May 2018 archive

Media Messages- FS 11

 

This Pepsi ad shows the famous actor, Sofia Vergara, dressed in blue drinking from a Pepsi can. The blue color of this ad is eye-catching, and cooling. They are using a-well known actress, a trick that is used widely throughout advertisement to further gain attention. On the left, the attention is directed to the skinniness of the can which is reflected in how un-naturally skinny her arm is. Her body is very dewy and has a natural-looking glow to it, however it is not very realistic. She is wearing a lot of highlighter and the glow is also most likely edited or enhanced. On the right, Sofia Vergara is wearing a slightly darker shade so that the viewer’s attention is directed to her low-cut dress, where the Pepsi can is strategically placed in the center of her chest. Again, her features like her collarbone and shoulders, are very prominent. Her hat is covering her face in both pictures in a very seductive manner, and her red lipstick pops out against the blue so that it matches the red of the Pepsi logo. The tagline of this ad “the new skinny can”, is quite disturbing. The media is, once again, presenting the idea of “skinny” as better, and an improvement. They are using a skinny woman in this ad as a sort of subtle reference to how skinny the can is, I don’t think that they would use someone with a wider figure, which is very upsetting. The unrealistic ideals that this ad is promoting in regards to shape and figure is used throughout many ads and is so subtle that one could hardly recognize it.  This very skinny, prominent, and glowing women is what is often portrayed as beautiful, and even a drink ad can have a negative, unconscious, influence on young boys and girls that see this.