What is your reaction to this ad, particularly in light of our discussion about men and distorted body image? I feel like the model in the ad probably even feels bad about himself when he seems the "airbrushed" and "photoshopped" version.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Calvin Klein Concept 2013 commercial
Thanks to Zach Lewis for sharing this commercial. If you'll recall (and I don't for some reason?) this aired during the Superbowl which is watched by many families with young children.
What is your reaction to this ad, particularly in light of our discussion about men and distorted body image? I feel like the model in the ad probably even feels bad about himself when he seems the "airbrushed" and "photoshopped" version.
What is your reaction to this ad, particularly in light of our discussion about men and distorted body image? I feel like the model in the ad probably even feels bad about himself when he seems the "airbrushed" and "photoshopped" version.
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This ad created a lot of buzz for airing for only 30 seconds, but during the most watched television program of the year. His body appears to be in perfect shape, with chiseled abs and an amazing facial structure, making the audience focus more on his body than the product being advertised, the Calvin Klein briefs. This commercial can put a lot of pressure on males to try an achieve this physique because the advertisement makes it seem desirable, to not only women but men. It is unrealistic for most men to look as perfect as airbrush and photo-shop can make someone look. This is especially dangerous for young kids to see, because this is an unnatural perception of reality and body image. It is known that children are unhappy with their body image at such a young age and this ad only distorts their perception of an ideal body even more. This ad can essentially lead to eating disorders if it is taken too far. What I found most shocking about this ad, in general, is that the male model is only 21 years old and has probably been working hard at the gym for a long time to get to where he is. This exemplifies the notion that young children/adolescents/adults have this Hollywood depiction that you have to be thin or muscular to be beautiful and accepted. I do not doubt that he enjoys to work out, however, I'm sure there was some influence from Hollywood and the media. (Melissa Wachter 4330)
ReplyDeleteIn relation to what Melissa stated above, I also agree that this image can easily be engrained into young childrens minds at a very young age. Children are continuously pressured to fit the thin and attractive qualities that are shown in the media. I am certainly worried for the future of young children and the pressures they feel constantly. Studies show that young children know and understand that thin, fit models is considered to be the only look that is acceptable in society today. Granted, men are not nearly as pressured as women to look the way we see in the media, this commercial definitely explains the intense need to be the 'perfect' figure.
ReplyDeleteTo add onto what was stated above, I completely agree that this commercial has gone way too far. This mans body is something that he has no doubt worked, and starved his butt off for, at a very young, impressionable age. Nobody in their childhood or adolescence should be concerned with their body being perfected to this degree. Being strong and healthy is one thing, but when it comes to barely eating and constantly having depictions of young men and women such as this around you at all times, it drives young people to take drastic measures. For example, I've read that people are criticizing Jennifer Lawrence for being "fat." THAT is ridiculous, and the fact that our society has come to such a low as to pick apart everything about someone who is in the spotlight is deeply concerning.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of this commercial runs parallel with the idea behind the Dove women's commercial. The actual man in this commerical looks completely different than how he appears on the screen, as did the woman in the Dove commerical. However, young children do not know this. The children see the screen as is and what is on the screen is completely fake. The eye color, the voluminous hair, the chiseled muscles, they're all fake. Sure, the model probably semi looks like that, but it's not all real. This distorts the children's image of what others should look like and also what they,themselves, should look like. If everything is near "perfect" on this model, that is what's going to be ingrained in the child's head- perfection. The more one strives for perfection the harder they are on themselves which makes for a world full of pressure for these young children.
ReplyDelete-Karlyn Tupper
This ad is similar to the other ads we talked about in class, including the Dove beauty ad as well as the male model ad. These types of advertisements put a lot of pressure on young adolescents to look a certain way, otherwise they won't be accepted. Therefore, they do whatever it takes to look that way. For girls that includes eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia; for boys that means spending hours upon hours at the gym in order to get the most amount of muscle their bodies will allow - sometimes even more with the help of steroids. However this is a very unhealthy approach to exercise and diet because they are going beyond what their bodies are meant to thrive on. What teenagers and people in their 20s should focus on is more about how their bodies are built and to work with that. They shouldn't thrive to fit into an image that even the models can't fit into. It is just not healthy or ideal for anyone.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty disturbing to me that a lot of young children have probably seen this ad. This ad shows a man who is extremely fit, thin, and unrealistic. It reiterates the "thin ideal," which is a constant reoccurrence in the media. It is less likely for men to have these kinds of ads that push thinness. However, it is equally as damaging for young boys. It is unhealthy for kids to see these kinds of ads because they think that this is the way that they need to look. It is important to be healthy, but I don't think a lot of these models live healthy lifestyles. Rather, they are probably starving themselves along with obsessively working out. Overall, I think that these types of ads can be extremely damaging to young kids.
ReplyDelete-Julia Christensen
The most concerning part of this ad is that it perpetuates this unrealistic image of men in our society. The ad is concentrating on only his body with brief glimpses of his face. This is similar to ads by Abercrombie and Fitch or Hollister (which are kid/teen brands) that mainly focus on people's bodies and barely on their faces. This type of advertising can be bad, especially when aimed at kids, because when they see these types of products they are seeing what they think they should look like. It is particularly concerning in this ad because they are focusing on this man's body but it is hard to even decipher what they're selling.
ReplyDeleteKelsey Selig
ReplyDeleteThis is certainly an ad that I would be concerned about for a certain age group but I don't think that young children are the ones at risk. They are not at a place yet where they understand sexuality and attraction and so they won't even grasp the idea that this man has the "ideal body". For pre-teens and teenagers however, this ad can be very dangerous. During this time, kids are so malleable and easily influenced that they can be seriously damaged if surrounded by images like this. This ad could be the catalyst for eating disorders, steroid use and other very harmful behaviors. Teens are already working to be like their favorite actors and sports stars, the last thing they need is to be comparing themselves to unrealistic body images portrayed by models.
I feel this commercial was a bit overboard. This type of body representation not only is unreal, but leads others to have the belief that their body is not good enough. After viewing this commercial i was able to realize that most of it was not real, but someone with less media literacy than me may not be able to make that type of connection. Those type of individuals could try and achieve this body type and could hurt or possibly kill themselves.
ReplyDelete