From: slarsen@berlin.helios.nd.edu (susan larsen)
Subject: Re: Elle MacPherson causes rape?
Organization: OUC, University of Notre Dame
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 14:11:49 GMT

In article <fblT033pb9zK00@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com> jsp@pls.amdahl.com writes:
>marty@world.std.com (Marty M HaleEvans) writes:
>
>}Frankly, I know a lot of guys who have trouble with it, for the same reasons
>}the women cited: it makes them feel inadequate and doubtful about their own
>}relative attractiveness. Let's not generalize from our own circle of friends,
>}whose numbers are almost necessarily too small and homogeneous to make a good
>}sample, okay?
>
>I think that another poster's observations were spot on:  That anyone,
>male or female, who feels inadequate because of the idealized pictures
>that other people choose to hang on their walls has a problem with his
>or her self-image.  And that the way to fix that problem is to get into
>that person's head and *fix the problem* rather than to remove the trigger
>for that problem.  
>
Part of the function of advertising is to create a desire on the part 
of the buying public for a particular product.  One of the most effective 
mechanisms for creating desire is to plant an idea in the consumer that the
consumer is somehow inadequate and by purchasing the advertised product
the consumer will be whole and complete.  This is an effective mechanism 
for the simple reason that most people have problems with their self-image 
or have a strong concern with their self-image.

I read that the problem of body odor was an invention of 20th century 
advertising.  Until this century, most folks did not give much thought 
to pit odors.  Personal hygiene companies, in an attempt to build a 
market for their deodorant products, used the fear of folks that they 
might smell and be offensive to the masses in their advertising.  My 
guess is that this little scheme worked quite well, because I think I 
could get most people to agree that pit odor is something they actively 
avoid.  In fact, I've known folks to express the belief that pit odor 
is somehow connected to mental illness!  So, which belief points to a problem 
that needs fixing?  The fear of pit odor or actually having pit odor?
Is our human smell so offensive, or have we been brainwashed by advertisers 
to think we are offensive?

The point is, by offering idealized images of women, and men, too, advertisers
are *deliberately* trying to reach the deepest, most sacred confines of our 
psyches in order to manipulate our purchasing impulses.  By recognizing this 
reality of modern existence, the individual is a step closer to rejecting 
the unrealistic human condition portrayed by the mass media and is also a 
step closer to taking control of their individual existence.  Be very aware 
and very cautious and never delude yourself that your psyche is untouchable 
by these magicians of manipulation.  And if you are still convinced 
that your decision-making processes and concepts of self-image are not 
impacted by cultural pressures, try not wearing deodorant for a few weeks 
and observe how your friends and co-workers react.

Sue Larsen
slarsen@berlin.helios.nd.edu
Newsgroups: alt.supermodels