Kilbourne’s Argument
May 16, 2011 by matthewbodh
Advertising has been around since the first products were invented. Its main purpose is to create a need and want for a product even if it is not there. Advertising is what keeps our economy and country going. Without marketers and advertising agencies to stir up a need and want for products, people would not be putting money into our economy. Killbourne’s views are very radical and would only work in a perfect world where child development was the only concern.
The top advertisers get paid for their creativity and their ads that generate the most buzz. In this example Killbourne is putting a microscope on just one technique that almost every advertiser uses. Sex can sell almost any products. From cars, perfume, makeup, lingerie, and even burgers. This is a known fact and advertisers have been capitalizing on the beauty of women for years. Killbournes argument that women are just used for their beauty is just a one-sided feminine view.
Yes advertisements may cause less attractive women and even younger women to try to enhance themselves through surgery and other types of unnatural methods. This cannot be blamed solely on the advertisers. Women just being around their peers may find themselves inferior in beauty. I cannot blame advertisers for wanting the most naturally beautiful women to promote their products. It is simple commonsense to promote your products with the best that is out there. Women who go out to extreme lengths to change themselves have deeper issues that just the advertisements that they see on billboards.
Killbournes view of advertising cause young girls to grow up faster may have some validity. Children in general always want to mimic what they see on television and on billboards. This is just their nature, and it so happens that advertisers are using sex to sell their products and paint an image of beauty with their products. No matter what type of advertising that marketers use, children will always mimic it. So Killbournes point to change advertising is a little discredited because no one has the power or knowledge to decide what is the perfect image.
