The topic of women’s rights has been a prevalent aspect of societal discourse since the 1800s. Now, in the 21st century, it continues to be a debate in one way or another within households around the world.
UN Women, an organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, released a series of ads in 2013 that were centered around genuine Google searches which exposed widespread sexism and discrimination against women.
One ad in particular, titled “The Autocomplete Truth,” is impactful in its bluntness and effective conveyance of its intended purpose, which is to expose the sexist ideals that are engrained in our global society. You can view this ad here:
I utilized the composition lens when evaluating this civic artifact. While it was created almost 10 years ago, its intended message regarding sexism despite a long history of women’s rights continues to ring true today. The video’s use of spatial emptiness and lack of color adds to its directness. It does not want the viewer to be distracted by bright colors, for the text that simulates a Google search is sufficient to attract the viewer’s attention.
In addition, the year of the specified event followed by a short clip of said event takes the viewer on a journey through time before abruptly portraying the Google search from present day that includes the shocking search results. These stylistic choices were intended to shock the audience, for someone with no prior knowledge of the ad would not expect its outcome. I also noticed that while inspiring music played in the background of the historical clips, the music ends for the Google search and remains silent for the remainder of the video. This is incredibly powerful and creates space for the viewer to draw their own conclusions.
Wow,
I actual went to another tab and did a google search “women should” and the same stuff came up, which confirms your point of the shock factor in the ad. The audience wants to see it to believe it, and it’s definitely still there. To add to your topic, you could use another aspect of the Visual Criticism. I feel like for this advertisement, either circulation or reproduction could go well with your composition analysis.
This ad was extremely powerful. I also immediately went to Google and conducted the same search. It is extremely disheartening to think about how long women have been fighting for equality. I don’t say this to discount the achievements of past females but rather to highlight how deep-rooted the problem is. I liked how you highlighted the simplicity of the ad. This style created a somber and serious mood. I think it would have been interesting to apply the trust lense to this video, because the video evoked powerful emotions.