Blog 7- Advertising, Consumer cultures, and Desire

I chose the Calvin Klein Obsession spoof ad with the girl hunched over the toilet. The “product” that the ad is selling is the supposed “ideal” body and the measures it takes to get there. The difference between this anti-ad and the actual Obsession ad is a commodity that plays on consumers’ desire to better their image and to “become a particular kind of person through acquiring and using a brand” (279). Consumers look at the original and ad feel that if they bought the fragrance or whatever product it is, they will somehow transform into a svelte model without a care in the world, or at least be seen as one by their peers. On the other hand in the anti-ad it shows the reality of the way models maintain their body, and that their lives are not perfect. According to the article, ads play on peoples’ emotions and desire to better themselves, and the ads try to play on this desire and make it so that the consumer feels that if they purchase the product their lives will be bettered. The actual Obsession ad plays on peoples’ inadequacy and funnel their mind to thinking that the model body they portray is what people should strive for. The anti-ad also plays on peoples’ desires, however, it plays on peoples’ desires to not be sick or helpless. Everyone wants to be perceived as strong and self-sufficient, but the image of the girl at the mercy of social pressures to be thin makes consumers feel pity for her.