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Rhetorical Analysis of an Image: Essay
Owned by Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation (or PVH Corp), Van Heusen is a high-end lifestyle brand that conforms to the firm’s mission statement: fashion for professionals. The target market for the brand is a successful, sophisticated, multi-faceted professional who values style as much as content. Van Heusen is now not just the most popular workplace brand, but it also seamlessly traverses the whole range of events such as casuals, ceremonial, and partywear, which distinguishes it as a luxury lifestyle brand. Even though Van Heusen began as a men’s brand, it did not take long for him to realize that today’s woman is just as much a part of India’s growth narrative as her male counterpart. The Van Heusen woman is vivacious, clever, and well-educated. She is elegant and attractive, and she lives life on her own terms. The ‘Everyday Couture’ idea for womenswear acknowledges that today’s lady effortlessly spans various cultures and roles. The brand encompasses her numerous qualities and provides her with a sophisticated, contemporary wardrobe that is genuinely one-of-a-kind.
As the message is delivered to the buyer, advertising may have a big influence on a person’s worldview. The advertising methods of Van Heusen have evolved throughout time, having a significant influence on what a woman should be and her role in society. After learning that a woman had more to contribute, the corporation was able to radically shift the message of its advertising campaigns. Through a rhetorical analysis of two advertisements from completely different eras of the Van Heusen brand, I will demonstrate how the company’s conceptions have significantly changed. More precisely, my analysis will illustrate how the earlier ad emphasised Van Heusen’s ethos and logos by demonstrating how the man was in command of the lady, whereas the latest ad relied more on pathos by how a woman should be able to control and exert power over her own life.
The first ad was published after the First World War in 1951 promoting ties that were for ‘men only’. This advertisement would have referred to men’s feelings back in that time. The man on the bed appears to be at ease, attractive, and well-dressed with his tie, ready to go to work. His arms are spread behind his head to represent how unconcerned he is. We might assume the woman kneeling beside his bed is his faithful and dedicated wife. She’s dressed in an orange robe that makes her appear as if she’s just gotten out of bed, yet her hair is groomed neatly and she looks gorgeous with her makeup on. She’s also serving him breakfast on her knees and looks at him like she’s lucky to be with him. It is interesting how the man is dressed compared to his wife. The name of the corporation is bolded in red with a picture of a man of authority wearing a tie. Additionally, the tie’s price is bolded indicating that one may be joyful for only two dollars. I couldn’t find information if the ties have a meaning in the picture, but I presume that the colours are green and red as it is a Christmas advertisement. Furthermore, the paragraph on the bottom right states plenty of words that represent a powerful man such as ‘men-talking’ or ‘power-packed’. The background of the picture gives a warm vibe with its neutral colour, which reminds the contrasts of colours back in that time and today.
From this description, it seems as if Van Heusen wanted to market their ties by using the logos of the brand. In other words, what can we do to make the man feel special when wearing our ties? Well, the answer would be based on the culture that was implemented in the 1950s. Back in time, the woman was known to be the one taking care of the house and had minimal rights. What would make a man successful on the other hand would be him in control of the woman and of finances, dressing nicely to fit with his suit, which represents that he’s the dominant one with the power in his hands. As a result, the corporation answered the question by making the man the authority of the house, having all the attention on him. To do so, her wife is on her knees serving him breakfast to show that she’s the inferior one and that her man is the one with all the power. “Show her it’s a man’s world”, the ad states. The advertisement portrays a man’s society in which women exist solely to care for him. “Wow, this tie will turn me into a successful man and make the world mine”, I’m sure any male viewing this would think. The description of the ties at the bottom image reinforced Van Heusen’s ethos as a business that caters to only the most powerful and strong men. It symbolizes the male’s dominion over his wife, as well as transforming him into the ideal man in society. The word ‘sewmanship’ is intended to imply that the ties were sewn by men, or that they were sewn so beautifully that they meet some kind of masculine standard and are thus unavailable to women. The word ‘truly’ is italicised in the last phrase, implying that the ties operate effectively and accomplish Van Heusen’s mission. It takes advantage of men’s egos and masculinity to urge them to carry out their civic duties while wearing Van Heusen ties.
‘Show her it’s a man’s world’ wrongly used pathos by promoting sexism and discrimination, which was pretty common in the 1950s. Because the era we live in now has entirely altered, it would be difficult to market an ad with such gender inequality. This ad was designed for men, but it did so by oppressing females. It proves how women were seen as nothing but men’s servers who had no moral rights. The way that Van Heusen marketed their ties is purely immoral and wrong. Even though companies today fight for ethical rights and gender equality, I am confident that the marketing was effective at the time. Van Heusen focused on what distinguished men and used it in their ad to market ties that would help them be perceived as successful. This tactic, however, is obviously outdated as everyone who sees an ad like this would respond negatively because it is a blatantly sexist advertisement that favours the male. Finally, because of the period we live in, with so many fiercely independent women, this advertisement looks silly to me now, yet it was perfectly normal and believed to be acceptable back then.
