ASA 141
5/25/19
Frith et al.'s research article, "Race and Beauty: A Comparison of Asian and Western Models in Women’s Magazine Advertisements,” addresses how Asian and Western women are portrayed on beauty advertisements and the implications behind how they are portrayed. The discussion section noted that advertisements where women dressed in a "demure" (58) style were equal across cultures while Western models were used more in the "sensual/sexy" (58) category. Frith et al. concluded from their findings that Western models are used more as sex objects in advertisements than Asian models and that Asian models are portrayed more as cute and girlish. The part that I found interesting was when the discussion section mentioned that the portrayal of Asian models as cute and girlish could be seen as a way to "diminish their standing in society as full-fledged adults" (59). When I first read that part, I immediately thought about Edward Said's book Orientalism and the fetishization of Asian women as exotic. At first I was curious about why Asian women weren't as commonly presented in advertisements as "sensual/sexy" like how Said states that Asian women are perceived as exotic to the West. However, I noticed that it was Asian advertisers that put Asian women in the more reserved style, so then I figured that Asian advertisers don't see Asian women in the same way that the West does. I feel that Asian advertisers put Asian models in a more reserved, modest style not to diminish their status as women and full-fledged adults, but that it fits how they culturally accept their women.
?: How are Asian men perceived in advertisements in comparison to Western men?
Works Cited
Frith, Cheng, and Shaw. “Race and Beauty: A Comparison of Asian and Western Models in Women’s Magazine Advertisements.”
No comments:
Post a Comment