Publicity Images

In John Berger's piece, "Publicity Images" from the book Ways of Seeing he discusses some very important and relevant topics to an up coming project of mine.  The major issues that Berger covers is how publicity images seen all over through advertisements, on billboards, on television, even just walking down the street people see ads that are telling them they need this product to be transformed and to live a better life.

"Publicity persuades us of such a transformation by showing us people who have apparently been transformed and are, as a result, enviable.  The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour.  And publicity is the process of manufacturing glamour" (131).

Advertising, especially today, has almost become over powering.  Personally, its how I find out about the newest gadgets such as iPhones, through publicity images Apple has created a huge following and people want or even crave their products.  I have grown up watching television which is a port for publicity images to be seen.  Then as I got older the technology age kicked in and the internet became a new way for publicity images to be seen.  In todays world I am a graphic designer so now I have become part of this publicity image.  Although, its a job its also something I love doing but at the same time making people want things is not exactly what I do but I do have to pull people into my work so that the message will be reached.  As far as advertising goes I could very well end up working for an AD firm in a few short years and I will be fine doing that because this is how the world turns.  People have the option to buy what they want, if they are buying things because of the advertisements that they see then I am doing my job excellently.  

Females are big suckers for wanting the REAL designer bag and

its not because of the direct advertisements, its because of what they stand for and who else carries them and how jealous their friends will be when they see them with a real designer bag.  A brand such as Louis Vuitton does this to women all over the world and now to the rich, spoiled ten and eleven year olds.  

"The spectator-buyer is meant to envy herself as she will become if she buys the product.  She is meant to imagine herself transformed by the product into an object of envy for others, an envy which will then justify her loving herself" (134). 

The above statement I agree with completely.  As a female myself, I am subject to this, when I get a new glamourous purse or pair of shoes I feel brand new and excited and show it off to all my friends and even people I don't know will come up to me and comment on how they love my newest purchase.  This makes women feel good and it makes them want more.  As shallow as that may be, its the truth and its how our world turns and works.  

~B~