Western Culture s Ideal Beauty Type - 963 Words

The Axe Campaign released a commercial in 2013 for their product Axe Apollo which features a male hero who saves the world and uses the product after getting the girl. While the primary aim of the commercial is to sell the product advertised, the commercial also reinforces traditional views of masculinity, sexuality and beauty. Through the depiction of the man as the womanizing, adventurer and the woman as a passive, sexual being the Axe Campaign uses conventional portrayals of gender roles in order to sell their product. In this paper, the commercial will be analyzed as it supports traditional views on beauty, sexuality and masculinity. This advertisement reinforces the western culture s ideal beauty type. The woman featured in the commercial is young, white, and thin all of which make her conventionally attractive as these are the characteristics that are most desired in Western society (Hobbs and Rice, 2013). Furthermore, youth is viewed as an indication of sexual and reproductive ability, whiteness is commonly associated with beauty and purity, and thin or athletic people are favoured over the disabled or overweight (Hobbs and Rice, 2013). By failing to include a woman that strays from any of the three characteristics listed previously, the Axe Apollo commercial does little to challenge mainstream beauty ideals. It is not surprising however, that the woman featured in the ad is not only highly sexualized but also conforms to western beauty norms as Carla RiceShow MoreRelatedWesternization Vs. Eating Disorders1645 Words   |  7 PagesWesternization Vs. Eating Disorders Historically, through an array of cultures worldwide, individuals have transformed their appearances in order to conform to the beauty ideal of relevant culture. Those that are apart of the Pa Dong Tribe, which reside among the boarder of Thailand, practice the elongating of the neck through the use of brass rings. African and Amazonian tribes consider beauty through the stretching of their lips that is achieved using large lip plates. Tribes in Africa striveRead MoreMedia Consumption Of Non Western Countries1414 Words   |  6 PagesMedia Consumption in Non-Western Countries The usage of media in Non-Western countries has been spreading as technology and social media have become the focus for most teenagers and young adults. Contrary to the assumption that Western countries are the only nations that have a population obsessed with media, statistics have shown that other developing countries are experiencing a significant increase in advanced technology usage such as using smartphones more frequently along with internet usageRead MorePsychopathology And Culture : The Epidemic Of Eating Disorders1396 Words   |  6 Pages Psychopathology and Culture: The Epidemic of Eating Disorders By: Bernadette Oldfield Dr. Van Arsdale Abnormal Psychology 6 May 2015 Throughout cultures, mental disorders vary immensely. In some cultures, certain disorders are considered taboo and not even recognized, in other cultures, the treatment of certain disorders varies, but the biggest thing that is different, is how certain disorders effect certain cultures and races less or more than others. This is somethingRead MoreAnorexia Nervosa As A Culture Bound Syndrome1440 Words   |  6 Pagesering from Anorexia-Nervosa within western countries, compared to that of 3.2% of females suffering from Anorexia-Nervosa in non western countries (DiNicola 1990:253), it is not surprising that Anorexia Nervosa has been labeled a Culture-Bound Syndrome. There have been three prominent hypotheses as to why this particular disease is considered so. The most prominent of these hypotheses is that westernized media’s ideologies of thinness and beauty have influenced young females into developing a â€Å"fat-phobiaRead MoreFoot-Binding Essay1615 Words   |  7 Page sThe practice of Foot-Binding entered into Mainstream Chinese culture around the 12th and 13th centuries (Feng 236), a time when the emerging conservative movement and the creation of a new social class system severely lowered the status of women. The restructuring of the social class system was driven by new and increased prosperity and created a new and higher standard of living that was enjoyed by the new upper class of scholars and farmers. The higher standard of living of the once lower statureRead MoreUniversal Beauty Ideals in Womens Magazines2853 Words   |  12 Pageschanged the way the world perceives beauty. White beauty has clearly sought precedence over beauty of other races, namely Asians, and is considered being a mainstream beauty standard. Mainstream bioethics in the United States originates from a white Anglo-Saxon protestant worldview, which serves silently to perpetuate white dominance (Arekapudi and Wynia, 2003). It has strongly influenced how Asians want to l ook these days, and Asian women show preferences for beauty standards outside of the Asian ingroupRead MoreImpact Of Cosmetic Surgery On Society And Daily Lives1453 Words   |  6 PagesBrazil and China leading the list as the second and third country, respectively, with the most cosmetic procedures (ISAPS, 2012). This essay will analyse and explain the reason behind this increasing trend through looking at the role that motivation, culture and reference groups play in different demographics in terms of pursuing cosmetic surgery. According to Solomon, Motivation refers to the processes that lead to people behave as they do (2011, p.154), which triggers their mind and drives themRead MoreHow Media Images Promote Body Dissatisfaction1364 Words   |  6 PagesMany people in modern culture have developed what has been termed a normative discontent with their bodies. Women are particularly vulnerable to this development of body dissatisfaction, which has been shown to create numerous negative heath issues. These health issues are a direct result from trying to achieve the unrealistic ideal image that media has created. This idea on how the body should look floods modern media and women are discriminated upon if they are unable to meet these strict physicalRead MorePop Culture Mix Modes Rough Draft1471 Words   |  6 PagesRebekah Brickeen Ms. Howard AP English 11 6 December 2016 Pop Culture Mix Modes Rough Draft During the teenage years, pop culture becomes very important and has a major influence on a teen’s daily life. Pop culture begins to have negative effect on teens when they begin to change themselves to fit into the social standards created by modern TV stars, fashion icons, and musical artists. It is fine to be interested in wealthy and famous people, because they are without a doubt, interesting and itRead MoreObjectification Of Women And Women1462 Words   |  6 Pagesnegative influence on women’s beauty ideals are revealed in the context of benevolent sexism. Swami, Coles, Wilson, Salem, Wyrozumska, and Furnham’s article examines the connections between sexism and beauty in relation to media contact. Utilizing the BIO (beauty ideals are oppressive) perspective, the study aims to build upon previous BIO findings to practical research. In the first study, they sought to further BIO research to include the connection between the beauty ideals of height prefer ence, body