Victoria's Secret Controversy

Words: 1181
Pages: 5

Introduction-
An advertisement is a paid announcement where a product is advertised to a certain target audience. Advertisement deconstructions are necessary to allow targeted audiences be aware that certain techniques are used to target their emotions and psychological needs to persuade them to buy a certain service or product. This advertisement is promoting the product of female undergarments, in the campaign by Victoria's Secret in 2014.The product sparked controversy as the women modelling was said to be disrespectful and unrealistic to 'normal sized' women. This isn't setting a reasonable example for their target audience, which consist of young teenage girls and women. The advertisement deconstruction of this ad will allow audiences
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The visual techniques applied (i.e. lighting and colour scheme) on the lingerie models negatively affects the target audience, pressuring them to be ‘skinny’ in order to ooze sex appeal. The slogan and the copy successfully sells the product by using adverbs and adjectives by creating an image of how comfortable and perfect the lingerie is for every body and shape. However, the visual techniques used and the main image contradicts with the slogan as it does not positively corroborate as it is taken offensively to the target audience. It comes across that Victoria Secret is promoting that ‘the average body’ is stick thin. This affected the audience by causing extreme insecurities as a majority of women don’t fit the intended standards of what society finds is acceptable for what women should look like. Victoria’s Secret targeted the esteem needs on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which they intended for the women to feel confident about themselves if they buy the lingerie. However it backfired from their lack of judgement and caused the women to feel ‘not sexy’ and feel ‘fat'