Jean Kilbourne comments that the impossible, ideal image presented by advertisers “wouldn’t matter so much if it didn’t connect with the core belief of American and Canadian culture that such transformation is possible; that we can look like this if we just try hard enough, buy the right products. If we’re not beautiful, or thin, or rich, or successful, it’s because we’re just not trying hard enough.” Explore this statement further. In what ways is transformation a central principle of American and Canadian society? What is the connection between advertising’s impossible image of ideal beauty and the American/Canadian belief in transformation?
This passage that Jean Kilbourne presents, is a straightforward and direct statement. The matter of the fact is, it shouldn’t be straightforward and direct, it should be something people naturally realize is happening to them thousands of times a day. Basing on the fact that the average (American) is presented to 39,000 advertisements a day, at least 2/3 of those are going to have a rich, successful, good looking people, as well as on a commercial, billboard, or magazine cover. All of these things are what makes everyone say “I want to open that magazine because it has someone sexy on the cover” Or
“Another celebrity just went into rehab, cool now we can watch them try to battle addiction”
All of these small and irrelevant things we say or do are simply the factors of transformation in America/Canada. All the posters on buses and subways, is what millions of people use, and are subjected to advertising, so when they leave that bus, subway, or streetcar at least 1/3 of them are going to buy or at least look into that product after leaving. That cycle of course always having things around you reminding you have what you don’t have. Or if you do have it, now theirs an upgrade, so throw your piece of shit away, it’s no good.
“Dude why do u still have the 3d-3com that thing sucks”
“Man I’ve had this for a long time it, hasn’t failed me before”
(Bashes 3d-3com) * matter of speech *
“Now your going to need a knew one”
This small conversation between two friends is not really a conversation between two friends. I wanted to point out that in this conversation there is a consumer, and there is a producer. The producer is the propagandist who is pressuring and making bold comments. The consumer is the unsure one who doesn’t want to rush when he has a perfect machine already. No matter what, it happens on every day basis, that the consumer cracks into buying something new that has no real relevance for being bought, because the consumer already has been hooked once.
All of these daily occurrences, and all of these facts, seem so unneeded to every day life. Yet everyone is thought to believe they need to look a certain way, dress a certain way, act a certain way, in order to live up to all the latest upgrades or newest things. The one message I try to send is “Be your self, and don’t try to spend your whole life fantasizing about a goal that is very short last or impossible”
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