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Candie's

‘Candies’ is an American brand aimed at girls ages 7-12 and  13-24. The clothing line is a nationwide favourite among teens and has a pop culture feel to it. The brand is always fronted by an ‘it girl’ and past ‘Candies girls’ include Britney Spears (singer), Lea Michelle (Glee Star) and Hilary Duff. To get a better feel for the brand I have provided a link to the website below.
http://www.candies.com/spring2012/index.asp

 

The ‘it’ girl used in these commercials was well known actress Vanessa Hudgens whose claim to fame was landing the lead role in High School Musical on Disney channel.  She has long dark hair, flawless skin and a slim bronzed body. Many girls look up to Vanessa as a role model because she is confident and relatable. She is also a healthy weight.

 This commercial contains 6 different Candi-isms which represent the brand.
 

 

1)      The first clip is of Vanessa in a supermarket aisle saying, 'A Candies girl knows that every aisle is a runway.'We see her wearing a short skirt, high heels and carrying a large pink bag. In this ad, pink is the dominant colour which portrays Vanessa as girly, fun and feminine. This segment is shot from a low angle which makes Vanessa look confident and carefree even though supermarket shopping is quite mundane. This clip suggests that wearing Candies will enable girls to show off and feel more confident. It also reinforces  the stereotype that getting groceries is typically women's work.

 

2)      In the next clip we see Vanessa  lying on a bed reading 'Pride and Predjuice' while sucking a red lollipop. Candie's-ism #27 reads, 'Candie's girls know that smart is beautiful.' Vanessa is wearing a light purple top and her outfit is quite conservative compared to her other photos. Sucking a lollipop has suggestive connotations and makes Vanessa seem ditzy, playful and sexually suggestive. Advertisers use lollipops to make teenage girls appear 'innocent,' and 'pure' because it's stereotypically something little girls do. Vanessa appears intelligent because she's wearing glasses and reading a book however the lollipop suggests a girly and fun side. Her body language however contradicts this  image in the way that she is draped across the bed in a position that has sexual connatations which are associated with older women. This image feeds into the desire that teenage girls have to be seen as older and desirable while still being allowed to be immature in some ways.

 

3)   The advertisement then goes on to show Vanessa ironing a pair of jeans, wearing a purple bra and underwear. Vanessa looks happy and playful as she's sporting a smile and waving her arms up in the air.Candies-ism #18 pops up on the screen reading,' Candie's girls know the value of a hard days work.' A 'hard days work,' referring to ironing the large stack of clothes we see to her left. We also assume that Vanessa doesn't have a 'paid job'  this gives the message to young girls that spending the day in this way is a valid hard days work.This ad is sexist as it shows ironing as typically 'womens work' and is being glamorised for the next generation of women. The fact that Vanessa seems to be enjoysing ironing which isn't very difficult tends to suggest that she isn't capable of much more.   We also see Vanessa twirling chewing gum around her finger and blowing bubblegum in a sexually suggestive way. This represents teenage girls as girly, fun and promiscuous.

 

 

4)  In this next segment we see Vanessa on the floor, by the fridge with her knees apart, drinking from a jug of milk. Milk is typically something young children like to drink which contradicts Vanessa's 'mature' position. Candies have done this in order to make Vanessa seem youthful and relatable to young girls who are watching. Vanessa's wearing a strapless purple top and short black pants. Her pose is extremely suggestive as she's showing 'flirtacious' parts of her body which include the neck, forearm and cleavage. Vanessa sitting on the floor is degrading because it portrays teenage girls as weak and inferior. When milk accidentally pours out of Vanessa's hand, Candies-ism #3 reads, 'Candie's girls never cry over spilt milk.' 'Don't cry over spilt milk,' is an old saying which means don't spend time fussing over something you can't fix. Clean up the mess and move on.This is a positive message to be giving teenage girls who often worry about little things in life they have no control over.

