Analysis Of The Media Influence On The Identities Of Young Girls

The media use imagery as the basis of their media to manipulate consumer behavior and emotions. Today’s world is dominated by mainstream media that uses a pervasive system of product and service representations to manipulate and influence consumer emotions. The mainstream media has done this by disregarding all moral and ethical constructs in society. This advertisement is from French Vogue. It highlights how mainstream media exploits and fetishizes the relationship between youth and sexuality.

This essay will argue that media adultification and sexualization of girls is one of the most prominent ways in which identity (sex, gender, and race) are commodified. In analyzing my thesis I will shed light on the work of scholars like Sut Jhally and Jessica Valenti. Innocence and youthfulness of girls is sexualized for the purpose of selling ads and evoking emotional responses from a generation that is easily swayed. Media uses images, commodifications of identities and sex to manipulate and persuade consumers.

The media is no longer a trustworthy source of information. It has abandoned the moral and ethical principles that have guided it for centuries. The media of today are driven solely by profit, aiming to change all social structures. Jhally states that “the market (and its most powerful ideological tool, advertisement)” is a major institution for the structuring of modern consumer societies. In this instance, a young woman’s body was sexualized and consent standards were pushed up to adult levels. French Vogue is clearly targeting a particular audience with this manipulative advert. In most countries, the majority of people are young. They are also the biggest consumers of fashion and other products. Children and youth are members of the “digital generation” and have unprecedented access to information, including advertising. Advertisers and the media of today have used this information in a visual way to reach out to the most vulnerable generations. In marketing schemes, however, girls who are minors legally are treated like adults. Legally, minors must be protected until they reach the age where consent is valid. In this instance, the French vogue as well as other advertisers are ignoring the informed consent of the minor. Media are selling an illusion using the gender and body of a girl who is a minor. In the picture above, her attractive body build as a woman of a younger age and gender are used to target the audience.

Sexualization of a woman’s body is a common issue in our society. Media has influenced institutions, values norms and standards. Jhally (2003) notes that sexual figures are often used in representations. The media is willing to treat a woman’s physical body as a sex object in order for them to sell products and services. Here, the body of a young girl is used to promote a product or service. Consumers are unaware of the bias in the advertisement or don’t understand the manipulation. The image of the young girl with designer outfits in golden colors is a good example. The shoes, the dress, the golden chains, and even exposed bodyparts are all sexual. Her make-up gives her a look that the average woman could not achieve. This sexualized image gets the desired attention and triggers feelings and emotions favorable to advertisers and brand. In this instance, the ethics are not important, despite the fact that sexualization and objectifiation of a women’s body is demeaning for women.

Jessica Valenti explores in detail the social definition of virginity. She asserts that virginity and the female body are commodities. She claims society does not only revere virginity, but converts that admiration into buying, trading and owning it. This statement by her supports my argument, that innocence and purity in young girls has become a mainstream business through advertising. The media is not aware that they are making girls feel insecure about their appearance and making them believe they have to conform to societal standards in an effort for them be accepted. This causes girls to become less confident and can lead to health problems such as depression and anxiety. This French Vogue advert is a good example of an illusionary image, as the model not only sells a product but also her physical and mental innocence. Valerie Lipscomb explains in “We Need A Theoretical Foundation” that when people get older and don’t look as young, they start to appreciate the value of youth. She discusses how ageing produces an internalized disgust, similar to the hate many marginalized identities have experienced. This theory states that marginalized groups are forced to feel disgust so others will also be disgusted. Lipscomb posits that revulsion towards marginalized people and physical bodies are parallel (Lipscomb). Lipscomb’s article sheds much light on what I have been analyzing in terms of media. In particular, it is my opinion that this advertisement was meant for younger girls rather than older women. They feel insecure because they think they are older and that their sexuality is not as strong as it was when they were young. Stereotypes cause women to feel insecure. The media depicts young girls as adults, but they don’t realize that this is a deliberate attempt to make them appear mature.

Media is involved in construction, normalization, commodification and marketing of identities. This helps to create the desired emotional and behavioral responses from targeted markets and audiences. Advertising is mostly based on gender and sex. Media have realized that provoking images can be used to alter behaviors and evoke emotions. The young or target audience are a culture of consumerism that leans towards popular culture. Advertisers have used sex and the body of a woman (as female) to entice a specific market segment. The ads are designed to create the illusion of happiness and capture a dream for consumers. Profits are the ultimate goal, and sex and gender is just a ‘bait’. The physical attractiveness of young girls and their sex is objectified to sell products to ignorant and vulnerable consumers.