What the Hail?

by bernacayabyab

Advertising and interpellation

The ad that caught my eye was a Covergirl makeup ad. This ad shows an African American female wearing a sequined blue corset top. She was wearing bright blue metallic lipstick, and metallic blue eye shadow with rhinestones placed above her eyebrows.

Interpellation: a process in which we internalize ideologies as a response to being hailed or addressed (O’Shaughnessy 185).

The media makes us believe there are certain roles different individuals play. Advertisements are aimed at certain people to get them to buy their product. Advertising is seen on TV, billboards, magazines, and online. I recently purchased the November issue of Seventeen magazine and I couldn’t help but notice that there was an advertisement on every page. More than half the magazine was just ads!

The Covergirl ad I found was affiliated with the new Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire. The caption on this ad says “absolutely catching the fishing look”, “new Capitol collection”. The makeup look of this female was made to look like she was from the Capitol, which depicts wealth, beauty and power. This ad is a two in one ad, with Covergirl advertising their makeup while promoting the new Hunger Games movie.

As I stated before this ad was found in a seventeen magazine. This magazine is geared towards young women like myself. “Gender is central to identity, and gender socialization is one of the earliest processes of interpellation” (O’Shaughnessy 185). Since this magazine was targeted to women the ads that are put in it appeal to the needs of women. This ad sends a message that using this makeup brand will make women feel superior and more beautiful like the beautiful and wealthy people of Capitol. This ad was successful in drawing me in because it was found in a magazine that I often read, the bright colours that caught my eye and the fact that it is also associated with the new Hunger Games movie, which may draw in more people to use this brand. The interpellation in this ad suggests that women are superficial. Most of the ads in this magazine advertise products that help improve a person’s image. These kinds of advertisements make women feel like they need these products in order to look a certain way.  

References

O’Shaughnessy, M., & Stadler, J.. (2012). Media and Society. 5th Ed. South Melbourne,         

     Oxford University Press.