 

5) In the next clip we see Vanessa sitting on a chair with a plate of cupcakes on her lap licking sprinkes from her finger provocatively. Cupcakes would attract the younger market because they seem cute and interesting. However coupled with her suggestive behaviour, the commercial doesn't seem appropriate for young teens. Candies-ism #24 comes on the screen reading, 'Candie's girls insist that Sprinkles are a food group.' This slogan can be taken two ways. The majority of teens would see this as cheeky and fun but it also portray girls as stupid because, as we all know ,sprinkles are not a food group. Vanessa's wearing  a lot of jewellery such as rings, bracelets, earings and a necklace which makes her appear very girly and feminine.

 

6) In the final clip Vanessa is joyfully skipping while vacumming the floor. Candies-ism #16 reads, 'Candie's girls always get their work done before play.' Vanessa then leaps onto the toy tiger and sips from a mug that has a moustache. In keeping with the rest of the advertisement, the Candies -ism has a double meaning. To a younger audience the message encourages them to do their homework and chores before playing outside. However, an older audience may view the 'playing' as having a sexual connotation. Vacumming the floor stereotypes teenage girls as 'maids' who are supposed to do the housework. The white tiger is a symbol of strength and power which is an uplifting symbol for teenage girls. Finally the moustache on the mug adds some comic relief to make the ad seem more playful and fun. The ad finishes with Vanessa pushing a large baggage carrier full of pink Candies bags across the screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think this ad gives a negative representation of teenage girls.

 

 

 This commercial portrays teenage girls as immature and sexually available rather than intelligent, well rounded individuals.  Candies representation of teenage girls is also very carefree, confident and energetic.In the commercial teenage girls are seen as a 'homehelp' who will do the cooking, cleaning and ironing 'before play.'

 

The features used to establish this representation are colour, language and props. For the majority of the commercial we see Vanessa wearing light purple which is associated with luxury, royalty and creativity. Light purple is regarded as a good choice for female design and over '75% of pre-adolescent children prefer purple to all other colours.' The colour makes Vanessa appear girly and sweet which links to the brand's name and overall image. The Candie's-isms throughout the commercial are always highlighted in pink to convey a playful and 'girly' theme. Pink represents immaturity, warmth and sensitivity. The ad uses Candie's-isms to portray humour and fun. Each Candie's-ism starts by saying, 'Candie's Girl's, which creates a pop culture feel. Each saying contains a word which represents teenage girls i.e 'runway, beautiful, work, sprinkles and play.'  The advertisement has used bubblegum and lollipops to make the ad appear fun and relatable to a younger audience. Vanessa sucking on a lollipop and twirling a piece of chewing gum between her fingers makes her seem immature and ditzy. These lollies also have sexual connations which makes her appear sexually availible to males. The music playing throughout the ad is very upbeat which conveys a happy and carefree vibe.

 

There is a difference between representation and reality because Candie's want teenage girls to think that by wearing Candies clothes they can look as confident and attractive as Vanessa. Candies have exaggerated Vanessa's bubbly behaviour to make teenage girls admire her outgoing personality. Outgoing is seen as a desirable trait. In the commerical we always see Vanessa wearing high heels, feminine clothing and jewellery which reinforces the stereotype that all girls are very feminine. Her clothes are predominantly 'girly' colours and the use of pink and purple is everywhere! In no part of the ad is Vanessa see anything but attractive and well groomed. The advertisement also fails to celebrate girls who enjoy typically male activities such as sport and rugby. This suggests that being a girly girl is superior but very limiting. Vanessa is portrayed to girls as beautiful because she has long brown hair, a slim figure and a symmetrical face. This reinforces the stereotype that teenage girls should look immaculate and 'doll like.' This isn't a fair representation of girls because it places a huge amount of pressure on them. The advertisers make unattainable beauty appear normal in order to blur the lines between fantasy and reality. No-one can look perfect all the time. We  all have blemishes and imperfections because we are real humans, not fake barbie dolls.
 

Candies representation may leave girls feeling insecure about their bodies because they don't look as beautiful as Vanessa. Girls may also feel pressured to conform and become a 'girly girl' in order to be recognised as beautiful and attractive. Candie's representation of women encourages girls to aspire to nothing more than domestic tasks. Throughout the ad Vanessa spends most of her time inside doing housework such as ironing, vacuming and grocery shopping.  Yonger girls watching this advert may see Vanessa acting sexually and strive to be like her because she's 'sexy'. This sexualisation of young girls is inappropriate for their age and affects their natural innocence.

