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David Stalvey
Professor Bolton
ENG 101
6 October 2014
Advertisements Costly Effects on Societys Perception of Perfect Female Beauty
Does buying a new purse or purchasing the latest clothing influence the image of beauty
among women? In societies across the world, women ponder this question and contemplate the
concepts of physical appearance and individual beauty whenever they view female-driven
advertisements. Advertisements portrayal of perfect beauty while marketing womens
clothing and accessories has the potential to affect societys judgments of the physical
appearance of women and the ideal form of female beauty, which can produce negative
standards about the concept of female body image. Notable criticisms in regards to the adverse
effects of advertisements on womens self-esteem have been presented, including that of Jean
Kilbourne. In Killing Us Softly 4, Kilbourne voices her disapproval of advertisements that
emphasize consumer products and sexual imagery when describing complete female beauty.
Kilbourne expresses that advertisements of the past and present that are directed toward women
display the importance of the possession of consumer products and the significance of the sexual
aspects of physical appearance in order for women to achieve the ideal female image. Recent
advertisements from Joes, Guess, and Calvin Klein Jeans demonstrate Kilbournes idea that ads
emphasize physical appearances and material items, which include clothing and fashion
accessories, in order to display a sexualized form of perfect female beauty.
One recent ad that supports Kilbournes belief that ads market consumer products in
order to depict sexualized aspects of the ideal female image is from Joes. This ad, which is

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found in Cosmopolitan magazine, displays Kilbournes belief by using sexually suggestive
methods in order to advertise a pair of Joes jeans. The ad shows a tall, blonde, Caucasian
woman who is standing up with her back to the camera. This woman is skinny and has no
physical abnormalities presented to the viewer. The woman is also topless, and she is only
shown to be wearing a hat, bracelets, rings, and a pair of jeans. In order to be displayed as the
focal point of the ad, the womans pair of jeans is accentuated by the ads usage of black-andwhite photography, which contrasts the black color of the jeans with the womans Caucasian
skin and the white background of the ad. This distinction of the womans jeans, which is a result
of the ads use of monochrome photography, emphasizes the ads purpose in marketing the pants
to the viewer. Like the pair of jeans, the placement of the womans hands in the ad also attracts
the attention of the viewer. The strategic location of the womans hands on her waist causes the
viewer to consider the idea that the woman is in the process of pulling her pants down. This
suggestion of exposure and the womans partial nudity represent the vulnerability of the woman,
which contributes to Kilbournes idea that ads portray sex as a required aspect of ideal female
beauty. The ads depiction of the woman as the epitome of beauty and sexuality is supported by
the slogan of Joes, which is located at the center of the bottom of the ad. The companys
slogan, JUST A PERFECT DAY, further demonstrates Kilbournes opinion that
advertisements present the possession of consumer items, such as a pair of Joes jeans, and
sexual behavior as necessities of perfect beauty. The themes of consumerism and sex in the
Joes ad embody Kilbournes statement that ads instill a misconstrued view of the ideal image of
women into society.
Kilbournes interpretation that ads display material items in order to influence women to
conceive ideas of the perfect female image and sexuality is also examined in a current ad from

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Guess. Found in Elle magazine, this advertisement for Guess bags contributes to Kilbournes
idea due to the ads focuses on the physical appearance of the subject and the advertised product.
Like the advertisement from Joes, this ad displays a tall, blonde, Caucasian woman, who is
positioned against a white wall in a seductive manner in the center of the photograph. The
woman faces the camera and evokes sexuality as her legs are open to the viewer. However, a
brown Guess bag is positioned in front of the womans white coat and lies on her tan pants and
black shoes, which discreetly blocks the womans crotch and provides a color contrast that
accentuates the bag. This insinuation of sex in the ad promotes Kilbournes assessment that ads
present sexuality as an expected characteristic of ideal female beauty. The tactful positioning of
the Guess bag in front of the womans crotch contributes to Kilbournes idea that advertisements
associate the sexual and vulnerable aspects of a womans physical appearance with the perfect
image of women. This assumption of sexuality allows the Guess ad to market the possession of
its companys product in accordance with ideal female beauty. The color distinction of the
Guess purse in the ad entices the viewers attention and reinforces Kilbournes point that
material items are expressed as requirements of the perfect female image. The inclusion of
sexual aspects in the Guess ad supports Kilbournes idea that advertisements emphasize the
possession of consumer products and the importance of sex in the achievement of ideal female
beauty.
A final ad that reinforces Kilbournes point that ads use material items and physical
appearance in order to convince women of a flawless and sexual interpretation of female beauty
is from Calvin Klein Jeans. Like the Guess ad, this recent advertisement is also found in Elle
magazine and supports Kilbournes belief that ads portray consumer products as the basis of
ideal female beauty. This ad maintains the trend of the other two ads in that it displays a tall,

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blonde, Caucasian woman as the subject of the ad. The woman stands in the center of the ad and
faces the camera, which allows the portion of her body from her head to her knees to be
displayed clearly to the viewer. The woman wears a white tank top and grasps it in her right
hand, which exposes her stomach to the viewer. Like the advertisement for Joes, this ad utilizes
black-and-white photography in order to accentuate the womans jeans to the viewer. The
womans black pants contrasts with the Caucasian skin of the woman and the gray background
of the ad, which causes the viewer to focus his or her attention on the pants. This emphasis on
the pair of jeans promotes Kilbournes idea that ads feature consumerism in order to express
ideal beauty. The womans grasp of her tank top pertains to the theme of sexuality and
contributes to Kilbournes point that advertisements display sex and desirable physical attributes
as necessary aspects of complete female beauty. Kilbournes belief that advertisements present
consumer products and sexual imagery to women in order to display these concepts as
requirements for the ideal female image is signified in the Calvin Klein Jeans ad.
Current advertisements from Joes, Guess, and Calvin Klein Jeans exhibit Kilbournes
opinion that advertisements utilize a connection between consumer products and sexuality in
order to present the ideal female appearance. Kilbournes idea that advertisements employ
marketing strategies that involve sex while advertising consumer goods is examined in each of
the three ads. Kilbournes points in her speech appeal to the hope that women will, one day, be
able to disregard societys views and advertisements expressions of the perfect female image
the next time that they feel the need to buy the latest purse or pair of jeans.

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Works Cited
Calvin Klein Jeans. Advertisement. Elle 2.350 (2014): 122. Print.
Guess. Advertisement. Elle 2.350 (2014): 24. Print.
Joes. Advertisement. Cosmopolitan 257.4 (2014): 65. Print.
Killing Us Softly 4. Dir. Sut Jhally. Perf. Jean Kilbourne. Media Education Foundation, 2010.
Film.