Literature review

According to Ellis (2000), popular culture offers frameworks of explanation

that help us work through major public and private concerns of society. This
intricate set of frameworks is often developed and maintained by a set group of
individuals. Celebrities, models, and athletes often lead the way when determining
basic guidelines for acceptable practices in society. The influence of these
individuals, specifically celebrities, can be seen most often in younger
generations. As young adults mature, they begin to develop a strong sense of
independence. With this new found self-identity, many adolescents look to media
outlets for guidance in establishing social norms and behaviors.
It is extremely evident that media outlets have the power to create meaning.
Image advertisements in particular have the power to create a set of frames that
perpetuate ideological hegemony. Ideology is a culmination of social beliefs and
values that are upheld by members of society. Hegemony is the power or dominance
that one social group holds over others (Lull, 1995). Ideological hegemony is a
concept that describes an intertwined system of everyday realities that are created
by dominant individuals. As a result, ideological hegemony can often go undetected
by common members of society.
For example, ideological hegemony can be detected in image advertisements.
Gender stereotypes and dominant norms are often perpetuated in daily
advertisements. Clothing advertisers often feature young women and men and
exaggerate potential sexual relationships. This could indicate the importance of
heterosexuality, and the importance of beauty in our society. Due to the amount of
messages an individual sees on a daily basis, these common stereotypes are not as
obvious to the American consumer. As active consumers, it is our responsibility to
challenge the existing system of ideological hegemony to help eliminate existing
ignorance.
By analyzing the way media outlets portray males and females in image
advertisements, researchers can help determine the presence of bias and ideological
frameworks.
Image Advertising
Print advertising has been an area of concern for many decades. Businesses
have realized that advertising is an effective way to draw in consumers and
dramatically increase profits. Advertising images are used as a means to create
sensation and provide information about services or products that a specific company
offers to its consumers. The prominence of advertisements in our everyday
interaction with media raises many critical concerns for scholars. The popularity of
mediated resources such as fashion magazines, television and the Internet has made it
easier for agencies to project advertisements. The consumers of these resources are
often young women or adolescents.
Researchers have debated on the number of advertisements consumers view on
a daily basis; however, the average is most likely in the thousands. Due to this
staggering statistic it is extremely important that scholars critically evaluate
advertisement campaigns. Advertisements often include idealized body images and a
skewed depiction of gender. According to Shields (1997), the persuasive images that
are presented in advertisements have a direct correlation to how social identities are
constructed and maintained in our society.
One of the most controversial producers of advertisements is fashionable
clothing designer, Calvin Klein. Primarily recognized for racy underwear and jean
advertisements, Calvin Klein has tested the ethical boundaries in print media. Klein is
one of the top American designers that has benefited from the use of sexuality in
print advertisements. He has featured advertisements ranging from models
representing group sex and to young children posing in white underwear. He has
shocked the American culture with references to eroticism and sexual pleasure.
However, Calvin Klein may have overlooked the cumulative impact of his
ethically strapped advertisements. After relevant research is presented, Calvin Klein
advertisements will be critically evaluated in an effort to expose the true meaning
behind each image. Although many may only see an advertisement for clothing, many
subliminal messages are presented.

Body Image
According to Kellner (1995), media images often help shape our view of the
world and provide a foundation for creating values and morals. For example,
mediated sources often influence the acceptance or disapproval of a behavior or
ideology. Themes of right and wrong, moral or evil, are often created and sustained in
media stories or images. Therefore, young women or adolescents often look to
mediated sources to help them construct their own identity. Relying on advertisement
agencies to create identities for Americas youth is a very dangerous and risky
decision made by our society.
When looking at media images, many ideologies come to the forefront. The
importance of an attractive physical appearance and sexual identity are two visible
themes that repeatedly appear in media images of women. According to research
conducted by Goffman (1976) magazine advertisements influenced the creation of
cultural values and the distinction in gender roles.
The presentation of unrealistic skinny women has been a frequent critique of
communication scholars. Women depicted in image advertisements are often a
misrepresentation of the average sized woman in our society. According to the Media
Awareness Network (2008), the standard model twenty years ago weighed 8 percent
less than the average woman. Currently, female models represented in the media
weigh 23 percent less than the average woman. This saddening statistic displays the
ideological shift of the definition of beauty over the decades.
This shift can be seen not only in women, but those who are exceedingly
young. According to findings conducted by Muller (1998), 40% of 6-year-old girls
wished that they were thinner. This can be attributed to societys obsession with
beauty and to be categorized as beautiful, one must be thin. Muller also found that
these negative ideologies were correlated with the act of dieting. The popularity of
dieting in our society is intertwined with the distorted body image presented by the
media.
Another study that supports this notion of a negative body image was
conducted by Park (2005). This study confirmed that female college students received
pressure to be thin directly from the media. It also noted that women applied
unnecessary pressure on themselves by assuming that those around them valued a
thinner body type.
According to Stern (2004), advertisements geared towards women emphasize
the importance of physical appearance. These advertisements also urge consumers to
buy specific products and conduct certain behaviors to look as young and thin as the
models represented in the image. For example, if a consumer purchases Calvin Klein
jeans, they will be able to portray a sexual, thin image. However, those who purchase
these products are most likely going to be let down by the results. They are not going
to be as thin or beautiful as the model pictured in the advertisement, causing them to
constantly pay attention to negative physical attributes.
Due to the overwhelming presence of unrealistic images of women in the
media, many average women critically evaluate themselves. According to Wolszon
(1998), women who are dissatisfied with themselves are more likely to experience
self-esteem problems, depression, and a higher risk of eating disorders. These
negative consequences of false mediated stereotypes should be taken
seriously. According to Garner and Garfinkel (1985), body image and self-esteem
have been proven to play important roles in the creation of eating disorders. Eating
disorders are extremely popular among adolescents and young women.

Conclusion
The advertisers for these images do not randomly select gender, race and body
type for their promotional material. They choose each person according to skin color,
weight, hair and eye color for a reason; this reason often perpetuates false
stereotypes and creates idealistic representations of gender. As a society that is
constantly surrounded by these image advertisements on a daily basis, it is important
to realize what they are really selling. Advertising agencies, such as Kleins in-house
team, should closely evaluate the societal impacts of risqu , sexual image
advertisements.