A Case Study on "Killing us Softly"
In a world constantly consuming
media, one’s self-image can be erected by the believed expectations of others
that are portrayed by elements shown on television or in magazines. In “Killing
us Softly,” Killbourne suggests that the media influences society’s view of
women by objectifying their bodies and pushing impossible beauty standards. She
believes that the skinny, submissive image and the selective, singular body
parts portrayed by popular advertising ultimately warps women’s views of
themselves and could potentially cause harm to young girls striving for
acceptance. I agree with her hypothesis. If ads use severely thin models and pose
them in subjective positions, the reflected appraisal of young girls viewing
the ads will be one of self-doubt and submissiveness. The same goes for female
body parts, hacked off from the face and used as objects for product promotion,
most often in a sexual matter. When statistics are given relaying the increase
in anorexia, depression, and other such social issues, it is easy to make the
connection between the negative advertising described and the impossible
standards it insinuates.
Advertisements
that piece together body parts to make a fake woman or turn women into beer
bottles objectify and scrutinize women because they make the assumption that
all women should look and act like such. Ads use hidden-fear appeal to play
upon the self-consciousness of women, making them feel insecure about their
looks, therefore driving them to buy products that vow to make them beautiful. The
advertisers at blame would surely claim there was no actual malice that went
into the creation of the images and would brush off the accusations with quips
like “it was meant as a joke” or “it was chosen for the pure design factor and
no further message was intended.” Companies can plead ignorance and try to
remove the liability, claiming there is no evidence of agenda setting or
otherwise harmful messaging interlaced with their products. Unfortunately, the
intent in most cases cannot be proven, which neither refutes nor disproves the
claims made against producers who churn out degrading or potentially harmful
ads.
In order to understand how
companies can get away with the use of ads that slander women, one must look at
the rate of media consumption in our society. When something is forced down our
throats from birth, we tend to accept it without thinking. The number of ads
that objectify women is staggering, but the impact of these messages has not
been a slap to the face—these images have been circulating through popular
culture for decades, slowly seeping into society’s subconscious. Cumulative
effects suggest that over time, the portrayal of women shown through advertising
becomes the social norm. There has not been more outrage about the degradation of
the female body in the media because society is just now realizing the harmful
nature of such disrespectful and suggestive advertising.
Females are not the only gender
abused by a manufactured media image. Advertising tells young men a variety of negative
things. For instance, they need to be tough and rippling with muscles. The
reflections of male models in magazines tell society that man is not a man if
he does not look like a chiseled sculpture. The stereotype of macho-ness also
includes the inability to cry and the annihilation of the feminine side. Men
are portrayed as stoic flexors of strength, towers of tanned flesh that preform
physical labor like fighting fire or herding cattle. The association principle
links these traits to men and suggests to young ones that manliness is a virtue
defined only by ridged media stereotypes. This takes all of the hope away from boys
who are scrawny or like romantic comedies, among hundreds of other traits.
Although the effects may be harmful
to society’s youth, the continuation of such advertising is not surprising.
Sex, whether positive or negative, sells. Most companies have the same number
one priority—to sell their products. But there are many more advertising
options to be considered aside from sex or body image. If I were in such position
of authority, I would try not to use any images that encourage negative views
of women (or men) that could harm my audience. There are other socially loved
things besides sex, an example being adorableness—the cute factor, once applied,
tends to increase popularity. The problem with originality lies in resources.
It is hard to create new ideas and images without being drab or crossing social
lines. Innovation is more powerful than regurgitation, but it is much easier to
be a copycat than a revolutionary.
