(a) Facial structure
From her appearance, it is more likely that the model is a Japanese woman since she has high cheek, sharp jaw, and a quite straight facial structure. The tilted head makes her face look thinner. The emphasis of her fairly thinness has paradigmatic relationship with the name of the brand -Virginia Slims. This specifically assures the viewers will become slim, and beautiful as the model.
(b) The woman’s age
She seems to be in the womanhood of 25-35 years old, who are quite mature, and usually are not interested in the superficial fashion, and concern more about self-valuation and their own lifestyle. Traditional orientation women at this stage of age usually confuse their value since they not only do the most of housework but also take the responsibility for looking after children. On the other side of life, they also long for their own space, own time without losing self-identity. However, husbands always dominate family economy, and wives have to obey their husband both mentally and physically. To some degree, the slogan of “finding your voice” becomes a medium speaking out their needs of independence, empowerment, and freedom. When the targeted costumers read the text of this advertisement, they would likely accept the connotation of the message.
In addition, women at these age are increasingly concerned their beauty. Since girlhood has gone, they gradually put some weight and are going to enter the fearful middle age, in which they are facing the coming crisis to loose male gaze and sexual enticement. For this purpose, the advertisement of Virginia Slims conveys the message for the targeted costumers: if you try our product, you will become beautiful, sexual, and confident as I am.
(c) Ethnicity
The appearance and traditional costume of the model suggest that she is an orientation female. In East Asia culture, the ideal codes of the traditional femininity are gentleness, reticence, and conformity. As Kim and Chung (2005) examined “the numerous Hollywood films about eastern country e.g., Sayonara (1957), The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) and Japanese War Bride (1952), as well as western literature e.g. Memoir of the Geisha (1999) and musicals (e.g. Madam Butterfly) … historically, represented Asian woman as exotic, enticing, subservient, pampering, self-effacing, self-sacrificing and sensual.” The slogan “Find Your Voice” is an important signifier, which implies that the traditional Asia women have non-voice, non-status in the society.
(d) Facial expression
The woman’s emotion was difficult to be decoded in this advertisement since she does not show any significant emotion. Her obscure smile is a kind of self-indulgence, superiority and confidence. This does not fit in the code for traditional orientation female, which emphasizes the value of innocent, humble, vulnerable.
This polar opposition is formed by the contradiction between woman’s superiority and the stereotype image. She tilts her head towards the left side, and she slightly looks downwards. Deacon, et al (1999, p190-194) examine “the distance between camera and subject combines with camera angle to activate a range of connotations prevailing social and visual conventions in middle-class Anglo Saxon cultures have taken full shots and mid-shots, with the subject directly at a camera held by an adult and meeting the viewer’s eye, as the norm, suggesting both respect for personal space and an equality of status based on a consensual relationship. Deviations from this norm are then employed to suggest greater intimacy, unequal power and authority, threat or vulnerability.” Therefore, the way of her looking suggests she is much more powerful than the viewers, and she is superior to the viewer. Interestingly, in traditional Chinese and Japanese culture, one sense of aesthetics particularly advocated is that female should bow their head to show respect, obedience, and self-restraint when they meet the others or speak with authority including their husband, the mother in the law.
This polar opposition reveals the theme of Virginia Slim advertisement. Women who consume their product will be more powerful, liberated and confident.
(e) The woman’s gesture
She curls her fine hands like a butterfly close to the chest. The gesture of butterfly is a symbol of female in Chinese culture. There is Chinese saying called “zao feng yin die”, which metaphorize women into beautiful butterflies to attract men. Here, this connotes the woman’s sexuality. The woman put her thumb on the middle finger to show more feminine and sophisticated.
(f) The woman’s make up and costume
The key lighting focuses on the woman’s face from the sideway. Under the strong light, the woman obviously has heavy make-up, such as black eyebrow, red lip and painted fingernail. It conveys passion and sexuality. She wears traditional Chinese silk costume with different shining colours, which also suggests that she is wealthy and in an upper class. Obviously, the targeted customers for Philip Morris are wealthy, middle age Asia women who are able to afford Virginia Slims.
From her appearance, it is more likely that the model is a Japanese woman since she has high cheek, sharp jaw, and a quite straight facial structure. The tilted head makes her face look thinner. The emphasis of her fairly thinness has paradigmatic relationship with the name of the brand -Virginia Slims. This specifically assures the viewers will become slim, and beautiful as the model.
(b) The woman’s age
She seems to be in the womanhood of 25-35 years old, who are quite mature, and usually are not interested in the superficial fashion, and concern more about self-valuation and their own lifestyle. Traditional orientation women at this stage of age usually confuse their value since they not only do the most of housework but also take the responsibility for looking after children. On the other side of life, they also long for their own space, own time without losing self-identity. However, husbands always dominate family economy, and wives have to obey their husband both mentally and physically. To some degree, the slogan of “finding your voice” becomes a medium speaking out their needs of independence, empowerment, and freedom. When the targeted costumers read the text of this advertisement, they would likely accept the connotation of the message.
In addition, women at these age are increasingly concerned their beauty. Since girlhood has gone, they gradually put some weight and are going to enter the fearful middle age, in which they are facing the coming crisis to loose male gaze and sexual enticement. For this purpose, the advertisement of Virginia Slims conveys the message for the targeted costumers: if you try our product, you will become beautiful, sexual, and confident as I am.
