I was scrolling through Facebook the other day, when I came to this picture. One of my friends had shared a link on her news feed. This was the cover photo. The link led to a website cataloging “40 Of The Most Powerful Social Issue Ads That’ll Make You Stop And Think”. All of the advertisements on the list were utterly shocking, but this one stuck with me.
It turns out that Star Models is a modeling agency centered in Brazil. The agency released an entire ad campaign discouraging women from seeing themselves as anything but perfect. Models and designers are some of the world’s experts on eating disorders and poor body images. Imagine having to spend your days listening to other people talk about your body and how it could be improved. Eating Disorders are common among models all over the world; they are sometimes celebrated, because they allow the model to look “better” in whatever design they are wearing. The fact that a renowned modeling agency is putting out an ad such as this speaks wonders to the consumers who are seeing it. Women everywhere see something like this being sponsored by a modeling agency, and take it more seriously because modeling agencies are the ones who know what they’re talking about when it comes to looks, right? Having the background that this company does, adds exponentially to their ethos when trying to convey their message.
Look at the designer’s sketch on the left. It is not unlike any other sketch we have seen in the past. It’s not out of the ordinary to see something like this on the pages of a sketchbook. Now, look at the woman standing on the right. What would you think if you saw her walking down the street? The way the artist depicted her is grossly underweight and hollow-looking. It’s worrisome that the people designing our clothes picture women looking this way when wearing an outfit like this. The detail in the illustration is haunting. It makes the audience afraid to see anyone at that point. The emotion it elicits only adds to the impact this advertisement has on its viewers.
This is such a powerful ad and really sticks with you! I think its great that you looked into who the ad was made by because the credibility of the ad rises dramatically because of the fact that it was produced by a well-known modeling agency. That is the perfect example of ethos! It has such a more powerful impact because the model and the designers are both behind it. I think another good point to bring up is that pathos definitely comes into play here because, when looking at this image, you can’t help but feel pity for the woman, and this is trying to prevent people from thinking that it is acceptable.