dmariel, 4/21

I thought that the conversation about Hooks ideas of advertising methods was really interesting..She points out something very obvious that is going on in American advertising techniques-you can’t sell your product anymore without cutting down another. Just yesterday I wrote a paper on pharmaceutical advertising and many of its targeting techniques. One of my main focuses was the way in which medical brand names are constantly comparing themselves to other brands of the same type of medication. For example, a recent advertisement for Lunesta, a sleeping pill, states “If you cant get a good night of rest with Ambien, try Lunesta.” Not only is this quote the main focus of the advertisement, the background portrays two very sexualized women in two different beds. The woman who took Ambien is blankly staring at the ceiling, her sheets are a mess, and her body looks twisted and uncomfortable. On the other hand, the woman who took Lunesta is perfectly tucked in under her covers, sleeping serenely with a butterfly (Lunesta’s symbol) watching over her shoulder to make sure she sleeps perfectly. Interestingly enough, through my research and interviews I found that the average American consumer found this technique to be VERY effective.
The internet was a perfect example of the commodification of human beings. The website, planet love, offering brides from other cultures is degrading to the women. Not only are you conquering their race, but their body and life on an individual and sexual basis. The caricatures that they use as their icons for the website reiterate the commodification of these women, portraying what Hooks refers to as the “alternative playground.” The assumed visitors that use this site are supposedly white men, who are affirming power relationships over the women (and men-by objectifying their women) of other ethnicity's. I think that Hooks was a particularly interesting theorist and I enjoyed the reading and the class session looking at different types of advertisements that we often see in the material world today.