The features used in this commercial differ from lynx ads which tend to portray women as mysterious 'creatures' who are all strikingly beautiful. An example of this is a Lynx ad titled , 'Tribal Women' where women are wearing animal skin clothing and carrying spears. The women behave like animals by crouching down and snearing with their teeth and the man appears mystified with this 'foreign' species. This is degrading as Lynx are likening women to animals. Throughout the ad we often see shots of cleavage and bodies which is very objecifying. Lynx focuses more on a woman's sex appeal where at least Candies tries to include some material about personality and character.

 

As a result of this advertisement society may percieve teenage girls as inferior, ditzy individuals who are never serious. Teenage girls are always portrayed  as sexually suggestive which is very degrading and can result in girls being exploited.  Society, males in particular, are prone to objectifying girls and seeing them as a nice pair of legs or a large cleavage rather than as individuals. By making Vanessa look 'doll like' Candies are reinforcing the message that appearance should be very important to a girl. This attitude encourages girls to believe their beauty is based on their looks rather than their personality or character.

 

Ella McDonald

 

Magazine

 

 

 

This magazine is called Dolly which is a play on the word 'doll'. Many girls have played with dolls in their childhood so it's a name they can relate to. Popular dolls such as Barbie and Bratz are well-known for having flawless skin, a slim figure, large baby blue eyes and lovely long hair. Some connotations of the word Dolly are plastic, fake, not real and innocent.

 

The cover girl of Dolly magazine is Jessica Hart an international model and Victoria Secret Angel. Jessica describes herself as a 'risk-taker' who is well-known for being a trendsetter and fashionable. Jessica is society's 'typical beauty' sporting blonde hair, flawless skin and long bronzed legs.  Her body is similar to a doll's which links to the magazine's title 'dolly.' A vibrant orange and turquoise blue were used on the cover to give it a beachy feel for the summertime. Orange is a very warm colour which represents joy, sunshine and attraction. The main image on the cover, which takes up the majority of the page, is Jessica wearing a halterneck bathing suit. Her image is the main focus of the magazine as she is the cover star. This image of Jessica, with bronzed skin and a warm glow, highlights how girls should look over the summertime. Girls are drawn in by this image which promises to help them achieve Jessica's summertime look. Other images on the front cover include celebrities One Direction, Katy Perry and Luke Mitchell. These images were used to entice more readers to buy the magazine as it targets a larger fan base. The boldest tag line on the cover reads, 'be his best kiss ever.' This would interest teenage girls who are currently dating or interested in boys. Other features advertised read, '5 easy hair tricks, ' 'Inside the mind of a male actor, model and muso,' and 'We've got 2012 sorted.' This shows that Dolly magazine believes most teenage girls are interested in males, appearance, hair, fashion and advice.

 

 

Overall there were 20 pages of ads in the magazine but many fashion articles doubled up as a form of advertising. The majority of ads were for skin care, technology and stationary. Over 1/3 of the magazine was dedicated to beauty and fashion which shows Dolly magazine believes this is very important to teenage girls. The beauty section was title, 'Get Pretty!,'  and this encourages girls to read the beauty pages so they can become more beautiful. The main article reads, 'How to go back to school a bombshell, ' it then goes on to list a series of products averaging around $20. Dolly magazine makes it prices affordable so their target market, school kids with little income, can afford the products featured. This form of advertising is degrading for girls because it makes them feel that they need these products in order to become pretty. Most girls are unable to attain that level of perfection because it's not normal. These 'perfect women,' have spent hours in hair and make-up before being shot in perfect lighting before being photoshopped. The advertisers are playing with the average teenage girl's fear of not measuring up and using it to sell their beauty products for a profit.

 



'Smart Shopper is a monthy article which doubles up as an advertisement. It features clothes which can help girls achieve a desired look, e.g.70's Bohemian.

