Representation Analysis

Representation is an important aspect of variable ways we understand different demographics and people in media. Today I'm reviewing the status of three advertisements: Tide, Axe Body Spray and H&M "Close the Loop."

Demonstration One: Tide Ad

One of the most common attributes of ads is its generalized representation of its market group. The opening shots introduce a safe, comfortably luxurious home with a dressed and healthy mother with a young daughter. The mother speaks about their abundance in clothes and the option for choice, enhancing the idea of a wealthy sum of spending available. Their house: Bright, spacious, clean, and wholesome. Far from reality about the average American household. The characters also reflect these unfair stereotypes, as they are both white individuals who also generalize the demographic of Americans.

Demonstration Two: Axe Body Spray Commercial

For wild cave-people, we are immediately introduced to the ultimate difficult goal for most women to achieve: the tan, lean, glowing hair model that the clothing and makeup industry strive for them to become through their products. This perfected woman sprints through the forest with luscious hair and a fabulous body dressed (for lack of a better term) in an attractive bikini. The intent for the audience to be targeted to, males mostly, are found appealing to such orientations in media. Soon following is a stampede of countless females, all different flavors of the same advertisement in the feminine body. The revealing clothing takes away their humanity providing a feral theme but also removes the realism of what's on screen. The stampede of desperate women with juggling bodily parts. If the target audience and appeal was not already clear, the video ends with an eccentric man using AXE spray to attract this hoard to him like a chick magnet. Incredibly demeaning and one-sided sexist representation. 

Demonstration Three: H&M "Close the Loop"

The most influential commercial I have seen regarding the cultural representation out of these three. The college of shots opens up an iconic welcoming to new styles and social taboos, conveying that whatever one choices are meant to express oneself. This is a fantastic message that shares encouragement for anyone to wear whatever they like whichever way. The blossoming expression and expansion of colors given by each individual in the video representing a minority between race, gender, culture, religion, and much more. The diversity in all these categories shines a new light-reflecting our modern era free (or close to free) of bigotry and discrimination in society. Audiences can take these new ideas and find it enlightening for all sorts of people.