Garry Na 1183 Claremont Fan Court School 64680 June 2012
OCR Media Studies J526 Individual Media Studies
Portfolio B321
A
Comparison of how women have been represented in fragrance advertisements from
1920s, 1990s, and 2011.
Mavis by Vivaudou (Print 1920s)
The focus of the representation is on
the woman performing a pose like a dancer. This is observed from the fact that
the woman is being held up by the character dressed as a pier rot and that the
woman represented is stretching out her arms the same way a ballet dancer
would. This is a theatrical illustration in a way that the use of this
fragrance allows women to be a part of a "show" the same way the
represented woman would. The woman is dressed in a bright gold skirt which is
reflecting the delicacy in her fashion and its wideness is imaging the woman
like a swan along with her highly stretched arms. Her shoes match the golden
design of the skirt and its unique and sophisticated design is an impressive
figuration of the Art Nouveau style. Her theatrical illustration in this advert
match the way she is dressed and it's a major cause the woman is 'irresistible'
as the advert suggests.
We also observe the oriental
representation in the architectural format of the building surrounding the
woman. The main focus of this advert from the presentation of an oriental
style is a message of co-existence with the European environment around
it. What this would refer to is the fact that such contrasting position is
presenting an opportunity for the users of this fragrance to experience the
traditional East Asian styles along with the use. Possibly and most likely,
this would be a crucial attraction to women who have placed their interests in
the Oriental scent. The shadows that cover the arc proves to the observers
that the print advert is not just a print, but rather provides a feeling that
we are actually in the midst of the experience of the orient. The architect
makes a perfect parallel to the women's skirt and doesn't give us the feeling
that the co-existence of the Oriental feeling along with a European one is
awkward.
Reds for Men by Giorgio Beverly Hills (Print 1990s)
My second choice, Red
for Men, forms a great
contrast to Vivaudou’s Mavis advertisement in its representation of
women. Where the female in Mavis is considered the epitome of feminity in her
dainty and balletic pose, the female in the Red
for Men advert is featured as
almost masculinised in the fact that she is taking a predatory and an assertive
pose. This is derived from the motion her body is taking such as grasping the
man’s hair as if to control him and taking the higher stance in their
relationship. Whilst in the Mavis advert, the woman 
was
presented more as a controlled figure in contrast to the man in the pier rot
outfit, the Red for Men advert presents her as the person in command.
was
presented more as a controlled figure in contrast to the man in the pier rot
outfit, the Red for Men advert presents her as the person in command.
Also, as the Mavis advert shows an
idealised romantic image of the woman, the Red for Men portrays a different image. In the Mavis
one, it has been stated that the whole atmosphere of the advert is giving us a
theatrical feeling due to the woman's stance and the art nouveau style of her
clothing and surroundings, as if by using the fragrance a woman would feel they
were being involved in a fantasy world. However, Reds for Men shows a direct contrast. The woman in
the advert is of an earthly image with her short hair and strong possessive
stance. She is somewhat taking the image of a man in the way she is portrayed
as a strong figure and she shows a great want showing a unique side of the
fragrance’s attraction.
Furthermore, the woman represented in Reds for Men is significant in the fact that
she is undressed along with the man to disperse sexuality and a sense of
joyfulness. An achievement of this illustration is to indoctrinate the
observers that they are at a beach or a summer holiday sort of location. This
convinces people in a sense that, 'If fun is what you are looking for, this
fragrance will do the job'. Not only does being undressed give you the feeling
of enjoyment and interest, but this is also a good way of presenting sexuality
and grasping extreme awareness, leading to the purchase of the fragrance. Such
illustration is not noticed from the Mavis
Vivaudou print advert, and
this is from the fact that the timeline of 1920s focuses on theatrical
attraction rather than natural sexuality.
Cherie by Miss Dior (Moving
Image 2011)
The third advert that
I chose is Miss Dior Cherie.
This advert concentrates more on the representation of freedom from being
dependant on anyone to make her happy. This is much like a post-feminist
assertion of independence that
women will experience unlike the first and second advert which describes the
attraction the user might experience from it. The advert has a 'main colour' of
pink to show an elegant and soft image of French sophistication. From the
woman's clothings to the backgrounds of the scene, the woman is portrayed as if
she is in her own world that was created for her to enjoy. The information that
is passed on from the advert is that the fragrance allows the user to enjoy
life the way the model in the advert does. This is a very well portrayed
engagement with the busy lifestyles of today and creates another sense of
attraction for women to be interested in.
The woman in the advert
carries a free spirit allowing her to carry out what she desires to do. From
the start to the end of the advert, every second illustrates the open life that
the woman is enjoying. For example, in the scene where the woman is walking
across the bridge, we realise that she has an elegant smile over her face and
her posture represents her freedom of belonging to where she is. As the advert
moves on, she designs her own dress, rides a bike along the city, and tries out
what she wants to. This acts as an incentive for people with busy lives to
realise the message that life is there to enjoy. She never loses her smile
throughout the advert and this is a sign of her bliss and happiness.
Furthermore,
the Miss Dior Cherie advert has the main theme colour
of pink which is a representation of girlish and daintiness. Throughout
the advert, numerous objects and background settings carry the colour of pink
which is a unique characteristic that this fragrance wants to represent. What
the advert wants to conclude from the use of such a bright yet soft colour is
the presentation of a dainty image the user will contain. This characteristic
can be compared to the Mavis
Vivaudou which represents the
woman as dainty from the use of her pose as a ballet dancer as well. This
proves that the Miss Dior
Cherie is trying to portray
the woman in an elegant yet old-fashioned way which shows a highly
contrast to representations from the 1990s such as the Reds for Men print advertisement. 
Additionally,
the Miss Dior Cherie advert focuses on the dream and
fantasy that the user will experience from the fragrance. All the events in the
advert not only show the image of a, ‘free woman’ but also, the representation
of a woman in her fantasy world. The advert shows scenes of the woman riding
her bike unreservedly inside the city, meeting the dream man of her life, and
flying over the city of Paris on a bundle of colourful balloons. Nothing in her
world can disturb her from her freedom and allows her to do whatever she
desires. This can be compared to the first two print adverts which both
represent the women as full of freedom and fantasy. Especially in the Mavis Vivaudou advert, the theatrical
representation is a comparison factor to the Miss
Dior Cherie woman and her
fantasy dream. Even though the city is full of cars and is clearly a busy
background, the woman rides freely with a graceful smile on her face. One of
the most significant events in the advert is her confrontation with the dream
man of her life. This is because after she sprays the Miss Dior Cherie perfume
on herself, the man she has dreamed of arbitrarily appears on the streets with
a warm smile directed at her. The scene that comes up next shows the two
sharing deep love with each other in an elegant background with bright sunshine
and dazzling colours. The advert meets the end by showing the woman flying high
above the city of Paris with a bundle of balloons. This concludes that freedom
and fantasy are rewarded to the user of the fragrance and in a very splendid
manner. 
In
conclusion, as time passes the theatrical representation of beauty slightly
converts to a more natural image of strong sexuality, and the attraction of the
modern beauty is often achieved by portraying a free image which suits the busy
world we live in.