(c) Ethnicity
The appearance and traditional costume of the model suggest that she is an orientation female. In East Asia culture, the ideal codes of the traditional femininity are gentleness, reticence, and conformity. As Kim and Chung (2005) examined “the numerous Hollywood films about eastern country e.g., Sayonara (1957), The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) and Japanese War Bride (1952), as well as western literature e.g. Memoir of the Geisha (1999) and musicals (e.g. Madam Butterfly) … historically, represented Asian woman as exotic, enticing, subservient, pampering, self-effacing, self-sacrificing and sensual.” The slogan “Find Your Voice” is an important signifier, which implies that the traditional Asia women have non-voice, non-status in the society.
(d) Facial expression
The woman’s emotion was difficult to be decoded in this advertisement since she does not show any significant emotion. Her obscure smile is a kind of self-indulgence, superiority and confidence. This does not fit in the code for traditional orientation female, which emphasizes the value of innocent, humble, vulnerable.
This polar opposition is formed by the contradiction between woman’s superiority and the stereotype image. She tilts her head towards the left side, and she slightly looks downwards. Deacon, et al (1999, p190-194) examine “the distance between camera and subject combines with camera angle to activate a range of connotations prevailing social and visual conventions in middle-class Anglo Saxon cultures have taken full shots and mid-shots, with the subject directly at a camera held by an adult and meeting the viewer’s eye, as the norm, suggesting both respect for personal space and an equality of status based on a consensual relationship. Deviations from this norm are then employed to suggest greater intimacy, unequal power and authority, threat or vulnerability.” Therefore, the way of her looking suggests she is much more powerful than the viewers, and she is superior to the viewer. Interestingly, in traditional Chinese and Japanese culture, one sense of aesthetics particularly advocated is that female should bow their head to show respect, obedience, and self-restraint when they meet the others or speak with authority including their husband, the mother in the law.
This polar opposition reveals the theme of Virginia Slim advertisement. Women who consume their product will be more powerful, liberated and confident.
(e) The woman’s gesture
She curls her fine hands like a butterfly close to the chest. The gesture of butterfly is a symbol of female in Chinese culture. There is Chinese saying called “zao feng yin die”, which metaphorize women into beautiful butterflies to attract men. Here, this connotes the woman’s sexuality. The woman put her thumb on the middle finger to show more feminine and sophisticated.
(f) The woman’s make up and costume
The key lighting focuses on the woman’s face from the sideway. Under the strong light, the woman obviously has heavy make-up, such as black eyebrow, red lip and painted fingernail. It conveys passion and sexuality. She wears traditional Chinese silk costume with different shining colours, which also suggests that she is wealthy and in an upper class. Obviously, the targeted customers for Philip Morris are wealthy, middle age Asia women who are able to afford Virginia Slims.
(a) Spatiality
This advertisement has spread two pages, on the right side page there are a plenty space left. Berger (1998) argues that in American culture, the design of the advertisement often leave much of space indicated the wealth.
(b) Lighting
This advertisement mainly employs two types of lighting, one is the light from the sideway to emphasize the contrast of the colour. The other is backlighting which is used to demarcate the bright foreground to make the sophisticated female image stand out to catch the viewers’ attention from the blur background (Deacon et. al., 1999).
(c) Colour
The picture has a very warm colour. The background is made of coral red and a sort of yellow, which looks like the smoke of cigarette. In comparison with the glamour female image and the whole magnificent picture, two pieces of shadow are extremely obvious. One is close to the woman’s face, the other is in the middle of the picture produced by the sideway of the lighting. A pack of cigarette, brand name and the slogan “Find Your Voice” is in the middle of the shadow to draw the viewers’ attention on the production information.
Not only do two shadows well emphasize the impression of the brand of the cigarette information, but also it reveals profound meaning. The woman’s extremely white face was contrasted with the extremely black shadow. What is the purpose? By analysing the paradigmatic relationship between picture and its text information “My voice reveals the hidden power within”, the image of sophistication, sexuality, and wealth conveys the woman’s expectation of independence, freedom, and equality. These are the woman’s internal power symbolised by Virginia Slims cigarette.
(d) Special shots used
There are two special shots associated with the theme. Mid shot or waist shot is used to make a closer contact with the viewers to produce an intimacy. The shot focusing on the woman’s face from below suggest that she is looking down to show her superiority and confidence.
Typefaces and its metaphors
The typeface of the Philip Morris’ logo and the product slogan conveys rich messages. Firstly, the advertisement reassures the viewers that Virginia Slims makes them lose weight, and keeps them slim. The logo of Virginia Slims was deliberately designed in a thin font as the shape of lengthy cigarette. Secondly, in the slogan of “Find Your Voice”, an extra line is deliberately put under the letter “o”, making it look like smoke of a cigarette, and the shape of the letter “i” is designed like a burning cigarette. The letter ‘F’ is also designed vaguely to show a gesture of lighting a cigarette, -see fig. 2.
Figure 1 Virginia Slims advertisement “find your voice”
Figure 2 Typefaces of “i”, “o” and “F” in the slogan “ find your voice”
