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Break Away from Perfection

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Submitted By Soccerdog1594
Words 1549
Pages 7
Kaitlyn Grubb
February 18, 2013
English 015
Rhetorical Analysis
Break Away from Perfection Fresh, salty air succumbs every small crevice of your body. A sun drenched angelic beach stands in front of you, waiting to be discovered. The sunlight glitters on every grain of sand, revealing miniscule specks of gold beneath the surface. This beach is so innocent, so white, and so pure. The beautiful, enormous ocean waves are crashing against the cliffs as you watch the seagulls joyfully fly around in circles. Warm, golden sand runs between your toes while the gentle breeze glides through your wavy hair. Gorgeous, shiny shells are washed along the shoreline by the rippling of the water. This moment is absolutely breathtaking, and you cannot help to feel amazing in your white, strappy bikini. But suddenly, you are woken up from this magnificent dream and violently brought back to reality. You can no longer sit and enjoy this heavenly view, especially in that white bikini. The time has come…to change your tampon. Tampon commercials have become dull and misleading. The concept of that “time of the month” is now construed to be a glorious time, filled with love and beauty. Dancing, exercising, or running along the beach wearing white is just some of the many aspects of the hundreds of unrealistic commercials for feminine products. Fortunately, there is a new, daring brand that emphasizes the key trait of being honest and realistic. The Kotex brand brings a fresh life to tampon advertisements, giving the viewers a sarcastic spin on the authenticity of a woman’s menstrual cycle. The “U” by Kotex commercial is aimed towards younger women in their college years. A large amount of college women are looking for the truth; many are sick and drained by the impractical television commercials. There is without a doubt not one college girl that embodies complete perfection. So why do the majority of tampon brands commercially portray women as being flawless? Kotex has made the conscious decision to throw away the cliché advertisements of girls happily twirling in dresses while on their period. In this commercial, Kotex captures the ridiculous scenes that are shown on flat screen TVs to a whole new level. Viewers can see just how unrealistic most ads are today by hearing it spoken, rather than visually watching. This newfound insight on tampon commercials will leave many young girls second-guessing on which tampon brand to buy. The “U” by Kotex commercial presents viewers with the clear fact that old tampon commercials are improbable and monotonous, through mockery and wit. It ultimately attracts woman between the ages of 18-24 and teaches them not to go with the flow, but to use the new, generation tampon brand, Kotex. What sets the “U” by Kotex commercial apart from the thousands of other feminine product commercials is the main character. The actress has a personality that embodies a dry sense of humor, which draws the viewers’ attention to her. She is approximately around 18-24 years old, and can therefore relate to the viewers that will pay attention to the commercial the most. Her monotone voice, sarcastically talks about her “wonderful” period. There is little emotion throughout the whole commercial while she wittingly explains how “amazing” and “light” her menstrual experiences are. For instance, she never smiles as she tells the viewers how much she enjoys twirling in slow motion, wearing white spandex, holding her fluffy cat, and dancing…nonstop. The most memorable part of the Kotex commercial is when she recalls the overused blue liquid commonly seen in pad commercials to demonstrate what is “supposed to happen”. Sarcastic humor portrays the overall ridiculousness of other tampon commercials by mocking the use of a blue liquid in order to demonstrate to young women how pads can be extremely helpful. Today, the teenage generation has fallen in love with sarcasm, and the main character of this commercial has given viewers exactly what they enjoy. In the end, they are pulled in and are longing for more. The music throughout the commercial is dreary and lifeless. It is slow, calm, and relaxing, similar to all tampon commercials that are continuously played on television. This blatant display of blandness cunningly plays off of the main characters sharp personality, and supports the images that are shown. Girls gently twirling, peacefully performing yoga, and happily dancing are just a few of the absurd acts portrayed in most commercials selling feminine products. It all seems innocent, just like the repetitive music. In the midst of the soft, angelic music, a white, fluffy cat appears on screen, ironically hissing and clawing at the camera. It is sardonic how the main character informs the audience how she enjoys holding soft things like her vicious, sharp-fanged cat, while simultaneously on her period. This element of surprise is not only hilarious, but is fully supportive of the sarcastic role she is meant to embody. Overall, this particular moment is when the main point behind the “U” by Kotex commercial becomes clear to viewers. Kotex is the brand that will be honest and straightforward with their customers. Another important aspect that positively advances the “U” by Kotex commercial is the color choices. During the commercial, light, mellow tone colors shine through to audiences everywhere. When the thought of a woman’s period comes into view, the usual shades of light pink, yellow, and white do not come into play. During those “glorious” 5-7 days, the last color woman want to be wearing is white. So why do so many pad and tampon commercials use white clothing and backgrounds to prove how well their product works? The only point that these commercials are proving is how they clearly do not understand the menstrual cycle. The room where the main character is located is also more colorful than most of the other scenes in the commercial. In addition to the colors, the bedroom is quite unorganized. Clutter is just one of the many traits of a non-perfect human being. This is completely normal. No one is perfect, and everyone has his or her own flaws. Perfection is usually what tampon ads are aiming for. But “U” by Kotex accentuates the fact that their target audience is not at all perfect, which in this case is normal. Inclusively, this key element of the commercial lets the viewers feel comfortable, and since comfortable is an attention grabber this smart method is highly effective. Purity and virtue play another huge role in the status periods have earned throughout the outlandish tampon brand commercials. Angelic butterflies and the appearance of white are just some of the many examples of innocence displayed in each advertisement. Today, college girls are not so pure and innocent as they once were. It is nothing to be proud of, but the general reputation of the all-around college girl is far from the innocence of a small child. Women between the ages of 18-24 are now described as outgoing and spontaneous. It is more common for a girl to be wearing dark, skinny jeans, a black top, and high heels while carrying a colorful purse hiding a small “U” by Kotex pad, compared to three best friends wearing white miniskirts holding hands and dancing to celebrate menstruation. Furthermore, the main character embodies the typical today woman, wearing a dark shirt with a cool, edgy black vest accented with several necklaces. Rather than the pure, innocent, Barbie-doll appearance that many girls represent in tampon commercials, “U” by Kotex gives its viewers something to relate to. Finally, the ridiculous flashbacks of the average, unoriginal tampon commercials are over, and viewers are brought to a new, brighter point behind the commercial. The monochromatic scene fades and is replaced with a cool, sleek black screen. Simple but bold colored letters are spelled out against the black backdrop, “Why are tampon ads so obnoxious?” The dreary, nonchalant music rapidly changes to an upbeat tune. The pads and tampons are tiny and colorful; they are shown in small, sleek, matte-black packages. It is a perfect and fresh look for the overall product that viewers all want. Boldness of a new type of product continues to carry through to the end of the commercial when a voice filled with attitude states, “’U’ by Kotex, a new line of tampons, pads, and liners.” The “U” by Kotex brand gives a new life to the feminine product market. The company has not only stressed a rhetorical strategy, but has also provided visuals that all viewers are accustomed to watching. The smallest amount of details, such as clothing choice, music, and color each help the viewer understand the sarcastic attitude towards other impractical tampon advertisements. Overall, the Kotex commercial successfully attracts the audience of young, vibrant college women. Nowadays, the everyday college girl prefers the blunt truth rather than a makeshift fantasy. “U” by Kotex allows a brilliant transition from the dull, unrealistic reputation of the majority of tampon brands have created, to a hip, new realism that the Kotex brand portrays to society. That “time of the month” no longer has to be all perfection and beauty. “U” by Kotex has impressively suggested the idea that it is time to break away from perfection and to start being “U”.

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