Hua 1

Ying Hua
Professor Corri Ditch
English 113A
8 December 2015
To Be Yourself
People and society relate to each other. Nowadays, everything is developing, especially in
technology. Most people have more than one mobile device and they use it all the time.
Technology makes information more accessible, but it is also dangerous. It can bring the
information we need, also can bring the information that can set a mood in our mind. The growth
of social media promotes the growth of the commercial. Business uses the same information as
the media to grow their business, sell their product, and make more money. Therefore, marketing
is another way that spreads the feminine norms in which girls need to be slim, and it set a mood
in peoples mind to causes the prejudice, and make women obsess about their weight.
Nowadays, the marketing forms another way to spread the gender norms that make the
people get incorrect information. For example, the poster of Miss Dior perfume, the company
uses the light colors, the girly dress, and the slim model to spread. The poster shows everyone in
the society, and the image can influence people to think that this is normal, to give a concept to
people. The target audiences for this product are girls, so the company chooses a young girl as
the model. In the poster, they use pink, white and light blue to set a feminine mood; light colors
are perceived as soft, weak and feminine. This gives everyone a sense that is "no threat"(Devor
41). They spread a concept of feminine that is makes everyone feel female are weak and
dependent.

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The model is another important element in this poster, she is very thin and she wears a pink
girly dress. This image set a feminine performance that is to be slim. In the image, the girl
catches the balloon and fly in the sky, this give people a message that is women need to be slim.
It seems like the women even need to be light that can fly with the balloon. But it is impossible
that a girl can be that light. It is false information. The company uses silk to write Dior, it looks
like the similar material with her dress, make people think she is a part of Dior, she represents
Dior. Dior is a famous and influential brand all over the world, it represents fashion, the model of
Dior also means fashion, so people make it as a sign of pretty. In the poster, there is a word
called Cherie under Dior, this is a French word, it means dear, sweet. In this way, the company
form a concept that a sweet girl need to be slim and to use their perfume. They spread the norms
and sell the products at the same time, make people remember their products and the norms, to
create a connection between these two. People will have a clear concept because this. Devor
mentions that, Femininity be expressed though modes of dress, movement, action which
communicate weakness, dependency (41). This advertisement has all of these ideas, it sets the
standard for all women, it also sends this information to everyones subconscious. This action
not only form a prejudice in everyones mind, but also becoming a strategy to help company to
make more money. Moreover, the company influence by each other, when other company notice
that this strategy and make more money, they will learn from it. They use the similar strategy
to do the advertising, in some way, company control the part of the media. When these types of
advertisement appear in everywhere, people will think that is normal and correct, they will
accept it, and then the gender norms are socially constructed.
The poster is spread all over the world, and people can see it everywhere and they discuss
it, this makes the impact for everyone. This poster sends several messages to everyone in the

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society that is a pretty girl should to be slim, and they are more adapt for the light colors, and to
wear the girly dress. Everyone gets these messages, especially girl. Girls will use these messages
as the goal to fight for it. And for male, they will use these concept, the prejudice to distinguish
others. Ruth Hubbard mentioned that, "Different societies have different standards of beauty for
women, and many of these involve differences in desirable weight (48). Different societies have
different norms, but advertisement spread these norms and form these norms in peoples minds,
to make people have the sense that feminine need to be slim and weak, it set a mood of the
feminine performance to everyone. The media pass these concepts to people. When these
concepts socially constructed, these concepts will become a part of culture, and than the society
will force women to obey it. Today, this has caused problems especially for women.
For the most of people in the society have the prejudice, because they get the wrong
information. For women, they get a lot of pressure from this, and some of them cause some bad
result. Some of women uses these gender norms to rule themselves. According to the research,
91% of women surveyed on a college campus had attempted to control their weight through
dieting. 86% report onset of eating disorder by age 20; 43% report onset between ages of 16 and
20.6 (Eating Disorder Statistics). These data can prove how people are influenced by the view
of others, which makes them only care about what others mind, so they try their best to change
themselves. Every woman wants to become pretty, they care about the view from others. When
everyone in the society have the same concept, they will try hard to achieve it. Most of women
pay more attention to themselves and think they need to be slim all the time, but it should not be
that. Actually they do that because they get too much pressure from the whole society, eating
disorder is the one of bad results from it. Dior company set a concept that only the slim girl are
sweet; they need to lighter that can fly with the balloon. When the women get these message

