Analysis of an Advertisement

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes an advertisement with actress Gwyneth Paltrow against a dark and featureless background, with the words "I am African" appearing prominently on the bottom of the picture. The author vividly describes the advertisement and gives a connotative account of the Western and African symbols used in the advertisement. The paper analyzes the use of make-up and jewelry in the advertisement and examines the symbolism of gender in the Western and African context. The paper also discusses the ideology of the advertisement, that there is no difference between the races, no real barriers, between human beings of different ethnicities and genders.

Outline:
A Denotative Description
A Connotative Description
An Ideological Description

From the Paper:

"The advertisement presents a gendered image of a typical, fashionable Western White woman. Gender is noted in particular by the long and full blond hair; the carefully made-up lips and the thick bands of eye shadow. But for the overly heavy application of the eye shadow, Paltrow is the picture of Western fashion - the kind of woman one might see modeling in a popular, upscale magazine, or in a television commercial for designer clothing or similarly trendy goods. Yet, the actress is also an African, just as the text informs us. The bands of face paint are of a style that would easily be recognized by the typical Western viewer as "native," if not necessarily African."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Boehm, Christopher. Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999.
• "From the Tour: Titian and the Late Renaissance in Venice." The Collection, National Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2006. URL: http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg23/gg23-1226.0.html.

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