Fresh Lipstick: Rethinking Images of

2 Pages 470 Words

Fresh Lipstick: Rethinking Images of
Women in Advertising


Dr. Reed
Sensuous, provocative, sexy, and alluring are words used to describe models in advertisements for cosmetics and women’s attire in both television and magazines. Why is this? Simply put, sex sells. And “without our products, you can not attain this beauty”, they are saying subliminally. Despite this, or maybe because of this, Scott tells us in this essay “… defiance among feminist activist, therefore, has been a refusal to conform to the grooming practices that fashion deemed ‘beautiful’ or ‘feminine’” (131).

There is no doubt that any man desires to “possess” a beautiful woman, in any way he can. This is a control that women have over men, in that while he may desire her, she controls the outcome. It is this feeling that acts as an intoxicating elixir of no longer being oppressed or subjugated. Further, the extent women in the past have gone to achieve this control, beauty that men desire has at times been dangerous. Scott tells us of these dangerous practices, “… tight lacing corsets, eating arsenic to produce a pale complexion, and using lead-based powders…” all in the name of beauty and sex appeal to men. Is because of the subjugation of women by men that drives some women to sometimes go to extremes?

Everywhere you look advertisements for cosmetics abound. Billboards, covers of magazines, even magazine designed for women and beauty. Slogans for beauty products, “Nothing less than finesse” for Finesse shampoo alludes to an angle for achieving beautiful hair. “Cover Girl” makeup gives the illusion that a woman can be a cover girl with their cosmetics line. Provocative looks form the models oozes sex and sensuality from every poor of her face. Wait a minute, she has no pores!

In my presentation, I ask if anyone had polled men as to their preference in the wearing or not wearing of makeup. Granted, s...