The Deadly Sins: Gluttony and Lust
(Advertisement from Hardees: http://www.straitpinkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/04.jpg)
In this advertisement, we see a young, nicely dressed woman stuffing her face with a rather large Hardee's cheeseburger and text that reads: "More than just a piece of meat." The background is dark and unexciting which draws the eye straight to the form of the woman, who is dressed in light colors, and the Hardee's bag, which is stark white in comparison to the darkness. The lettering, which is also in stark white, also draws attention, but is placed in the back corner in order to not draw focus from the image.
Immediately upon viewing this image it is apparent that it illustrates the sin of gluttony because it includes food. The woman also appears to be really enjoying the food (she is licking her fingers and closing her eyes), which is also characteristic of the sin gluttony.
However, upon further examination of the image, we also see elements of the sin lust. The woman is wearing a short dress with her legs exposed and central to the focus of the image. The dress also reveals a good amount of cleavage which is only slightly covered by her hair. The text also draws attention to the lust represented in the ad. The words "piece of meat," literally refer to the meat on the burger she is eating, but the phrase also has a sexual connotation.
Based on the sins represented and the ways in which they are shown, it is clear that this ad is intended to appeal to men. It is advertising burgers, which are usually considered a "manly" food and it also shows a beautiful, somewhat scantily clad woman, which is appealing to heterosexual men. Because the ad is for a fast food restaurant, we can also assume that the ad is most likely to appeal to the middle class or lower class. However, because the woman is dressed richly, it is most likely trying to appeal to a higher lower and middle class by making the fast food restaurant appear more swanky.
I really liked how you connected each social class to the advertisement. I found it interesting that you talked about how it relates to the upper or higher class too, since most people would only consider the lower to middle class. However, I was wondering how you could relate this text to the idea of selfish greed, in addition to just the enjoyment of the burger, when talking about gluttony.
ReplyDeleteI agree that gluttony and lust are the two main deadly sins expressed in this advertisement. I think it is very interesting how so many fast food advertisements display beautiful models eating their food because, truthfully, it is unlikely that the models ever actually eat the food they are advertising. However, it is effective, as you said, in appealing to men who are the intended audience.
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ReplyDeleteI really liked that you applied both gluttony and lust to the advertisement. I also agree that the audience is to men, and is trying to appeal to their lust for the woman and displace this onto the burger she is eating. However, I think that the higher middle class was not the intended audience due to the envy it conveys. I think that they are appealing to the lower class, and those who want to be, or be with, the woman and have what she has. This includes the burger, and this is how they use the deadly sins to advertise their product.
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