Victoria's Secret/Dove - "Perfect Body"

Victoria's Secret produced an advert for their line of underwear. However the mainly received message had nothing to do with this. 

They started with a wide photo of thin, made up and quite possibly photoshopped models. This alone is not only targeting the female audience who would buy these products but also the male audience. Boyfriends and husbands will be likely to buy for their partners here because of the attraction to those photographed.  This relates to Van Zoonan's theory that women's bodies are for the male gaze and are to be bought like an object rather than showing genuine admiration for them. 

The biggest text on the image states "the perfect 'body'" which draws more attention than the actual product information. This connotes that there is only one perfect body and it is that of these models (thin, tall, predominantly white). Victoria's Secret made the advert more about the bodies than what is on them, inevitably shaming larger women and women of colour. Instead of empowering their female audience, they criticize their appearance as if it is the only thing that a woman can take pride in, further supporting Van Zoonan's theory that women's bodies are their only weapon. 

Alternatively, Dove snapped back with their own version of 'the perfect real body'. In this they show women of all sizes, multiple ethnicities and heights. This connotes the proposal of inclusive sisterhood and empowerment of all women. In the media, this image would typically not be used to please the male gaze so it assures that this image is for the support of all women whatever their body may be - finally shutting down the ideology that in the media, women's bodies are only for men in the patriarchal society of today. 

The image suggests Victoria's Secret was falsely advertising the perfect body as in reality there is a vast range. Thus favouring Dove's ad as it targets their specific audience being the entire female population instead of specifying the few who look like the VS models.