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from the posters or from other advertisement, they try to lose weight. This make them feel
insecure about themselves, which can lead to cause an eating disorder, they pursue it too over.
No one can be that light and fly with the balloon. The advertisement makes gender performance
sense socially constructed, causes the female obsess about themselves.
The whole society give women pressure, and to force them to lose weight. There are a lot
of bullying happening today. Having a slim body is another way that can help build their
confidence. People bullying others because their size, because they get the incorrect information
from media, especially for the kids and teenagers. Teenagers are inquisitive and unstable, a
research shows that, 63 percent of girls experiencing daily teasing, bullying or rejecting because
their size (Stevelos). This is an example for high school, there are high percentage in high
school; the percentage for kids might be even higher. High school student already achieve the
age that can distinguish right and wrong, but they still bully others because of size, this action
proves that the media spread information to people, and it form a concept in peoples mind, when
everyone think like this, people cannot distinguish right or wrong anymore. And the poster
spread these information, makes people think it is correct, they lose their identity to following
others. The media mislead people; they cause many people get hurt. Some of the girls suffer the
verbal bullying, and this causes the psychological problem for them, it influences them for whole
life. This form another reason that women want to lose weight, they want to avoid attack and
avoid be bullied, so they need to lose weight, they must to be slim. The media is dangerous, it
makes the gender norms socially constructed, and force women need to be slim.
Media spreads incorrect information that misleads people and have bad impacts to people,
but some people believe not all people will change because media. Many people think that media
just is a way to spread the information, it cannot form your mind; people still have the chance to

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choose what to believe. The research shows that, 86% report onset of eating disorder by age 20
(Eating Disorder Statistics). There still have 14% girls do not get the eating disorder in the age of
20, there still have people that choose to be themselves, they do not feel lost when they watch the
media. But we cannot ignore the 86%, it is already more than half, most of girls in our society
have the eating disorder because trying to lose weight. To have a slim body for female this
concept already been socially constructed, that is why there are so many people have eating
disorder, they think it is correct. The society are developing, if we do not mention this problem,
the data will increase and increase; that will be too late. Most of girls want to be pretty. For the
most people, they are actually feel lost of the media; bullying and eating disorder proves that
they feel lost, also proves that the concept is in everyones mind. Thus, not all people watch
media and feel lost, but it still makes a big impact to people, especially for women.
In conclusion, marketing forms another way to spread the gender norms that is girls need to
be slim. This makes an impact on everyone in the society, especially women; it causes a lot of
bad results for women like bullying and eating disorders. Everyone in the society should be
equal. In this case, women suffer too many bad things; these bad results are forced by
everyone in society.

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Work Cited
Ari. Christian Dior Miss Dior Cherie. Thescentsofself. 1 Sep 2010. Web. 29 Oct 2015.
Devor, Aaron. Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender. Groner,
Eating Disorders Statistics. anad. n.d. Web. 25 Oct 2015
Hubbard, Ruth. Rethinking Womens biology. Groner, Rachael, and John F. OHara.
Composing Gender: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. Boston: Beford/ St. Martins, 2014. 46 - 52.
Print.
Rachael, and John F. OHara. Composing Gender: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. Boston: Beford/
St. Martins, 2014. 35-43. Print.
Stevelos, JoAnn. Bullying, Bullycide and Childhood Obesity. Obsityaction. N.d. Web. 28 Oct
2015