Guerrilla Ad Project
I worked with Amanda Le on this project. We decided that our topic would be body image and advertising, and the negative effects it has on people, especially women. The point of this project was to make a Guerrilla ad (an ad that makes you think and makes a statement). The ads may sometimes be controversial. Most of the time, they are shocking and informative.
The point of our ad is to show that Barbie dolls represent an unrealistic body image ideal and do not represent the normal, average woman.
Here is the final draft of our ad:
The point of our ad is to show that Barbie dolls represent an unrealistic body image ideal and do not represent the normal, average woman.
Here is the final draft of our ad:
Here is an explanation of our ad:
Body Image and Advertising
Our ad is all about modern day beauty standards that are created by unrealistic advertising. In the ad a Barbie doll, which is a highly inaccurate depiction of women, is looking in a mirror and sees the reflection of a normal girl. Barbie is sad because she doesn’t look normal, and wants to. This is where the irony comes in. Normally, in real life, a girl who considers herself “fat” would look into a mirror and wish she looked more like a Barbie doll, because that is the social standard of beauty that advertising has set for society. Most women who consider themselves fat are actually a healthy, average weight. We are trying to convey to our audience two messages: 1) Those beauty standards are not accurate and shouldn’t be followed, and 2) women that don’t look exactly like Barbie are still beautiful. The ad also shows how Barbie doesn’t even think she is normal, and wishes she were.
Our target audience is mostly women, from teenagers to adults. But our ad is also for younger girls, because girls as young as five can be affected by the Barbie beauty standard. In a sense, we are trying to dispel a “need” of women and girls with this ad. Most women feel a “need” to look a certain way so they can be accepted, and we are trying to show them they don’t need to do that.
Our ad depicts the back of an extremely skinny Barbie doll, and the image of a normal, average-looking girl. We decided to use the Barbie doll because the idea of looking like a Barbie is ridiculous since it is biologically impossible to have a waist that small. The Barbie doll may be aimed more at younger girls, but can still affect older women who used to play with them. The real girl appeals to almost everyone, because she looks like an average, young woman. Our ad will be most effective if people are able to connect and relate to it. If they do connect with it, they will be able to understand it and realize that a Barbie doll is not a healthy ideal for the body of an average woman.
We used a few different advertising and psychological techniques in our ad, but the main one is trying to put people in others’ shoes. We tried to place the Barbie in a way so you couldn’t see her face or any distinguishing features, and also tried covering most of the reflection’s face with hair. By doing this we thought it would be easier for the audience to place themselves in the place of the subjects in the ad, creating a deeper connection to it. We also used a little bit of desire. The ad has the line, “I wish I were beautiful,” which shows Barbie’s desire for wanting to look normal, and most women have a desire to look a certain way. By giving the Barbie in our ad that desire, we can pull more people in. It is our hope as we pull people in this way, they are educated about inaccurate advertising and it will lose its effectiveness.
Our target audience is mostly women, from teenagers to adults. But our ad is also for younger girls, because girls as young as five can be affected by the Barbie beauty standard. In a sense, we are trying to dispel a “need” of women and girls with this ad. Most women feel a “need” to look a certain way so they can be accepted, and we are trying to show them they don’t need to do that.
Our ad depicts the back of an extremely skinny Barbie doll, and the image of a normal, average-looking girl. We decided to use the Barbie doll because the idea of looking like a Barbie is ridiculous since it is biologically impossible to have a waist that small. The Barbie doll may be aimed more at younger girls, but can still affect older women who used to play with them. The real girl appeals to almost everyone, because she looks like an average, young woman. Our ad will be most effective if people are able to connect and relate to it. If they do connect with it, they will be able to understand it and realize that a Barbie doll is not a healthy ideal for the body of an average woman.
We used a few different advertising and psychological techniques in our ad, but the main one is trying to put people in others’ shoes. We tried to place the Barbie in a way so you couldn’t see her face or any distinguishing features, and also tried covering most of the reflection’s face with hair. By doing this we thought it would be easier for the audience to place themselves in the place of the subjects in the ad, creating a deeper connection to it. We also used a little bit of desire. The ad has the line, “I wish I were beautiful,” which shows Barbie’s desire for wanting to look normal, and most women have a desire to look a certain way. By giving the Barbie in our ad that desire, we can pull more people in. It is our hope as we pull people in this way, they are educated about inaccurate advertising and it will lose its effectiveness.