This image seems to be the epitome of a romance, in the literal sense. A couple that not only loves each other and are thoroughly committed to one another, but are looking to expand, solidify, and immortalize their love by having a baby. This kind of image never fails to extract a sentimental “awww” from the viewer as it is a reality that every guy and girl aspires for. Looking at these images puts us in a mind frame of what can be and what should be in the general, natural, ideal scheme of things. The quote below the image furthers this impression even more, “meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love was beyond my control.” The fairy tale type, happy ending and walking on air feeling takes over us as the possibilities flow thru our minds, we share the timeless moment captured in the photo, adoring the couple, the emotions, and the story represented.
This image appeals to our emotions first, assaults us with its utter sentimentality and when we are done basking in those emotions, we see what the ad is advertising—the girl’s dress (a mere $2,850), ring, handbag, lipstick, heels, etc. It seems to be selling the image—the emotions conveyed to the viewer make the viewer want to BE the image/part of the image, and due to this, the products advertised seem to be even more appealing than before considering the story connected to them. This ad associates those emotions, the classic-ness of the scene with these products, and the projection of the relationship between the products and scene gets to the reader, and the products, which we may not have taken a second look at were it not for the photo/story, get our attention. The politics represented are that high status/brand name/wealth paves the way for a classic, happy, romantic relationship and makes those timeless moments even more eternal, while in truth, materialistic aspects do not even enter into such romantic stories/moments. There is truly no relation between one’s economic status and the success of their love lives, we see successes all across the spectrum, with no specific concentration of success stories on the high or low end.
I agree that the image appeals to your emotions before you can register the price on everything they are advertising. I see this whenever I open a magazine. It's a huge layout of something they know you want - relaxing on a beach in a swim suit, the best gear for your next game, or love in an open field. You zone in on the image and let your emotions win over your logic. Then you look around the border and see each individual item stamped with a price of an arm or a leg. But that's only if you look at the price before the image. Once you look at the picture you think, I can save up a couple paychecks for that, right? Love and romance is one of the number one attention grabbers and one of the best ways to win over a customer's heart. You see this not only with clothes, but jewelry, housing, appliances, cars, etc. It has nothing to do with the product itself, just the sale.
ReplyDeleteWe need this for our work on sexuality / technology--in the midst of high (expensive) romance, A BABY! (or at least the idea of one).
ReplyDeleteRomance, yep. But how is it 'Romantic'?