Jean Kilbourne's "Killing Us Softly"

Jean Kilbourne comments that the impossible, ideal image of a woman presented by advertisers “wouldn’t matter so much if it didn’t connect with the core belief of American and Canadian culture that such transformation is possible; that we can look like this if we just try hard enough, buy the right products. If we’re not beautiful, or thin, or rich, or successful, it’s because we’re just not trying hard enough.” Explore this statement further. In what ways is transformation a central principle of American and Canadian society? What is the connection between advertising’s impossible image of ideal beauty and the American/Canadian belief in transformation?

In North American mainstream culture, change could be considered to be one of the most central principles across the continent. Change depends on the method and success of a product's advertising. Advertisers have found that chipping away at an audience's weakness and insecurity is an effective way of attracting attention and revenue for their product. The "perfect" woman used by advertisers of beauty products and apparel is one of advertising's most effective ways at getting at women's weaknesses, and lure them to the product in order to change their lives for the "better". People all across the nation are faced with the possibility of changing themselves every day. However, it gets difficult to keep up with current trends due to the amount of change that happens daily.

In Killing us Softly, Kilbourne says that, “throughout an American person's day, they are exposed to over 3000 ads.” Although the numbers may not be this excessive today, it is safe to state that North Americans encounter at least a thousand or so pieces of advertising. With children being exposed to advertising at a young age, they are the most susceptible to the messages that are being conveyed. Companies can advertise to an age class and follow them throughout their childhood and adolescence. Through researching trends and such, companies can keep up with these growing children, even to the point of influencing these children to change every aspect of their daily life.

Companies thrive on the insecurity that all teenagers hold deep within their hearts. Teenagers are very susceptible to products that guarantee an aesthetic improvement, and do so by having their product endorsed by the "perfect person". These advertisers don't give a second thought about using insecurity as a tool to get their product known. Companies are happy to see people buying their product, but what they don’t realize is that they sell at a person's expense. Take for example a teenage girl who idolizes the women of television. She will end up buying a product that promises aesthetic change, and will even harm herself in the process of being "beautiful" by dieting or even regurgitating their food after each and every meal.

Advertisers have gotten away with endorsing unattainable beauty and calling it easy and possible. What they don't realize is that their simple lie can ruin the lives of millions of girls and women. What makes this worse is that this type of destructive advertising is widespread, and can be seen literally everywhere. Advertisers, whether they realize it or not, have been harming women and girls for years, and the sad fact is, that their ad campaigns don't seem to be taking a turn for the better anywhere in the near future. The only way to fight this type of advertising is to try and be indifferent to the attractive women on billboards and to realize that they are not real, that they have been touched up and airbrushed to many lengths to look this way.