Mini essay

Compare how media language is used in the construction of gender in two print advertisements for fragrances.

The two fragrance advertisements that I will be deeply analysing is, Beyoncé’s ‘Heat’ perfume advertisement and Calvin Klein advertisement called ‘Reveal’. I chose these two advertisements because they are both very successful branded perfume, and are highly recognized protagonist by the modern society. Both advertisements reinforce gender stereotype and enforces some law of patriarchy in different ways. In my essay, I will explore how gender is established in the modern society by comparing the two advertisements together. My essay would end with a brief conclusion which summaries my thoughts and opinions on gender. 

Fragrance advertisement 1- Beyoncé 'Heat'

In today's society, there are numerous dominant ideologies which can be clearly seen by analysing both adverts in depth. Gender across both adverts is important as, many people associate certain beliefs within each gender. ‘Gender’ can be defined as, your biological sex which determines if you are a male or a female. The term ‘gender stereotypes’ is majorly significant throughout the advertisements that I chose because; in modern society producers decided to use gender stereotypical ideas when promoting their fragrance ideas. This can be seen as morally wrong as, gender shouldn’t be viewed differently or stereotyped by people in society. Gender stereotyping is when the characteristics of someone’s gender are used to create specific perceptions of that particular group. An example of gender stereotyping is saying ‘all women should be housewives and carry out domestics chores’ while men should be the ‘breadwinner’ of the family. 

For instance, in Beyoncé’s perfume advertisement called ‘Heat’ it centrally stereotyped gender as, Beyoncé’s advertisement was banned  in daytime TV due to her oversexualised imagery of the her body. This advertisement raised many complaints from viewers as, it has been deemed ‘too sexually provocative’ to be seen by young children. Many viewers might see this as wrong as, women should be able to express themselves and show off their bodies just like men. In my opinion, women are being subjugated in society as; Beyoncé received a lot of backlash by creating this print advertisement to endorse her fragrance.

The type of camera shots that were used in Beyoncé’s print advertisement is mid long shot in order to capture Beyoncé’s body from her head to her upper thighs. The position of the camera is quite low angle making her appear dominant and leading which draws more attention to her. The slogan ‘catch the fever’ which is written in white cap locks is, placed over her cleavage in order to bring attention to her breast making her perfume  have a feminine, sensual look. ‘Fever’ can connote to something negative as, when someone has a fever it spreads easily which is contagious. Maybe Beyoncé is hinting that if you purchase her fragrance, men would easily get attracted to you and find you aesthetically pleasing. The name of the fragrance 'Heat' is written in red, bold letters which instantly grabs the audience’s attention due to the intensity of the colour. Beyoncé’s body almost fills the composition of the frame which can show how she wants to be the centre of attention as; she is posing in a seductive, appealing manner. Since Beyoncé is the main protagonist of her fragrance advertisement, she is shot from a straight angle and is positioned centrally in the advertisement. As an audience, Beyoncé is looking directly at us by giving us a fixed stare. This can show how confident and independent she is as; she challenges the main stereotypes which are made against women. It is unusual for women to pose this way as; mainly women are stereotyped to be ‘inferior’ and ‘weak’. Maybe Beyoncé is trying to challenge the way women are viewed in society, by ruling out the patriarchy system. This is because, in the olden times women weren’t allowed to be expressive and show their body parts as, this can be seen morally wrong. Men in that era had all the authority and dominance which is known as the ‘patriarchal society’.

The mise en scene of the advertisement is taken place in a fiery, red background depicting an imagery of fire which relates to the fragrance name ‘Heat’. From the fragrance advertisement, we can clearly see Beyoncé who is posing in a seductive, confident manner. The fragrance that Beyoncé is trying to endorse is place near the right hand corner of the advertisement. As an audience, we can easily tell that the perfume bottle has been edited to enhance the appearance and features of the fragrance. This is because; there is a hint of lighting which is placed around the fragrance bottle. The producers might have purposely done this to switch the main focus of the advertisement as; since the perfume bottle is small and Beyoncé looks big on the advertisement the lighting might have been added to enhance the appearance of the fragrance bottle. The anchorage of the print advertisement is the perfume bottle called ‘heat’; this tells the audience that the print advertisement is about Beyoncé who is trying to endorse her new fragrance. The name of the fragrance ‘heat’ has sexual connotations as, the colour scheme of red has been consistently used which links to heat, lust, empowerment, sexuality, sensuality and love. The type of lighting that was used in the advertisement was low key lighting as; the type of colours used has really darkened the ambiance of the advertisement. Through Beyoncé’s facial expressions, a hint of lighting has been used to enhance her body features and exposed skin. This really grabs the audience’s attention towards Beyoncé as; she presents herself as a flawless, beautiful person in which everyone else wants to be. This can conform to the male gaze and women being sexualised as, she presents herself as a ‘sex object’ which men should look at. She decided to wear a red, silky wrap dress which uncovers her cleavage in order to impose a feeling of sensuality and freedom as, she feels proud to show off her feminine features. Many people see silk as an expensive material which signifies wealth and prosperity. This can show the value of the fragrance as, it looks all lavish and extravagant to look at. Since Beyoncé is wearing a bright, silky coloured dress in a dark atmosphere, it really improved the aesthetics of the clothing to deliver a glossy, shiny texture. I think the print advertisement has been airbrushed as, the lighting added to enhance her body features look unrealistic and fake. This is because in the modern society, the extensive use of Photoshop is prevalent throughout the modelling industry or the fashion industry. Therefore, we except producers who made the advertisement for Beyoncé to use Photoshop to keep up with the modern society ways of advertising things.