 



 

 

The majority of articles in the magazine were about Beauty, Fashion, Relationships, Advice and Body Image. Each month they feature an eight paged special titled 'Guy Town,' where Dolly talks about guy advice, perfect date ideas and male celebrities. 'What his body language is really telling you,' is a feature article aimed to help girls understand guys better. 'Dolly Doctor' is a sealed advice section which gives readers advice about sex, boys, friendships and family. This section is portrayed as a safe place where girls can ask their 'burning' questions without being judged by others. By doing this the magazine is becoming a parental figure to thousands of teenage girls around the country. I think this is a good idea as many girls are uncomfortable asking friends and family 'embarrassing' questions. The articles in Dolly differ from more grown-up magazines (Glamour, Madison,Cosmopolitan) where the articles focus more heavily on sex, dinner parties and work.I flicked through a Glamour magazine and instantly found several articles titled 'The hot sex moves we promise you haven't tried, '4 Ways to give great dinner parties,' and  'How to be your own boss.' Chloe Mortetz, a 15 year old up and coming actress, is offered as a role model to readers. Dolly is 'crushing on Chloe' because she's grounded, has confidence and is secure about her imperfections. The magazine portrays Chloe as a 'normal person' by giving us information about family and favourite food. I think Chloe would be a good role model for young teens as she has a 'clean' image and a determined personality.



A Dolly Magazine Fashion shoot where plus sized models were used to give a better representation of teenage girls.



 

 

I think the magazine has portrayed teenage girls both positively and negatively.
 

I think Dolly magazine provides a mixed message about what it is to be a teenage girl today. The magazine does feature one article about body image which gives '5 tips to instantly banish those body blues,' and there is a section titled, 'Body happy' which encourages girls to eat healthy and exercise in order to feel great. Dolly was also one of the first magazines to place a 'retouch free zone,' logo on photos which hadn't been photoshopped. The magazine has done this with the hope of increasing girls self esteem by making them feel better about themselves (although 99% of images in the magazine have still been edited.) The magazine is also starting to feature plus- sized models to give a more accurate representaion of teenage girls. 

A 'Retouch Free Zone' symbol is used in Dolly magazine to showreaders the photo hasn't been altered.



However on the other hand Dolly also portrays all girls as 'girly girls' which isn't a fair and accurate representation of society. They establish this is by dressing a lot of their models in pink which is regarded for being a feminine colour. The magazine often uses teenage girl slang and colloquial language in order to make the articles more relatable to the readers. Examples of this are, 'Lol,'  'BFF, ' and sayings like, 'hot guy alert.' There's a difference between represetation and reality because the magazine is trying to appeal to your 'average girl' but in doing so fails to represent 'all girls.' Girls in reality are not as perfect as they're dipicted in the magazine with straight teeth, perfect hair and a 'doll like' face. The magazine has done this on purpose because they know girls will buy the magazine in the hope of learning how to look as beautiful as the models.


In Dolly there are omissions as none of the models are disabled, overweight or seen with short hair. The magazine does try to represent different ethnicities although there are no asians, indians, africans and the majority of models are white/European. The magazine also assumes all girls are interested in boys which isn't necessarily the case. In Dolly we never see girls playing sport or riding a bmx bike which highlights the magazine's stereotypical view of girls. The magazine aims to make girls feel confident and happy about their bodies yet they're still advertising products which promise to make girls look prettier and more attractive. The majority of images within the magazine have been photoshopped which gives teenage girls a skewed perception of reality. Girls will compare themselves to this 'fake' image and be left feeling insecure and inferior. 'Tomboys' and non 'girly girls' may start to think there's something wrong with them because they don't fit into this stereotypical mold.


Rip Curl 'My Bikini' advertisements often feature in Dolly magazine especially over the summer months.

