My essay so far

A comparison of how women are represented in fragrance advertisements from the 1930s, 1990s and 2012

Parfum Un Air Embaume by Rigaud (1930s)

This advertisement clearly links the oriental to feeling of sexuality and the Middle East to the perfume. The beautiful woman in the picture is dressed in revealing clothes which exposes her belly button, lower arms and her neck. It is very much the outfit that consumers in the west would imagine an oriental belly dancer would wear. Although her head is modestly covered her neckline is plunging and the bodice is tight and revealing; altogether the outfit is very oriental and sensual, suggesting to the target buyer just how seductive and exotic they would be if they bought this perfume.

This advertisement projects the feeling of an oriental bazaar or palace. The confident smile on her face is attractive for people. She is desirable and obviously rich by the clothes she wears and the strutting peacock next to her. The peacock is a sign of elegance and beauty and is looking at the woman as she enters almost reverently. She stands in a graceful and elegant way, almost imitating the peacock.

The perfume bottle itself, lights up the room inside. The men are lit up and engulfed by the perfume. The lighting is dim giving a mystique. It sets the scene and gives the advertisement a mysterious effect overall. She is wearing gold signalling she is rich and glamorous. The dress she wears is low cut and is revealing, it is very different from the people that it was aimed at; some of the woman it is aimed at would call it scandalous but would also secretly want to buy this perfume. I believe that this perfume is aimed at woman who want a difference from the life they have. The women who buy this perfume want to be admired by men and in the centre of attention. They wish to be looked upon with envy from other woman and want to be the glamorous and famous. It is very different and endears itself to women in an adventurous way as many adverts back in the 1930s would not be like this. This advert seems almost revolutionary in the way that it would be looked down upon by many because of how different it is.

The advert has also suggested that to buy this perfume is to be high class. In the slogan in the bottom right corner, they call it ‘The exclusive perfume with a touch of the Orient’. This seems to me that they have designed the perfume to be for woman who wants to be rich and glamorous, which I have to say, is quite a few. They have also advertised it as a foreign smell. They have tried to advertise the difference between them and other perfume brands. They have designed the perfume as exotic and exciting, much different from places that normally manufacture perfume like France or America.

Paloma Picasso by Paloma Picasso (1990s)

This advertisement has taken a dramatic change from the previous one. This one is attractive to women who wish to hold power. This advert is obviously trying to link power to the perfume brand. The way in which Paloma Picasso holds herself and the expression she has suggests that she is her own woman. Her red gloves and her gold ring suggest high class and power, very different to the 1930s advert as that advert showed the woman through the male’s point of view. Most of her body is covered up by her hands and the perfume bottle itself. The clothes you can see are scarlet. The straps that adorn her shoulders suggest she is wearing a scarlet dress. Scarlet as a colour is normally associated with power, wealth, love and war.