This is one of the few ads for the fat-burning pill, Xenadrine RFA-X. Xenadrine ads can be found in most health magazines you pull off the shelf. The magazine this article comes from is MensHealth magazine. MensHealth magazine is the world’s largest men’s magazine with 12 million monthly readers. The magazines are stuffed with health articles and health ads for supplements, weights, etc. Being a subscriber and being familiar with the articles that are usually found in the magazine, I have a good idea about how the magazine and articles appeal to readers. The readers probably have the same need or desire, which is to get in shape. MensHealth flows with information ranging from exercises and eating to dress in style. In this particular ad, the audience is focused at people who need to lose some weight whether it’s a lot or a little. Neither the picture nor the text points out a specific age group for use of the product, however has a picture of a man’s body. This doesn’t mean that the product is designed to help men, but because of the majority of the readers probably being male, the ad includes an example of a man. For women, a woman body is shown. Also in the ad the text has emphasis on the word “slashed” and has the sentence “now is the time for you to get absolutely ripped”to help back up the picture, implying that Xenadrine can get you looking like the body in the ad but unfortunately is an exaggeration but to satisfy someone’s needs, this exaggeration can sell the product. As most of us know, weight is a big problem for America and millions of people are overweight, so a health magazine is the perfect place to slip in a product as such; a health product. Chances are that the reader subscribing to MensHealth, or any health magazine for that matter, are looking for a source for tips on how to be healthy, lose weight and get that 'perfect' body. Obviously the audience of this ad and the health magazines are for people that are trying to get in shape and lose weight, despite the age. There is also a WomensHealth magazine to acknowledge both sexes.
This is an intense picture/article. I would expect to see this in a health or fitness magazine. Xenadrine RFA-X sounds like a horrible steroid used to add on muscle mass to race horses. It claims to help with weight loss, but I would suspect that there is a steroid compound in it to help gain muscle mass. The gaze that takes place when the viewer observes the picture is the “editorial’s gaze.” The editorial’s gaze emphasizes attention and draws direction to a specific person, place, or object. In this case it emphasizes on the muscles and leanness of the body. This article wants us to look at this picture and develop the need and desire to fit this profile. I would also say this picture takes on the male gaze. The male gaze in my opinion applies to all the aspects of attractiveness. The male gaze in women form presses the viewer to look at the physical features of a woman such as big breasts or a phat ass. In male form, it encourages men to look lean and fit so that women will be attracted towards them. Males have always possessed the dominant role in society so it is understandable that a certain perspective of beauty would develop. Women are more auditory when it comes to beauty and men are more visual. So this picture takes on the male gaze and editorial’s gaze and tries to influence us to purchase the product so that we can fit the mold of society. This idea of self improvement is disgusting in my personal opinion. Men who look this ripped (other than Jesus Christ who was naturally this ripped) have a problem that I would compare to eating disorders. A fixed image of what we should look like is instilled into our brains from the media, and we began to see problems with our image when most of the time there aren’t any problems to begin with.
This is one of the few ads for the fat-burning pill, Xenadrine RFA-X. Xenadrine ads can be found in most health magazines you pull off the shelf. The magazine this article comes from is MensHealth magazine. MensHealth magazine is the world’s largest men’s magazine with 12 million monthly readers. The magazines are stuffed with health articles and health ads for supplements, weights, etc. Being a subscriber and being familiar with the articles that are usually found in the magazine, I have a good idea about how the magazine and articles appeal to readers. The readers probably have the same need or desire, which is to get in shape. MensHealth flows with information ranging from exercises and eating to dress in style. In this particular ad, the audience is focused at people who need to lose some weight whether it’s a lot or a little. Neither the picture nor the text points out a specific age group for use of the product, however has a picture of a man’s body. This doesn’t mean that the product is designed to help men, but because of the majority of the readers probably being male, the ad includes an example of a man. For women, a woman body is shown. Also in the ad the text has emphasis on the word “slashed” and has the sentence “now is the time for you to get absolutely ripped”to help back up the picture, implying that Xenadrine can get you looking like the body in the ad but unfortunately is an exaggeration but to satisfy someone’s needs, this exaggeration can sell the product. As most of us know, weight is a big problem for America and millions of people are overweight, so a health magazine is the perfect place to slip in a product as such; a health product. Chances are that the reader subscribing to MensHealth, or any health magazine for that matter, are looking for a source for tips on how to be healthy, lose weight and get that 'perfect' body. Obviously the audience of this ad and the health magazines are for people that are trying to get in shape and lose weight, despite the age. There is also a WomensHealth magazine to acknowledge both sexes.
ReplyDeleteThis is an intense picture/article. I would expect to see this in a health or fitness magazine. Xenadrine RFA-X sounds like a horrible steroid used to add on muscle mass to race horses. It claims to help with weight loss, but I would suspect that there is a steroid compound in it to help gain muscle mass. The gaze that takes place when the viewer observes the picture is the “editorial’s gaze.” The editorial’s gaze emphasizes attention and draws direction to a specific person, place, or object. In this case it emphasizes on the muscles and leanness of the body. This article wants us to look at this picture and develop the need and desire to fit this profile. I would also say this picture takes on the male gaze. The male gaze in my opinion applies to all the aspects of attractiveness. The male gaze in women form presses the viewer to look at the physical features of a woman such as big breasts or a phat ass. In male form, it encourages men to look lean and fit so that women will be attracted towards them. Males have always possessed the dominant role in society so it is understandable that a certain perspective of beauty would develop. Women are more auditory when it comes to beauty and men are more visual. So this picture takes on the male gaze and editorial’s gaze and tries to influence us to purchase the product so that we can fit the mold of society. This idea of self improvement is disgusting in my personal opinion. Men who look this ripped (other than Jesus Christ who was naturally this ripped) have a problem that I would compare to eating disorders. A fixed image of what we should look like is instilled into our brains from the media, and we began to see problems with our image when most of the time there aren’t any problems to begin with.
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