Do beauty adverts result in negative body image?

 really need some opinions and feedback for my coursework, would really appreciate any views!

I expect so, at least at the margins.  But more than anything, although being male I might not be the target market, I find them dull, cliched, irritating and their claims highly dubious (using science to baffle, or language that is aimed at viewers misinterpreting the claims)

Oh, dear, two for two from the wrong target demographic (I'm guessing there is no such thing as male beauty...yet?). I rather fear the answer is yes, but as this lark has been going on since the first human peahen figured longer lashes trumped egg-bearing hips I doubt there is much that will change, though it would be interesting to be for once standing on the sidelines watching the game unfold. These pages have skirted (sorry) this issue before, with such as Dove, who rather blew the thing by deciding that while there should be no such thing as body image, positive or negative, there was nothing that couldn't benefit from knocking into more saleable shape.

What do you think though, are the female targeted ads boring and merge into one generic, or am I missing the subtleties?

FWIW, which clearly isn't much, as you've asked I find female ads very samey and hence boring. Plus professionally I can't see how that works in a cluttered ad environment. There seem to be two extremes, which I do pay attention to if for very different reasons. One is pose, product and logo, which if it involves a pretty girl makes for a nicer day. Though airbrushing now makes them all look like they have been dipped in some sauce first. Then there are the rafts of empathy efforts for OTC meds. Just hilarious as my sons freak out that the whole female of the species is about to explode from every orifice they haven't scratched first. The missus has reassured them that some might not be so troubled. It must work as the formulae have never changed. Even a decade and a half ago we had a lucrative cosmetics account that frankly never went near our creative department. As CD I had to sign off on the seps as they winged to Tatler, Vogue, etc. And when I read the free copies in the reception they looked no different to any of the competitors to me. But I'd suspect the use of Kate in a mini-skirt vs. Eva in a suit means major differentiation where it counts.

 We generally define ourselves by the interaction and information received from our environments - check out the Ego as part of Freud's structural model. The media and therefore beauty ads are one contributory factor to our self-perception. 

In most beauty ads the models are so far removed for the average women that connecting with them as aspirational figures is very difficult, leading to incresased insecurity and frustration which can manifest itself in a number of ways. The models' 'beauty', which is often enhanced through re-touching and computer graphical manipulation is nigh on impossible to achieve by any mere mortal. 

 However you have to remember that self-perception is complex and cannot be simplified to x = y, you'll also need to look at the influence of role models (friends, family, celebrities etc), cultural differences in what 'beauty' represents and I would certainly include some detail about the Dove 'Real Beauty' campaign as a reaction to mainstream beauty advertising.

 Hope this helps.

 Andy

The missus has reassured them that some might not be so troubled. It must work as the formulae have never changed.

Check out new ads from P&G - do they promote a negative body image?? -> http://bit.ly/mmShy

 I think adverts merely react to current thoughts and trends. I deffinately think that they make certain ways of thinking normal and accepted though (like male beauty etc). I'm unsure as to where it all started though, maybe it's a massive cycle...media (magazines pointing out "horrible" things on celebs)- advertising - media etc etc etc

 I do think the ads are a catalyst in the paranoia spiral most people seem to be in..."oh you have celulite, you want to get rid of that! Here-look at our new wonder product". Then maybe only exacerbating peoples poor self image.

 This is why I applaud Dove's "PRO-age" ads...taking a cleaver view on things, making it possitive. While all of the other campaigns are anti-age, anti-flab and anti-everything else people seem to have...this seemed to encorage natural, obtainable beauty. Brilliant branding in my oppinion.

 I'm pretty sure, if you are insecure...you are going to be like that-if you're not insecure-adverts wouldn't make you like that.

 

  I hope this all makes sense???? (i find it really hard to write out my opinion haha)