I think Beyoncé’s advertisement is challenging patriarchy as; she is standing against the point that women are 'inferior' and 'dependent' on others. This is seen through the way she dressed and posed in her print advertisement. This is because, many of the male advertisement I have seen is always accompanied by a women. However in this advertisement, Beyoncé decided to take a different approach by being independent and showing dominance through her eye contact and posture. I think the advertisement is not displaying binary oppositions as; Beyoncé is showing dominance through her actions which is normally stereotyped to what a man should be.

Fragrance advertisement 2- Calvin Klein 'Reveal'

For my second fragrance comparison, I decided to choose the Calvin Klein advertisement called ‘Reveal’. This features ‘Charlie Hunnam’ who is widely known as a British actor, and ‘Doutzen Kroes’ who is a Dutch supermodel. From this advertisement, Charlie Hunnam is seen as a controlling and domineering character which is transparent through his facial expressions and his body posture. I would describe this fragrance advertisement as, masculine, powerful, and controlling because Charlie Hunnam seems to hold more authority over Doutzen Kroes. This can be seen by the way he holds Doutzen Kroes in order to gain ownership over her body.

The type of camera shots that were used in this advertisement is mid long shot in order to capture the close intimacy of the celebrities together. This can be seen, when Doutzen Kroes decided to tightly clutch Charlie Hunnam by embracing him and getting close to him. From her body posture, her hands are placed around Charlie Hunnam’s blazer and her face is facing towards Charlie Hunnam. This can show how Doutzen Kroes is admiring the romantic moment as; she is touching him in a sensual way. However from Charlie Hunnam’s posture it’s very masculine as, he gives a direct glare at the camera. This can show how powerful and dominant Charlie Hunnam’s is as, he seems to be independent and authoritative in his own nature but Doutzen Kroes seems to be dependent and clingy by the way he holds him. 

The mise en scene of the Calvin Klein 'Reveal' advertisement is, done in a bedroom which is clearly seen by the curtains. This can connote an idea of privacy and intimacy as; mainly couples would want their own private space when they are together in a loving relationship. Charlie Hunnam is seen by wearing a black suit which has masculine connotations of being smart, well presented and looking chic. While Doutzen Kroes is completely naked, this hints a bit of sexuality within her nature. This can stereotype women as being a ‘sex symbol’ by the way Doutzen Kroes presents herself within society. This is because, the producers wants the audience to see Doutzen Kroes in an appealing, sexy and provocative way which would easily attract men to love her. In my opinion I think the advertisement airbrushed some features of Doutzen Kroes's body as, she has a smooth backbone and face which looks perfect and flawless. This creates a gender stereotype to women as; the producers are hinting that if you don't have a body like Doutzen Kroes no man will fall in love with you. The type of lighting that is used in the advertisement is high-key lighting as; we can clearly see a little shadow appearing in Charlie Hunnam’s blazer. By using this type of lighting, producers can really emphasise on the features which should really stand out e.g. the body. The anchorage of the Calvin Klein 'Reveal' advertisement is, the fragrance bottle and the brand name. This is because, the fragrance bottle fixes the concept of the advertisement is about. If the fragrance bottle wasn’t there, the audience wouldn’t know what the company is trying to endorse. The brand is the main anchorage as; many people might know the brand due to its publicity. By looking at the brand, many people would instantly know what the company is trying to sell. 

In my opinion I believe that the ‘Reveal’ advertisement is upholding patriarchy as, the audience can see stereotypical ideas which have been used by the producers of the advertisement. This is because Doutzen Kroes is presented to be ‘inferior’ and in desperation for a loved one by the way she embraces him. But, Charlie Hunnam seems to be independent as he didn’t focus on Doutzen Kroes one bit. 

By analysing these two advertisements in depth, I have learnt that the producers decided to use gender stereotypical ideas when promoting their fragrance ideas. This is because; the producers might find it normal to present gender this way as stereotyping gender has been going on for a long time. For example in the Beyoncé ‘Heat’ advertisement, Beyoncé is dressed in a provocative way which can signify that women should look like this if they want a man to fall in love with them. However in the Calvin Klein ‘Reveal’ advertisement, men are stereotyped to be the figure of attraction as Doutzen Kroes instantly fell in love with him when he sprayed the perfume on. This stereotype men as, it shows that every men should look like him if they want to look attractive and appealing. I believe that gender stereotypes are still prevalent in the advertising industry as; many people raised numerous complaints for gender stereotypical adverts which forced the producers to remove it publicly. I support the recent moves to challenge gender stereotypes in the ASA and UN as; it will slowly remove the concept of ‘gender stereotypes’ and every gender would be seen as equal in society. Gender stereotyping can be harmful in numerous ways as, children can be psychologically affected by this as they might be forced to act in a certain manner.