The Propaganda Behind Cosmetics: CoverGirl (2018) v Maybelline (1957)
Romanuel Percy and Jaleel Felton
Communications 416: Propaganda
Professor Renee Hobbs
April 11th, 2018
Introduction
The introduction to female beauty and the underlying propaganda used to sell specific products is an interesting topic to discuss. There is so much more that goes into advertisements and selling cosmetic products for women. The media uses images to show a standard of beauty that women should strive for. In today’s society, the media uses propaganda to show women there is an ideal body image they are meant fit. On the cover of every magazine or commercial we see ultra thin models, same hair types, same skin color, all of which mold the image and standard of what is beauty.
With all these example of the “right type” of beauty, the number of women who are dissatisfied with their body image is climbing. The increase in low self-esteem and image insecurity is due to the increased pressure created by these advertisements and commercials. The female beauty industries use of propaganda is having a negative effect on women all around the world. According to Harrison and Cantor, “The mass media may operate as important influences on disordered eating through their impact on the values, norms, and aesthetic standards embraced by modern U.S. society (p.41, 1997)”. With the increase of beauty propaganda being projected throughout the forever growing media, we find direct correlations to rising levels of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa. The is a pressure for women to resemble the models used in commercial and advertisements is creating issues in other areas as well. For example, women are focusing more on their body image for sexual appearance as well. According to Russel, “Cosmetics manipulate one of the biological factors of beauty-sexual dimorphism (p.1211, 20090”. The notion that women need to look a certain way in order to attract men has been embedded into our societal norms due to propaganda painting the picture of what beauty should be.
When focusing on just makeup, we are taught many different things growing up about its concept. Who should be wearing makeup? What age is it acceptable to wear makeup? In turn, we learn that makeup is typically worn by women who are entering womanhood. We learn that the reaction people will get when you they are wearing makeup is completely different when you’re not. These ideas are created by society and generally, this is what we are taught to accept. If you are a woman, who wears makeup, you are beautiful. This message causes anxiety, which is why the propaganda is so successful in manipulated people to buy makeup and other cosmetics. The mindset of womanhood, makeup, and beauty is started at a young age thus aiding the success of propaganda.
The image of beauty pushed my different forms of propaganda, objectifies the idea of what it means to be a beautiful woman. For example, “According to objectification theory, the objectification of women causes society and women themselves to view the female body as something to be looked at, evaluated, enjoyed or derided. Through depersonalization and dehumanization, women’s bodies are laid bare to society’s exacting standards, nearly insuring that women are left feeling inadequate(LePage. P.3)”. Women feel as if they are always being judged based on their body type and appearance. To add on to this, gender roles are specified by the beauty industry. If a female does not enjoy putting on makeup or keep her body in a “womanly shape” she is ostracized.
In history, the image of beauty has constantly involved. As times change, the propaganda created to push cosmetics has also changed. The effects of propaganda efforts by major cosmetic companies such as L'oreal, Covergirl, and Maybelline have very much left major scars on the people sitting at home contemplating whether or not they are beautiful. Four our assignment, we will be analyzing two forms of beauty propaganda from the present and the past. We will find the similarities in the two commercials, but we will also be looking at drastic differences and the evolution of beauty standards.
Commercial #1- Present
Unapology is a commercial that was released in January of 2018 by CoverGirl. The commercial focuses on what the model, Blaine Shackelford, thinks about her face and how others may perceive her. The commercial starts of with Blaine intensely looking into her mirror and asking the question, “What does my face tell you”? We are instantaneously taken through areas and different reflections of her daily life. One of the very first juxtapositions, was between her face either presenting as “vain” or “strong”. In the clip where she explains her face looking as “vain”, her lipstick was bright pink and her cheekbones were very defined through highlight. Her setting was in the gym and she was working out, really focused on her image. When she describes her facial appearance as “strong”, we see her wearing red lipstick and a purple eyeshadow. Her hair is pulled back into a slick bun and she is standing and speaking as the head of a boardroom. These two scenarios demonstrated the ability to use makeup two entirely different ways. One way was using makeup to focus on self-love and beautifying your own image. On the other hand, it also demonstrated the ability to use makeup to be a strong and an independent woman. The commercial walks us through many different types of looks such as being bold, subtle, sensitive, innocent, comforting, and sensual. All of these different types of looks, were all created by Blaine and the type of person she wants to be. At the end of day, using makeup, Blaine has the ability to create her own image and empower herself. Using the hashtag, #IAmWhatIMakeUP, this message has grown within CoverGirl and the rest of the world.
According to Britton, “Based on the $170 million that is spent on cosmetics each year, it’s evident that the cosmetic industry influences consumers in some way (p.4, 2012)”. Through this research study, Britton was able to find a direct correlation between the vast amounts of makeup purchased and the effect it has on its consumers. Throughout the many spokespersons of ConverGril such as Ellen DeGeneres, Taylor Swift, and Queen Latifah, the scope of what beauty is has been diversified and broaded. In today’s culture, CoverGirl plays a role in reshaping what beauty is. This commercial finds a method of empowering Blaine to be a better version of herself through wearing makeup and creating the image she wants. CoverGirl is also very excellent at marketing and strategizing in order to attract as many customers. “CoverGirl also had three major strengths in brand positioning: memorability, likability and transferability (Armstrong, 2013)”. Through different media campaigns, spokespersons, colors/visuals, and partnerships with major industries like the NFL, they are able to use these platforms in order to attract many different customers.
