Ferreira 1 Aubrey Ferreira Dr.

Guenzel ENC 1102 March 20, 2014 Analysis of False Beauty in Advertising and the Pressure to Look Good It is well known that advertisements make use of a wide variety of tricks to make their product seem more appealing to viewers who are either customers or potential customers. A typical advertisement almost always includes a model as the center of attention in the advertisement featuring him/ her. Advertisements use Photoshop, specific lighting, a great amount of makeup done by professionals, and specific placement of clothing and other things to make the model and advertisement seem more appealing. Although it is a well-known fact that advertisements use these tricks, it is argued that advertisements still give women and even some men a terrible self image and have horrible effects such as feeling bad about themselves to the point where some people develop eating disorders. In Jo Swinsons article False beauty in advertising and the pressure to look good Swinson, the author, gains credibility by her editors note that states, Jo Swinson is a British member of parliament for East Dunbartonshire in Scotland and co-founder of the Campaign for Body Confidence. The fact that she is a co-founder for the Campaign for Body Confidence shows that she is very dedicated to self-image related work and readers will most likely conclude that she has done some extensive work in the area. Swinson also gains credibility from the fact that this article is on CNN.com which is the website for Cable News Network, a very reliable source that people across the world read and trust. The article was published on August 10th 2011 so it is current. At the bottom of the article it states, The opinions expressed in this commentary

Ferreira 2 are solely those of Jo Swinson. That is explaining this article is very opinionated; however it is still credible because she backs up her statements with facts and evidence to support her and the fact that she holds a position in the Campaign for Body Confidence makes her a reliable and trustworthy expert. Swinson appeals to a pretty general audience, any CNN.com reader can understand her writing as Swinson explains everything as though the reader is unaware of the tricks advertisements use and the general effects it has on people. She gives a general explanation before she goes into specifics with different studies she has researched or done herself. The intended audience is more women than men, more specifically mothers and young adults as they deal with this problem first hand, whether it be their child experiencing these pressures, or themselves. The fact that this article is on CNN.com means that people around the world have access to the article so the audience is, in fact, more global than Swinson probably originally intended. Throughout the whole article Swinson heavily makes use of pathos, or emotional appeal, and, logos, logic used to support a claim. The article starts off by explaining to readers some of the different techniques advertisers use to make their models look different than they really are, and states that these tricks have made models in advertisements so called perfection that people look up to. Swinson immediately shows her standpoint on this by stating, These images don't reflect reality, yet from a younger and younger age, people are aspiring to these biologically impossible ideals. (Par. 1) Swinsons use of the words dont reflect reality and biologically impossible ideals shows the reader how strongly she feels, as the statement has an angry tone. Swinson goes on to explain how people are turning to diet pills or steroids, developing eating disorders, and trying cosmetic surgery or Botox injections. (Par. 2) This fact makes

Ferreira 3 readers who are unaware of this surprised and upset. To the large majority of readers who are already aware of that fact and dont feel surprised or upset, Swinson makes sure they do by further explaining and stating horrifying statistics. One study found that one in four people is depressed about their body, another found that almost a third of women say they would sacrifice a year of life to achieve the ideal body weight and shape, and almost half of girls in a recent survey think the pressure to look good is the worst part of being a female. (Par. 3) These statistics help support Swinsons argument by showing how real and prominent this problem is as well as astounding the reader and making them feel empathy for the large amount of women that feel this way. She furthered her credibility and emotional appeal while supporting her argument in the fifth paragraph when she explains, Last year, I presented a portfolio of 172 studies to the Advertising Standards Authority, the industry watchdog in the UK. Many of these studies show that over the long term, viewing pictures of these perfect bodies leads to severe pressures in adults and, increasingly, children. One study reported on girls aged 5 to 7 who, when exposed to images of thin dolls like Barbie, said they wanted to look thinner compared with those who saw dolls with a healthier body shape. The reader is first impressed by the fact that she presented a portfolio of 172 studies to the Advertising Standards Authority, making her even more credible. The study she reports further supports her argument and again upsets the reader to think that girls as young as 5 feel the pressure that the advertising industry is suffocating women with. Now that the reader is aware of how serious the issue is she closes in on specific advertisement scandals in order to give examples and further convince readers. Julia Roberts Lancme cosmetics ad was banned in Britain because there was an excessive amount of airbrush that leads women to believe if they use that makeup product they will look like that as well. They

Ferreira 4 will be sadly disappointed when they realize the make up is not a miracle worker and the airbrush technique used was false advertising. Swinson also talks about a make up ad with Christy Turlington that was also banned. Swinson explains these cases to support her argument that advertisements really do show unrealistic ideals. Few ads have been recognized and banned while millions are still out there contributing to societys image of perfection which is continually becoming more warped. Swinson makes a semi counter argument stating, While the vast majority of people know that advertising images are enhanced and are an impossible dream, it still hurts. This opposing perspective strengthened her argument. Furthermore, this further proves her credibility and convinces readers of her point. She then closes the article by stating what her Campaign is trying to do in order to help stop these issues of poor advertisement techniques causing turmoil in the lives of viewers everywhere. Jo Swinson was successful in writing a powerful and persuasive article using ethos, pathos and logos. The fact that Swinson is so knowledgeable and is a co-founder of the Campaign for Body Confidence really helps the ethos and logos in her argument because it assures readers she is credible and can be trusted. Her emotional appeal along with the statistics supporting her argument captured the reader and made all the difference in her argument. After reading her article people will have a better understanding of the dangers and mind games that go along with advertising thus causing them to have a fresh perspective and an altered view.

Work Cited

Ferreira 5 Swinson, Jo. "False Beauty in Advertising and the Pressure to Look 'good'" CNN. Cable News Network, 10 Aug. 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.