Representation Analysis

Before reading this post, take a look at these commercials:

H&M Commercial: https://criticalmediaproject.org/hm-close-the-loop-ad/

Axe Commercial: https://criticalmediaproject.org/axe-body-spray-commercial/


Improper representation is one of the biggest problems regarding media. However, in the H&M advertisement, the producers did a good job of choosing how to represent reality. The message of this advertisement is "There are no rules in fashion but one: recycle your clothes." This slogan is a perfect example of good representation as it highlights the fact that fashion has no limits, and anyone can do anything with their clothing. Also, in this ad, H&M was trying to eliminate common fashion stereotypes by urging people to wear clothing that goes against the norm of their character. For example, in the first 20 seconds of the ad, they feature an Asian male, two short-haired females, an elderly woman (which only 15% of media represent), a man dressed in traditional female clothes, and a woman wearing seemingly outrageous clothing. These choices were deliberate, as they support the overall message that there are no rules in fashion. These representation choices can have a very positive effect on audiences because people favor things that resemble them. So, for viewers watching the ad, the fact that they see themselves represented will make them want to recycle their clothes and shop at H&M.


For Axe commercial, the producers did a very poor job choosing how to represent reality. Some may argue that their choices are positive because they are representing women, who are historically underrepresented. However, the way they represent women in the commercial is far from positive. In the commercial, women are presented as white, skinny "sex animals". For example, the costume design for the women in the commercial is quite revealing and the red bathing suits elicit a sexual psychological reaction in the viewer. This conveys them in a very inaccurate way. Unsurprisingly, these choices may affect male audiences and female audiences in different ways. For instance, females viewing this commercial may feel insulted by the way that they represented women, as clearly the women pictured are not what all women look or act like. On the other hand, men may feel quite positive about this piece. The male depicted using the body spray looked like an "average Joe" as he was not buff or unrealistically handsome. Lots of male viewers can relate to the male in the commercial as he is a good representation of what the average male looks like. This "average Joe" was shown to be the thing that all the female "sex animals" were running to. For male viewers, watching a man that resembles them get incredibly attractive yet unrealistic looking women will further encourage them to purchase Axe products.