Noor Al Moataz
There is more than one definition of to the word “population.” One definition is “the total number of people inhabiting a country, city, or any area.”[1] Another is “the number or body of inhabitants of a particular race or class in a place.”[2] In summary, numerous meanings are applicable to this word, but in this statement I plan on tackling only one of them. My own interpretation of the word population is today’s generation, explicitly the youth. There is a solid link between today’s youth and advertising, which has a huge impact on adolescents causing them to undertake actions that benefit them negatively.
“Advertisement is a paid announcement, as of goods for sale, in newspapers or magazines, on radio or television”.[3] Most of the time, ads sell more than the product presented; by extension, the company is selling the image that surrounds the product. The images portrayed are mostly unrealistic, pressuring vulnerable teenagers to feel the need to change themselves physically and mentally to fit the new standard introduced in their minds. Because advertisements in the media play such striking roles in the everyday actions, these advertisements are responsible for the demise of our youthful populous.
An example of this negative influence would be the advertisements in magazines such as Vogue and Elle. A woman that resembles a stick figure or a muscular man areselling jeans. However, the commercial emphasizes sexual images rather than the jeans themselves. Hence this distorts the youth’s view. Therefore, they succumb to buying the pair of jeans, which implies the sale of sexuality as well. It is important to realize that these advertisements are not only selling sexuality, for when consumers purchase the product, they are attempting to buy the image, too. From food to fashion, a man or woman who are both more appealing to the human eye than the product itself represent the product, making it seem less important than the purpose of the advertisement. This kind of statement is shown multiple times. Youth already struggle enough during awkward stages of their life such as puberty. Having these physical expectations put into their minds at this age by ads burdens them with the constant need to fill a void.
More commonly, these images often encourage anorexia or bulimia. Those two conditions affect both the mind and body, encouraging teenagers, to transform themselves into the super-human portrayed by multinational companies. Some advertising campaigns can even lead to the destruction of a family, meaning the concern and care parents have for their children, who are trying to lose weight or buff up in unconventional ways in order to resemble some of the models in these advertisements.
In conclusion, however advertising campaign managers and companies should attemt to avoid affering false hopes in their campaigns, it is understandable and a technique of marketing that these promotional photographs are simply used to facilitate consumerism. Consumerism has become embedded in our genetic code; nevertheless, it has become a strain on our lifestyles. We work to make money to spend on mechandise that can deliver the false hope and dreams, which are paid for dearly in the physical and mental currency.
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