Commercial #2 - Past
As we look at the second commercial, it is easy to pick up on the clear and blatant messages of propaganda. Maybelline created the commercial in the year of 1956. It is specially made for their eyelash makeup line. The commercial is all about a young and “beautiful” woman, who aims to get the most out of her eyelashes. The commercial uses phrases that specify the enhanced beauty she gains by adding make up. There is even a before and after comparison between her eyelashes. The interesting part is, there is no that drastic difference. Some of the phrases range from “even short tattered lashes can look beautiful with Maybelline” and there is a catchy tune at the end of the commercial that says “all they guys look at the girl with the beautiful eyes”. Phrases such as these are underlying messages that women can only be beautiful with makeup. Along with this, the sexual attraction of a male can only happen to women who wear makeup.
This commercial may seem innocent but when you dissect the messages, it really demonstrated the idea of needed makeup to appear beautiful. In this commercial, Maybelline wanted women to believe there was no such thing a natural beauty. This is an true example of how long this idea has been in our society. Since 1956, women were expected to fall under an ideal beauty image. If they did not fit in they were deemed unattractive or unwanted. This commercial is a perfect example of the propaganda that is destroying and tested the self-love and self-esteem of women throughout history. This is not an issue that is new to our generation and it is a problem that has been around for quite some time. It is important to focus on this issue because people are experiences negative effects due to these commercials and standards. Female beauty standards is a very hard topic to explain due to the many layers surrounding the pressing issue, but something needs to be addressed.
Similarities
When looking at the two commericials, the two videos have their similairties even though they are ages apart. They both focus on women and their beauty. In the Vintage 1956 Maybelline makeup commercial we see a strong focus on the product and the need to wear makeup to look beautiful. In the CoverGirl commercial, we see a strong focus on the product and how you can use it to look beautiful in your own way. Although the commercial made in 2018, is more centered towards creating your own beauty, it still perpetuates that you need makeup to look beautiful.
In the Maybelline commercial, they really stress the reason to wear makeup to “catch a mate” and women having to go “battle” and “wars” in order to find someone. On top of that, they make it clear that if you don’t have makeup on your are not as attractive. In the CoverGirl commercial, the message is not exactly the same, but there is a connection to using makeup to appear more attractive and get satisfaction from men. In the CoverGril commercial, she uses makeup to look “sensual” and the scene portrays her talking to a man at a bar. Although there are some major differences, the commercials portray either the main or an added goal of using makeup to attract the opposite gender. According to Russell, “In the current study, typical application of cosmetics was found to increase the contrast between the eyes, lips, and the rest of the face precisely the manipulation capable of making the face appear more feminine. It is extremely unlikely that this would happen by chance (p.1217, 2009)”. Through research, we find that men are typically attracted to women who wear makeup, and these two commercials use that to their advantage. They depict women who are using makeup to attract men and thus are meant to buy makeup in order to fulfil the desire of finding someone. Although they take different turns on makeup, they are still perpetuating similar messages of beauty standards, what men find attractive, and using two women who are extremely thin and beautiful.
Contrasts
Both commercials are great examples of propaganda that entice women to buy their cosmetics. Each video shows the change in the cosmetic industry and their changing views on female beauty. The CoverGirl commercial tries to empower women to take control of their lives and use makeup in whatever way they want. In a sense the commercial is all about female empowerment and being independent how how the world will perceive you. When looking at the Maybelline commercial, where they say only makeup and “nice eyes” can get you anywhere, the difference between the two commercials is beyond apparent. While CoverGirl is trying to send a positive and empowering message to all women, Maybelline was telling women they will receive their power attracting men.
When we compare the past to the present, it is easy to see the difference in the messages that cosmetic companies are sending. Another crucial differences is the actresses in both videos. Although they are both portraying what they believe to a “beautiful woman”, the CoverGirl commercial uses a black actress with very curly hair, while the Maybelline commercial uses a white actress with straight hair. Since the Maybelline commercial is older, you would have never sees a black model with curly on tv. It is amazing to see that as we progress socially, the idea of beauty has become more inclusive to all races.
Conclusion
To conclude, we find that beauty standards and how they are portrayed through types of propaganda have seriously impacted society, both negatively and positively. In the negative, we see the image of what beauty should be negatively affecting women by causing eating disorders, strengthening the level of insecurities, the fear of being unable to find a partner, and social anxiety. This is a grave problem as these standards have been circulated through our society for a very long time. In the positive, as times change and society aims to be more progressive, we find the current era of propaganda still sometimes trying to define what beauty should look like, but also moving towards a more inclusive image that captures how the world really looks like. It is an honor as two men two explore this topic. We were able to get a better understanding of an issue that doesn’t typically affect men. We learned about eating disorders, how the media affects women, and the relativity of beauty. We both decided that we cannot continue to have expectations of what beauty should look like, but rather empower everyone to find their true beautiful selfs. We also learned that wearing makeup isn’t something people do to because they gave into propaganda that perpetuates beauty standard. It is certainly more than that, if you want to use makeup and feel beautiful, that is your personal choice and it is more than okay.
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Reference Page
Armstrong, L. (2013, October 11). Brand Case Study Assignment. Retrieved April 9, 2018, from https://laurenarmstr.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/brand-case-study-assignment.pdf
Bradley University (n.d.). Body & Beauty Standards. Retrieved April 9, 2018, from https://www.bradley.edu/sites/bodyproject/standards/
Britton, Ann Marie, "The Beauty Industry's Influence on Women in Society" (2012). Honors Theses and Capstones. 86. http://scholars.unh.edu/honors/86
Paul, P. (2010). Flattery Will Get an Ad Nowhere. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/fashion/12Studied.html?_r=1 [Accessed 3 Jan. 2016].
Russell, R. (2009). A Sex Difference in Facial Contrast and its Exaggeration by Cosmetics. Perception, 38(8), 1211-1219. doi:10.1068/p6331