great the fragrance may be or what it smells like. In most cases, the models posing or doing something that is irrelevant to the product. Showing sexual images helps support Kilbournes point by capturing the peoples attention by buy their products and change their outward looks. In addition to get the publics attention, ads try to get people to look by using women. Most ads people see are of just women, not men. Kilbourne explains in her videos that a woman is the ideal image for attracting both male and female buyers. Women are most commonly seen in ads because they give a great look. The girl shown in the JUST ad looked skinny and attractive causing women to change their perception of inner beauty. Women are shown most often in ads by influencing younger girls to make them look like the models. When younger women see that the model in the image is perfect, it makes them want to change the way they look by buying the product. They also want to get men to acknowledge them by showing more skin like the girl in the JUST ad. Another argument that Kilbourne mentioned in her video is that women would change the way they look to be perfect. Once girls see a perfect body they would do anything to get it. To get the perfect body, women would buy products that dont even work, starve themselves, or even pay money to change their physical appearance. This is one of many reasons why ads are an impact because it can hurt society mentally. Kilbourne said in her video that almost all ads are photo shopped. Photo shopping images change the way models look in a photo. Kilbourne described an ad that women in ads may have a skinnier body, no pores, or even larger breast. If someone were to compare the girl in the JUST ad to a photo of her that wasnt photo shopped, everyone could see the resemblance. People could see that she might not be that skinny or her face may

Van 3 be shaped different. The JUST ad helps support Kilbournes argument that young woman are changing the way they look just to look like the girls in the ads. In conclusion, the JUST ad gets peoples attention and help support Kilbournes argument that ads try to expose their sexuality and give a different look on woman. The girl in the JUST ad gives a good example of a sexual image because she is half exposed. Also, most ads turn their attention to women to be the ideal image of their ads giving young teens to change their body. If ads continue the way they are now, it could change society tremendously in the future.

Van 4

Works Cited Just. Advertisement. Cosmopolitan (2014): 180. Print. Killing Us Softly 4. Dir. Sut Jhally. Perf. Jean Kilbourne. Media Education Foundation, 2010. Film.