Magazine AD Analysis: Winnie Harlow in Elle UK

The magazine ad that I am going to analyze is from Elle’s United Kingdom May 2018, issue. The magazine cover is of Winnie Harlow wearing Gucci. Harlow is a model, activist, and inspiration. Harlow promotes equality because she suffers from a rare skin condition called Vitiligo. She was bullied by her peers and seen inferior because she was not what society would call beautiful woman. The bullying got so bad that she with drawled from school, instead she was homeschooled. Harlow’s career as a model started because she was in the television series called “America’s Next Top Model”. Harlow wants people to be themselves. Harlow has a Ted Talk called “How I define beauty”, which is about how she discovers beauty everywhere. The Magazine ad is also empowering in my opinion. Some terms and concepts that have been focused on in our class are being focused on in this ad. I picked this ad specifically because it focuses on topics like equality, beauty, and empowerment.

Equality is defined as having similar treatment and opportunities. The textbook states, “The body we inhabit and the identity that we project (whether or not it is in continuity with the body) help shape how we experience and therefore perceive and know ourselves, our bodies, and the world”. You can see equality in the ad by just looking at it because Harlow is front and center and her striking skin is showing. Beauty is defined as characteristics that inflict experiences of pleasure and admiration. “Miss Representation” is a documentary that brings attention to the fact that the media has understated women in positions of authority and influence. The film also relays the effect media plays on how beauty is portrayed and relayed to girls and women. The textbook states, “The media has been one of the most prevalent means through which beauty ideals are circulated”. The question now is, how do people change this? Jennifer Siebel Newsom is a filmmaker and actress who stars in “Miss Representation”. In Miss Representation, Newson states, “To be a women meant constantly striving for an unattainable ideal of beauty”. Empowerment is defined as a process of becoming tougher and more self-assured, in directing a person’s life and asserting a person’s moralities. The magazine ad promotes empowerment by allowing Harlow to be herself and embracing something new.

The ad is promoting change because the media was portraying beauty as model-thin people with terrific hair and makeup, but this ad is saying beauty is believing in yourself and being different. Harlow is all about promoting similar opportunities for people, no matter what they look like. The media cares what people look like because men are believed to want only one type of woman. Men want women who are young, vibrant, and skinny. People are now realizing that they should not have to change to make someone love you. People are perfect just the way they are, no one should have to sacrifice themselves to make other people happy. Jean Kilbourne is a writer, filmmaker, and public speaker who starred in “Miss Representation”. Kilbourne makes a statement in the documentary that I found very interesting. In Miss Representation, Kilbourne states, “So, no matter what else a women does, no matter what else her achievements, their value still depends on how they look”. This ties into what the documentary is stating to its viewers, that women in controlling positions are only going to be valued on what they look like, not what they have accomplished.

This ad benefits people because this is an ad inspiring people to believe in themselves and embrace their differences. This ad does benefit the company because they are getting the profits from the issues. This ad also benefits the makeup artist, photographer, and stylist because they get paid to make the ad profitable. This ad puts other media company’s and magazines at a disadvantage because the magazine and company are the first to profit from the ad. This leads to the other company’s and magazines to compete with each other and try to come up with the newest look. The image in my opinion does not promote any sexist, racist, and homophobic stereotypes because this ad does not show much skin, but the skin shown is all-natural. This ad does not subvert any such stereotype because it is not trying to undermine any authority. The ad does not resist any stereotype because I think the magazine wanted to transform a new look.

The ad does not make me want to give money to the company because in my opinion these company’s still have ways to go before people should give up their hard-earned money. I say this because if people give money to these companies they will take that money and not put it towards change, they will put it towards another problem or idea. Companies take people’s money to better help the company not promote change. In my opinion, for companies to promote the change they need reasons to and money should not be a reason. I agree with the way the ad’s representations are so far because these ads are innovative and they can evolve. I would like to see more ad’s like these because if companies start to promote change, others will too.

Harlow is one of many people who have started a transformation. For me, this is a blessing because I cannot tell you how many people have made comments to me about my clothing, size, and hair. I was different than a lot of kids because they did care what they wore and dressed up like. I did not care what type of clothing I wore because I liked myself just the way I am. This new change to media is slow but I feel like this change will not just influence people but the companies. If more women were in power I feel like a change to the stereotype of beauty would be resolved. The future generation should not have to grow up with the ideals and stereotypes of beauty that past generations had to.