Power
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33011/cuhj20242865Abstract
This piece is a collage of images I gathered from various magazines and advertisements. I believe that advertisements in the modern world seek to promote consumerism by tapping into our more animalistic traits. Advertisements play on themes of magic, sex, and otherworldly science fiction elements to give their product the magical ability to conquer our primal desires. In the collage itself, there are several images I felt demonstrated this idea. One ad for clothing featured a traditional oil painting of an upper-class woman ripped and covered to wear the brand's clothing instead. This image likely sought to demonstrate to the viewer that their clothes were modern and sophisticated. Another ad for a razor company featured a man being beamed up by a flying saucer, claiming that their razors could provide an “out of this world” experience. This ad likely sought to associate their product, a mundane razor, with a magical science-fiction adventure, playing on the viewer’s wish for excitement in their mundane routines. Another ad claimed “Awareness is Power” about a technology company’s innovations. I found this to be ironic as my collage was based on bringing more awareness to the advertisement strategies used to promote consumerism. With the awareness of how these products appeal to us, we can stop focusing on buying empty objects and instead seek more permanent ways to fulfill our desires.
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11-August-2014
