This isn't necessarily for the class but if anyone could do me a favour and put some activism on the Shisheido "White Lucent" makeup ads in the subway, I'd really appreciate it. I can't hit them all. You could replace "Lucent" with "Power" for example.
I'm seeing an advertising trend that is increasingly less subtle, such as calling low-fat drinks "skinny drinks" (like at Second Cup), low-fat snacks "thins" (like Cadbury Thins) and, in this case, "brightening" skincare (if that's what care is, I guess) called "White Lucent". The danger with this kind of "blunt marketing" is that it implies that there's nothing problematic about the end goal (skinniness, whiteness, etc), which is a different approach than what's been used in the last several years - namely, disguising the end goal as something else (fitness, skin luminosity).
The product line claims to remove spots and "discoloration" using various vitamins and acids and mysterious "Asian plant extracts" (!). It's certainly not as bad as L'Oreal's "White Perfect" skin whitening line, which isn't marketed in Canada or the US, but it's not far off.
I can donate Sharpies to this cause.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I'll share some solidarity with you on this one! Bad advertising needs to be contested. I recently saw a great jam on a CBC ad for Secret Lives of Hockey Wives, with "heterosexism".
Thanks Jared - yeah, I hate those ads! CBC is usually above that kind of crap...but here we have a Desperate Housewives rip-off. I can't believe they even labeled one of the characters as "The Virgin".
I think I'll print some transparent labels which can be easily affixed to the ads, and which will blend in more easily - so the TTC will be slower to notice and replace them. I'll bring them to the next class.
Post a Comment