|
|
Independent yet SentimentalIndependent yet Sentimental
by Caitlyn Kes – October 11, 2002
It’s no question that within advertisements lay manufacturers’ ability to manipulate their consumers. Whether we, as consumers, consciously know it or not, we are being persuaded to fit into society’s norms every time we flip through a magazine. These norms range from girls being able to play only with dolls and boys with action figures to females being nothing more than sexual objects to males. Such false assumptions fill up almost half of every typical magazine. For example, “InStyle” – a well known feminine magazine label – contains pages of ads shouting at us to consume and copy the characters in the ads. The ads get our attention by appealing to our “subconscious drives” (Fowles 61), which invoke our deepest desires.
As Jib Fowles points out in “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals,” humans have certain needs underlying their psyche. Two of those needs seem especially interesting since they contradict each other: the need for affiliation and the need for autonomy. A perfect example of the two appeals combined is in Nescafe’s frothe ad, which is found in the “InStyle” Magazine. Nescafe’s ad states that women do not need boyfriends because they are independent individuals. However, the ad contradicts itself by expressing that women do have sentimental needs, even though it may not be for a man.
When looking at the Nescafe ad, the most noticeable image is the white cup of coffee with an imprint left by pink lipstick. This sign tells the reader right away that a woman is drinking from this cup. It also symbolizes that the woman kissed the cup since her lips were pressed onto it. This image gives the viewer the idea that kisses can be left on things other than their boyfriends. So why need a boyfriend when you could kiss something just as good? And that’s the point the ad is trying to portray; women do not need boyfriends to be satisfied.
This argument is furthermore supported when the ad asks “Who needs a boyfriend?” at the very top of the page. Nescafe wants the readers to respond with “we don’t” because the cup of frothe can replace any boyfriend. Thus, the ad is signifying that not all women need men.
Another semiotic sign that shows women detaching themselves from men is the cup standing out from the dark blue background. Blue is generally associated with males, especially with dark, solid tones. Therefore, the three dimensional image of the cup can symbolize women coming away from men. In other words, the reality of the three dimensional cup is appealing to a woman’s need for autonomy. It is a need which enables them to be by themselves and not conform to having a boyfriend.
However, the Nescafe ad doesn’t simply imply women not needing men; it states that women are individuals who can depend on themselves. The logo “Adventures in coffee” can represent women being discoverers of independence. We associate adventures with going off on one’s own discoveries and taking risks. If women can go on their own adventures, then of course they are strong enough to be independent individuals.
Another sign of women’s need for “endorsing the self” (Fowles 71) is a paragraph located next to the “Adventures in coffee” logo. “They’re [the different flavors of frothe are] so creamy-delicious, so delightfully rich, so totally topped with foam, what else do you need?” This sales pitch suggests to women that they don’t need anything else. They are self-reliant. But then again, the same statement also hints at women needing something “creamy-delicious,…delightfully rich,…[and] topped with foam.” These descriptions can subliminally mean something else. We could associate them with sexual desires. Consequently, the Nescafe ad is suggesting that women do have to have some other kinds of emotional needs, if not sexual needs.
This other need could be seen through the lipstick imprint, previously mentioned. The symbolic kiss can be interpreted as feminine affection. Every female might not need a boyfriend, but they do need something to kiss. They need something to lavish their emotions upon. It is the need to express affiliation.
In addition to the kiss, the cup handle is also a sign of affiliation. It resembles half a heart; this would make the frothe the other half of the heart. A heart is a symbol for love and affection. So if the imaginary woman is kissing the cup, she is expressing her emotions onto the object. Showing affection is categorized under the need to affiliate. Hence, women do need something; they need to show their feelings.
Being of the female gender, I can relate to that. I do tend to think of myself as an autonomous individual who don’t need a guy to fulfill my existence, but the ad made me questioned myself. Am I really independent? I’ve been in three relationships within the last six years. I haven’t been single for more than two months in between the relationships. I’m only 20 years old. In other words, I haven’t truly been on my own. “Who needs a boyfriend?” I guess I do. I need to have someone to be affectionate with. What does this tell me about myself? Do I fit into the stereotypical role of being a sentimental girl who needs a guy? Is that why the Nescafe ad interested me? Because I am one of those girls who think I don’t need a boyfriend because I’m self-reliant. But like the ad, I contradict myself.
Is it true then? No matter how women might think they have moved up in today’s modern world, are they still going to be portrayed as emotional beings at the core? The Nescafe’s frothe ad reinforces this belief. It manipulates its female consumers to believe that they are autonomous; but subliminally, it still supports the stereotype of females being sentimental and therefore the weaker gender.
Knowing this, where does it place the future of women kind? They have gone too far up to not push the “glass ceiling” higher or even break it. It won’t always be a man’s world just because women are supposedly too emotional.
|
|
|