Dolly magazine leads people to believe that all girls are interested in beauty, fashion and make-up which is inaccurate.Because make-up and fashion are associated with ditzy models, society may percieve all teenage girls as unintelligent and girly which simply isn't true. Society and guys in particular, may get unrealistic expectations as to how girls should look, act and talk only to become disappointed when girls behave differently. By including so much material about beauty and 'appearance'  Dolly magazine is reinforcing the message that beauty and appearance are of most importance. Dolly encourage girls to be themselves and to be confident however, they fail to acknowledge attributes that make a lovely personality such as humour, friendliness and a kind heart. By choosing to not include this Dolly conveys the message that having a good personality isn't as important as appearance

Dolly has a huge influence over the next generation of women with a readership of over 505,000 teenage girls. I think they should use this power for good by filling their magazine with encouraging messages about body image and self esteem. It's especially important at this age when girls are finding their identities, becoming interested in boys and coping with peer pressure.

By Ella McDonald

 

 

 

 

 





 

Mean Girls

Means Girls, directed by Mark Waters, is a comedy about the social hierarchy of teenage girls in high school. The story follows Cady, a transfer student from Africa attending her first public high school. The film is based on the novel, 'Queen Bees and Wanna Bees,' by Rosalind Wiseman.

I think the representation of teenage girls in Mean Girls is negative. The film portrays teenage girls through four different cliques which include the 'Plastics', the 'wannabes', 'girls who eat their feelings' and 'girls who don't eat anything'. The 'Plastics' are the epitimy of cool and every girl strives to be like them. The Plastics believe they are superior to everyone else because they wear the right clothes, have nice bodies and are pretty. They maintain their position at the top of the social ladder by making nasty comments, manipulating other people and sharing secrets. The Plastics believe that everyone loves them  and this becomes apparent when Gretchen Weiners says, 'Im sorry that people are so jealous of me, but I can't help it that I'm popular.'  Teenage girls are represented to the audience as self-absorbed, nasty and egotistical. Every teenage girl, apart from Janice Ian who is an outsider, is obsessed with becoming popular and getting higher up the social ladder. In Mean Girls, teenage girls seem to be more concerned with beauty, boys and fashion than 'typically' more important things such as school and family. 

The features used to establish this representation are Mise En Scene, costume and slang.

• An example of Mise en Scene and positioning within the frame is used in the cafeteria scene.The Plastics are situated in the centre of the cafeteria which shows they are the 'core' of popularity and the stars of the school's social life. Janice says, 'Gretchen Wieners (a Plastic) knows everybody's business, she knows everything about everyone.' Sitting in the middle of the cafeteria also emphasises the 'elite' aspect of the Plastics as everyone is able to see them eating lunch. The rest of the cafeteria is crowded with students, however the Plastic's table appears empty and spacious. This mise en scene feature is used to show the exclusivity of their clique as there are only three of them. It also shows their superiority to other cliques as you have to be invited to eat lunch with them.

• The costume is arguably the most important feature used in Mean Girls. We regularly see the Plastics wearing short skirts, tight-fitting dresses, high heels and feminine colours.These costumes are very revealing and often emphasis their figure and cleavage. The Plastic's costume sets them apart from the other students because their clothes are more fashionable and trendy. They  wear similar clothes each day because they are a clique and it makes them more identifiable.  The Plastics often wear pink which is perceived to be a girly, passive and 'weak' colour. This feature represents all teenage girls as skanky, high matinance and very feminine. 

• Mean Girls represents teenage girls through slang, insults, vocabulary and tone. Throughout the film we notice that each clique has their own slang and 'language.' For example the Plastics often call each other insults such as, 'get in loser we're going shopping,' 'shut up' and 'boo, you whore.' The Athletes, Nerds and Wannabes also have their own slang as well. The Plastics vocabulary is very limited which portrays girls as dumb and illiterate.Teenage girls are able to relate to this language because they use it themselves.

These features are very effective because teenage girls are able to relate to the Plastic's. Cliques are common at every high school and they all share similar behaviour. Teenage girls can relate to feelings of insecurity, the use of slang and peer pressure. In the film we see the Plastics doing activities many girls like to enjoy such as shopping, hanging out and giving each other make-overs.

