REPRESENTATION ANALYSIS

                             Representation Matters, Babes<3!!

    Representation is defined by Google as "the description or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way or as being of a certain nature". Nowadays, portraying and including divergent cultures, body types, races, ethnicities, sexualities, genders, disabilities, and religions is a big factor that the media has to consider. It's extremely crucial to make everyone feel welcomed and accepted; after all, isn't being different the beauty that brings everyone together?

Let's start off with an example of how a commercial fails to represent women appropriately, shall we? 

    Axe Body Spray's commercial commences with a singular woman running through a forest. It's evident that she stops a couple of times to sniff the air, like if the smell of something was guiding her out of the forest. As she progresses through the colossal trees, more women, all thin and dressed in bikinis, join her. When they reach the shore, the camera exposes more women, dressed like the others, making their way to the shore from the ocean. In the center of the sand, a caucasian, heterosexual, thin man stands holding up cans of Axe Body Spray. All of the women run towards him as he holds the objects that give off the powerful scent. Likewise, this commercial portrays women as savage animals who desperately sprint towards the man, thus dehumanizing women and making it seem like men are their weakness. Every women in this commercial is showcased as the "perfect woman" since they all have "bikini bodies". Apart from the women being different races, there truly is not much diversity or representation. This advertisement could have represented women appropriately if women with different body types would have been featured.

Moreover, the man's facial expressions expose his amazement as he sees a numerous amount of women surround him. The commercial ends off with the words, "SPRAY MORE GET MORE". Such words precisely describe the male's actions since he moves around, spraying the body spray all over the place as if to entice more and more "herds" of women. In short, this advertisement does an abysmal job of delineating women judiciously.

    On the other hand, a company that does an exceptional job in representing all types of human beings is H&M . Their commercials feature people of different cultures, genders, ages, sexualities, races, body types, and disabilities.

To start off with, the attire worn by the actors was chosen appropriately for each of them; the clothing styled also defeated stereotypical assumptions and sayings like "men don't wear pink". The production technique was also extremely helpful as the different colors and lighting techniques are "eye candy" to prospective customers. In the end, the message that this ad conveys is that although people are different, H&M unites them by providing clothing for every one: "there are no rules for fashion...". This commercial did not aby by stereotypes, thus making it unique and appropriate. Overall, the purpose, intention, and effect of the ad doesn't fail to aid those who are insecure of their own characteristics; it helps them embrace their differences and gain self-love and confidence.