Fast forward five years later and here I am today, attending school in Maryland and pursing my dream as a hip hop dancer; being on a dance competition team, networking with incredible dancers minoring in dance to become a well rounded and being offered a chance to be a backup dancer for an up and coming artist. Oh, and might I add too, the addition of a fit body, toner than what it was five years ago, because who really is going to want a non-fit dancer…or so the advertisement implied.
No matter where you go, advertisements are always around us, but the question remains as to what is really being advertised to the public. Are there underlying factors that come with certain advertisements, or is there a hidden meaning behind the surface layer? As Ruskin and Schor explain in their article,”Every Nook and Cranny”, “advertising manipulates symbols and create meaning.” So let’s take a look at the “So You Think You Can Dance” promotional ads, to see what was really being advertised.
This ad obviously displays the name of the show, the network in which it’s being aired on which is “Fox”, and when it will be airing. It also shows a female in motion who is wearing shorts, a bra top, high top socks, and chucks for shoes. That is just the surface of the advertisement, now it’s time to deconstruct, because as stated in Friths “Undressing the AD: Reading Culture in Advertising” article, advertisements reflect our society, and this advertisement in particular is showing a hip hop dancer ,which is currently considered as form mainstream dancing. The assumption that the female is a hip hop dancer is based on the fact that she was probably dancing when the photo was taken since water is being splashed, and her attire and body language is typical for a hip hop dancer. Before the 2004 movie,”You Got Served”, hip hop dancing was seen on the outside of what was considered as real dancing, since ballet was normally seen as the ideal style of dance when referring to a dancer. After the movie premiered however, hip hop dancing became mainstream, thanks to the popularity and excitement that came from the high energy performances featured in the movie. Nowadays, many movies like Step Up 2 are being created that focus on hip hop dancing, as well as television shows like MTV’s “Americas Best Dance Crew”, and Hulu’s “League of Extraordinary Dancers”. When it comes to other forms of dance, there isn’t much “hype” found in the mainstream realm of things but there are shows like “Dancing with the Stars” that have survived even without the presence of hip hop dance. Of course the show SYTYCD doesn’t focus just on hip hop dancing, it covers a myriad of different types of dance but for advertisement purposes they wanted to include a dance style that was hip. Consider this, would viewers really tune in if there was a ballerina in a tutu on the front of this promotional ad? Maybe, but the ratings wouldn’t be as high.
The second underlying meaning in this ad is the promotions of both Converse and Adidas. Dancers in general occasionally sport high top socks, and chucks, name brand or not. But what two better companies would be the ideal places to get these two elements from than the Adidas Company who are famous for their stripped bottoms and Converse Companies whose sneakers are notably considered as hip and affordable? I myself wear high top socks from Adidas and Converse chucks when I dance.
The last message that is being portrayed in this advertisement is body image. Earlier I mentioned that I wanted to work on being a better dancer not just technique wise, but body wise as well. “It’s more honest to think of culture as a process that makes you desire things”, says Puckett author of the article,” How Much Did You Pay for Your Identity”. This statement holds true for most people including myself, since I desired to have a toned body after seeing the dance advertisement. The dancer in the advertisement is wearing minimal clothing and is clearly toned. Dancers’ especially professional ones who do hip hop, contemporary, or modern dance tend to wear less or fitted clothing to show body form and alignment, so one can see the emphasis in movements. In reality, a dancer wouldn’t show off his/her body if it weren’t toned and the likelihood of having a heavyset dancer showing their midriff in a competition is slim to none, with some exceptions being participants on the show, ”Dance Your Ass Off”, and the male dance crew “Heavy Impact”, who was featured on the show, “Americas Best Dance Crew”. Frith suggests that our culture values what is socially accepted, which is featured in advertisements, and one thing that is praised in this ad is having the ideal thin and toned body. In terms of my situation, I personally decided to tone up not because I was fat or anything, but for endurance purposes so that I can be able to dance for ten minutes straight. I also toned up so that I could have the freedom to bare my midsection without being insecure about my body.
So, as I was flipping through my magazine subscription yesterday evening I happened to come across an advertisement for “So You Think You Can Dance “and its upcoming season. Instead of saying, “yes, I think I can dance”, I said “this is just a promotion of a show airing on “Fox” that includes mainstream hip hop dancing that feature slim dancers because their culturally accepted.” So yes, I do think I know how to analyze advertisements.
Resources:
Frith, Katherine. "Undressing the Ad: Reading Culture in Advertising." Questia - The Online Library of Books and Journals. 1997. Web. 07 Nov. 2010.
Puckett, Scott. "Punkrockacademy.com - Articles How Much Did You Pay For Your Identity?: The Big Business Of Selling Individuality To Kids." Punkrockacademy.com - Critical Thinking about Music That Matters. 26 Mar. 2008. Web. 07 Nov. 2010.
Ruskin, Gary. "Every Nook and Cranny: The Dangerous Spread of Commercialized Culture." Common Dreams | News & Views. 25 Mar. 2005. Web. 07 Nov. 2010.
Image from:
http://www.entertainmentwallpaper.com/images/desktops/movie/tv_so_you_think_you_can_dance28.jpg
Along with the ad's very toned and thin model, the advertisers also chose a woman that had tall, blonde, and Caucasian features as well. This image is reflecting and reinforcing the idea that successful women and dancers need to fit a stereotype: blonde, white, thin, and toned. The advertisers seem to try and impersonalize the woman by hiding her face to show the reader that this could be anybody, but really they are saying that this could be anybody if you are Caucasian, blonde, and fit. Which in my opinion is completely absurd.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you mentioned your own insecurities regarding body image while analyzing this particular advertisement. In my opinion, it is ads such as this one that make women insecure. We see a thin woman who is very generalized, because we cannot see her face. Every female who sees this ad wishes to be more like her in some way, whether we want to admit it or not. It is rather upsetting that women are expected to fit this superficial mold in society.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen this but I see and hear the advertisements all the time. I like that you chose this because it relates to you and your aspiring goals. I also like the fact that you tie in other dance movies/ shows. I believe you do a good job with analyzing the advertisement as far as this like the shoes (addidas) promotion. I seem like you put a lot of thought into this and maybe the fact that it relates to you helps but overall I was easily able to read you blog. You kept me interested.
ReplyDelete