Advertising affects us all. It can be annoying to see ads for beauty products, cars, or food. Advertisement affects the brain, our senses and our self-esteem.
Each promotion is aimed at two different groups: women and men. The two groups have very different tastes, so the message they are sending to consumers is totally opposite. Girls and women will find a lot of ads in the beauty section. Fragrances and cosmetics are all attractive to women because they identify with models promoting the products. McCann’s 2012 study shows that women will always pay attention to ads and try to relate to them. The product can actually help to solve their problems. The ads may be aimed at improving their appearance (for example, in cosmetics advertisements). It is for this reason that PR agencies, brands and other companies bombard you. It is important to them that women and girls love and buy products, and that these products help to improve their appearance and boost their confidence. The message being delivered to women is: “Every girl, young lady and woman is beautiful.” There are no “standards”, nor is there any shame, in the world of beauty. Brands like “Nike”, Aerie”, “Always”, and others, film advertisements that show women of any age and skin tone, demonstrating their individuality and strength. Mass media also tries to keep up with the changing times, as women’s rights, senses, and opinions are always a topic of conversation. Media outlets, including magazines and news sources, are changing the way women’s images are portrayed. Look at Vogue and Instagram covers. You will see that there are a lot of different women. These women are no longer sexy objects, but are beautiful, unique and have their own characteristics. Today, we can say with certainty that media honors and adores women.
What about boys and men? They aren’t targeted as much. Most ads are about watches, perfumes, cars and certain men’s products, like shaving cream. We can still see the message of a commercial even though it is a smaller market. The successful man has a great car, a costly fragrance, a stylish suit and he is well paid. It’s a pretty accurate description for the men of today. Tom Nakayama believes that “Advertising affects men negatively by limiting the definitions of what a’man’ is in society”. A man’s average appearance is not the same as what you see in advertisements. As a result, men find it hard to connect with their media images, as not everyone can afford Chanel/Tom Ford, Rolex or Lexus. The gap between the fake illustrations of men and boys and their real-life counterparts is so wide.
Advertising has a huge impact on both men and women. Media can influence our self-esteem and mental state by promoting anything. The media can promote anything, putting pressure on our mental state and self-esteem.