Moving on to the second ad, we can clearly notice how gender equality took its place and how the company’s perspective of a woman has shifted. This ad from the 2007 advertisement campaign ‘Lead Lady’, put together by J. Walter Thompson Bangalore advertising agency, is bold and simpler compared to the 1950 advertisement. The picture features only one woman seated in a gold chair in the middle of the advertisement. She is dressed in jeans with a gold top and blazer, along with gold jewellery and high heels. She appears to be staring at the camera, disinterested, with a smirk on her face, as if she realises she’s the focus of attention. Even though I was unable to find any information, I am convinced that the lady was involved in a campaign for gender equality or is a strong advocate for women’s rights in society. A paragraph at the top of the image describes how she knew nothing but to obey the rules, concluding with the slogan ‘Now, Nobody Sits Till I Do’, as well as the campaign’s name, ‘Lead, Lady’, on the right. What’s also interesting is that the picture contains the name of the corporation on the bottom right, with the word ‘woman’ on top, indicating that it’s a female-oriented advertisement. In contrast to the 1950 ad, the gold background has a lot more significance and emotion.
The woman in the 2007 picture exudes confidence and a sense of authority that is comparable to that of the old Van Heusen ad. The advertisement represents the Van Heusen woman, who symbolizes an independent and educated woman who is eager to create life on her own terms. She embraces fashion to express her passion, and she does so with her facial expression, thus utilizing pathos. ‘Lead Lady’ refers to how a woman can now ‘lead the world’ or how she can choose for herself without permission of any male dominance. Taking a closer look the paragraph on top, mentions how she had no rights as a child to sit how she wanted: “to sit with my legs crossed”. It’s similar to the older advertisement in which the woman’s mission was just to ‘listen’. Today, she is not just sitting in a comfortable position, but “nobody sits until she does”. That is to say, she wields complete power. What makes this commercial so strong is how she sits on a gold chair in front of a gold background. I couldn’t find the meaning in any external sources, yet gold reminds people of power, dominance, and wealth. Hence, she doesn’t only have the power to think for herself, but she has the power. She’s the one that can control everyone around her as no one can be on top of her. By corporations supporting equality and women’s rights nowadays, Van Heusen is invoking a feeling of power and boldness for women. When they wear their brand, they feel as if they have the authority in their hands. As a result, the company’s ideas on gender’s role in society have significantly changed since the 1950 ad; not only males but also women may be in positions of authority.
In this campaign, Van Heusen used gender equality to their advantage once again to market their fashionable clothing line. Customers nowadays seek businesses that promote social causes such as racial and gender equality. By promoting the ‘Lead Lady’ campaign, Van Heusen is promising the public that women should not be afraid of being the boss or having authority in the workplace. They should be proud of how far they’ve progressed since they were subjected to male oppression. To demonstrate its argument, the ad mentions “When I was young, they told me to sit…” in the line above, which emphasises the ad’s emotional approach. It’s a great way to reach out to working women because they can relate to it. In other words, they marketed their fashion clothing brand by telling the women in the work field that if they buy from them, they could end up like the lady in the advertisement, who is in charge and has all the power. What’s remarkable is that, unlike the previous ad, this one didn’t promote a specific product. They advertised an image giving awareness to gender rights and women awareness in the community. It’s an emotional image that describes how women were treated in the past and how far they’ve come. Therefore, Van Heusen didn’t need to promote the product itself, but rather the image connected with it, giving attention and importance to a ‘Lead Lady’ campaign with its slogan: ‘Now, Nobody Sits Till I Do’.
My rhetorical analysis of two Van Heusen ads from different eras of the brand has demonstrated how society has changed dramatically because the values and gender roles were expressed by the same company, only fifty years apart. The notion that males are always in command and superior has given way to the belief that women are equally powerful and capable. It has evolved from empowering males to enabling women to be their own individuals and take control of their own lives. The words used in both ads are indicators of how far gender beliefs have progressed. For instance, the ethos from the 1950 ad was extremely discriminating towards women, and if there was such an ad in today’s world, they would be banned without question. Even though Van Heusen caused horrible problems in the past that should never be forgotten, it is incredible how their campaigns and ideas on gender roles have changed over the years.
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