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Media representation of teenage girls has the potential to greatly affect teenage girls within our society today. Mean Girls teaches girls to seek peer acceptance and advice before making  decisions.When Gretchen tells Cady about the rules of girl world she says, 'Well, I mean you wouldn't buy a skirt without asking your friends first if it looks good on you.'  I believe this is a poor message to be teaching teenage girls as it encourages them to make decisions based on other people's expectations. Peer pressure can lead to unhappiness as girls are forced to act, talk and dress in a certain way in order to be accepted and cool. In the film Cady has to follow a certain set of rules in order to keep sitting with the Plastics. This representation negatively affects teenage girls because it teaches them to conform in order to be included. The Plastic's representation in the film encourages girls to wear their hair out, look feminine and show off their curves in order to be attractive and popular. This representation may cause girls to doubt their beauty because they don't fit into the stereotypical mould.Once Cady joins the Plastics she is transformed into society's definition of the 'ideal' beauty even though she was beautiful in her own way to begin with. In the film, Regina is very flirtatious with guys and often uses her 'sex appeal,' to gain attention.  This could influence teenage girls to show off their bodies and act provocatively in order to get male attention. Young women have the potential to become exploited by males who are only interested in them because of their bodies. Teenage girls in the film often call each other names such as , 'slut,' 'bitch' and 'whore' when they are angry or joking around.  This normalises the insult and makes it seem acceptable, whereas in reality the insults are harmful. 

 

The way girls are portrayed in the film could affect society's perception of teenage girls. People may expect all girls to love the colour pink, beauty, make-up and fashion. Guys may form unrealistic expectations as to what women 'should look like,' only to become dissatisfied with reality.The Plastic's revealing clothes encourage men to objectify women instead of viewing them as a person.  Because pink is seen as a 'weak' colour society may assume teenage girls who wear pink are also passive. They could begin to perceive males as more intelligent and secure because they wear 'stronger' colours.   Stereotypes have the potential to make people think that all girls are high maintenance,  manipulating and sneaky -which isn't the case.
 

The reasons for the difference between the film's representation of teenage girls and the reality is that Tina Fey ( screen writer) has used exaggeration and humour to highlight some dysfunctional teenage behaviour. Mean Girls is a satire which exaggerates grains of truth in order to get a message across to their target audience. Representation is reality being 're-presented'  through the creators world view and ideology.  Some viewers may blur the lines of representation and reality when watching Mean Girls, by not realising the humour and irony. Mean Girls revolves more around cliques and popularity which differs from other films like Easy A. Easy A focuses more on rumours getting out of hand which can ruin a person's reputation. This relates to teenage girls who often gossip as an act of revenge, to make someone look bad or just because it's fun.

 

Portraying girls as immaculate and 'doll like' makes society believe every girl is the same.  This stereotype in inaccurate as teenage girls are different and enjoy unique interests such as sport, acting, motorbike racing etc... In movies such as Mean Girls, the most popular students are often pretty, skinny and sexually 'mature.' This reinforces the message that in order to be popular and fit in teenage girls need to behave like the Plastics. The Plastics dialogue emphasises the message that teenage girls should worry about their bodies and aim to look better. This was shown through sayings 'I wanna lose three pounds,' 'I used to think there was just fat and skinny but apparently there can be a lot of things wrong with your body,'and 'My pores are huge.'  By including this material Mean Girls is reinforcing the message that beauty, appearance and looks are of most importance. Mean Girls fails to acknowledge other appealing attributes such as humour, friendliness and a kind heart. By choosing to not include this Mean Girls conveys the message that having a good personality isn't important.

Ella McDonald
 

 

Stereotypes

A stereotype is an over generalised belief about a particular group of people. For example many people perceive 'hells bikers' to dress in black leather with tattoos. Blondes are stereotypically stupid, overweight people are lazy and all teenagers are rebellious and struggle to get along with their parents. Stereotypes are conveyed through movies, cartoons and advertisements. Stereotypes have the potential to simplify social interaction as they lead people to make assumptions when they meet a new person. The mass media creates stereotypes by conveying 'common' characteristics of a culture, race and gender. While there is usually a grain of truth in a stereotype they can be unfairly exaggerated and applied to people.