Hello, Everyone!!

Advertisement is a way of promoting/selling or marketing a product, channel, mindset, scheme, etc. They spread awareness and give information regarding a particular brand and they are an essential part of sales and brand marketing. The main objective of advertisements is to give information. They help create trust in a brand and its products by establishing emotional connections with customers. Advertising helps reach a wide range of audiences by doing it on television or digital media. This increases the positive social image of a brand and its products.

Advertisements cover a wide range of variables such as clothing brands e.g. Raymond, Aurelia, Biba; medicine brands like Cipla, Sun Pharma, Lupin, etc.; food restaurant brands such as Dominos, McDonald, online shopping sites like Flipkart, and Myntra, Nykaa, etc.

One such variable is advertisements on fashion and beauty. There are many fashion and beauty brands from Indian to international. Some examples of Indian beauty brands are Colorbar, Elle 18, Sugar Cosmetics, VLCC, Colouressence, Lotus Herbals, etc. Also, there are many herbal beauty brands such as Biotique, Kama Ayurveda, Jovees, and Earth Rhythm. Some international beauty brands are Maybelline, L’Oreal, MAC Cosmetics, etc.

A major advantage of fashion and beauty advertisements is freedom of self-representation and choice to do customization with various looks. Anything that makes customers feel better and happy about themselves is what they look for; be it cosmetically or clothing-wise. One can try various makeup and dressing styles according to occasion such as bold makeup look for festive occasions or subtle makeup look for office wear. Customization with dressing styles such as ethnic wear for festive occasions and party wear for any party. Fashion and beauty advertisements have familiarized us with various dressing styles and cosmetic products. They help customers to get acquainted with the products of a brand be it for example any makeup brand like Lakme or any clothing brand such as Biba.

But there are a few negative effects of these advertisements too.

Nowadays advertisements on fashion and beauty are spreading false information and creating a false desire for a particular product, misleading people and these are changing the mindset of people for their take on freedom. It seems like people are getting slaved by their own desires and their ability to think of what is good and bad for them has been crippled by false and useless standards served by advertisements.

Be it a fairness cream advertisement, a makeup product ad, or any other advertisement they all create a false desire for fake beauty principles and people are losing their take on simplicity, analytical thinking, and natural beauty. These are misleading people to apply, or wear anything even if it’s not suiting them. One of the greatest examples of the negative effects of fashion and beauty advertisements is the unrealistic beauty standards and physical attributes which is exploitative, especially for young girls and women.

The negative effects of advertisements on fashion and beauty include body shaming, and comparing themselves with other young girls and teenagers. They lower self-esteem in a way one becomes conscious of how he/she looks, and if how one carries himself /herself is better than others or not. This negatively impacts a healthy feeling of being deserved and accepted. People are bound to buy their product due to such fears and unhealthy approaches.

NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS ON FASHION AND BEAUTY

1. BODY SHAMING-

The fashion and beauty advertisements serve unrealistic standards on physical attributes, hair; and skin complexion which makes one feel bad about themselves thus body shaming is a common negative effect of these advertisements. Because of this a feeling of comparison develops and leads to an inferiority complex.

2. LOW SELF ESTEEM

Inferiority complex, a feeling of social comparison of how we look and carry ourselves from others leads to low self-confidence or low self-esteem. Sometimes it is so bad that we start to hate ourselves. It is often seen especially in teenage girls and youngsters. It makes them feel dissatisfied and unhappy about themselves.

3. NEGATIVE MINDSET

Body shaming and low self-esteem lead to a sense of hatred about how one looks and carries themselves. This leads to comparison amongst people on physical attributes skin complexion, hair, or anything, and the focus on natural beauty, simplicity, and a sense of self-confidence is therefore completely lost resulting in an overall hampered personality of themselves.

4. MONEY WASTAGE

Because of false and unrealistic beauty standards set by these advertisements on fashion and beauty, one is bound to buy a particular product. They create an urge to buy a particular product by triggering one’s self-esteem, desires, and fears by negative comparison with an exploitative approach. This has somewhat negatively and irrelevantly affected people’s shopping habits and analysis of what to buy, when to buy, and how to buy leading to more often irrelevant money wastage.

5. NEGATIVE TAKE ON FREEDOM

A no makeup but makeup look they say or applying a moisturizing lotion and wearing anything irrespective of weather conditions or any occasion is so unreal. A short skirt in winter after applying a body lotion! Seriously! We always think about who does that. They say to live your life on your own terms but after applying anything or wear anything after applying anything. In some other advertisements, it’s like becoming successful after applying a fairness cream and then they say always focus on flying colors of success and not on one’s facial complexion! This leads to one’s negative approach to freedom. It seems people are getting enslaved of their own desires and these advertisements work on the needs and desires of people.

6. LESSER EMOTIONAL STABILITY

Advertisements establish an emotional connection with their audience. They laugh after watching a certain ad and then in the next moment, they cry. This can make people emotionally unstable as it affects one’s analytical skills. People just go with the flow of emotional content displayed in emotional advertisements. It just blows up our feelings and makes a lasting impact on our hearts. We therefore do not think analytically covering the whole spectrum of such content. Also, it makes us feel unhappy and dissatisfied as they impose a feeling of discontent and social comparison.

Thank You.