Advertisement And Mirrors: An Analysis Of The Proactiv Ad

“Don’t have a boyfriend? Then you probably have acne.” One of the hidden messages the Proactiv ad sends to young girls is that if you have acne, you don’t have a boyfriend. Many young people struggle with acne, and, unfortunately having acne leads them to feel insecure and doubt themselves. Advertisements can encourage young people to value their looks, desire a significant other, and spend money to look beautiful and accepting by their peers. Advertisements encourage teens to focus on how they look. In particular, girls are generally preoccupied with attempting to become beautiful. As a young girl begins to grow up, the pressures of society become overwhelming. Mirrors can become frightening, clothing can become impossible to pick out, and self-confidence is no longer something they possess. The advertisement says you cannot be beautiful if you have acne. Therefore, when young people view the advertisement, they feel that it is a necessity to purchase the product on display in order to come closer to the idea of being beautiful.
Hidden messages are frequently used in advertising. Zimmerman (2017) explains “psychologists are now aware that to be effective subliminal stimuli must appeal to current needs and goals” (para. 5). Advertising companies are building on the insecurities of young people to sell their
“In addition to these messages that encourage and solicit the objectification of women there are many advertisements that are merely trying to make women feel that they are not good enough the way they are (Michaelededs, p. 12)”. The Proactiv ad tells a young girl she is not desirable enough to have a boyfriend because she has acne. The negative suggestion helps to perpetuate the strength of never being good enough. The hidden messages that advertisements send to youth only encourage the idea of always having to be perfect in order to have a boyfriend or be accepted by their