The benefits and disadvantages that are associated with plastic surgery (cosmetic surgery) are one of the most debatable topics currently. Before going into plastic surgery, an individual should take time to critically analyze what is in it for them. They should evaluate themselves and have a plausible and sensible reason enough that should compel them to engage in cosmetic surgery. A good evaluation of the pros and cons of cosmetic surgery should be considered because after all, this is surgery and there are high possibilities of complications that arise later on after surgery. The essay that follows will give a detailed evaluation of the disadvantages that go hand in hand with cosmetic surgery. No one in this world is perfect, but since medicine has opened a door for this phase to be breached, people have grabbed at the chance of making themselves perfect as in the case of Xiaoqing. They cease to think about the aftermath of surgery. The essay that follows will give a detailed account of cosmetic surgery and the negatives that come with this surgery (Snyderman, par 4).
Cosmetic surgery entails the utilization of techniques that are intended to improve the appearance of an individual. This appearance is usually enhanced by using medical practices and skills. The procedure involves the maintenance of normal appearance, repairing the appearance to the way it used to be or should be, or altogether enhancing it to a level that is beyond the normal for the basic purpose of achieving an aesthetic ideal (Fraser 23).
In Xiaoqing’s case, she wants to undergo surgery because she has problems with her body image, which were both inflicted in her brain by her perception of herself and then later worsened by the fact that her partner preferred her to look something like Jessica Alba. Some people might hold the same opinion as that of Xiaoqing. They might say that after cosmetic surgery, an individual gains better esteem of himself or herself. Overall, they say that the body image together with body features is altered all together towards improvement. This might be true, however, studies that have been recently conducted reveal that although there are positive outcomes that come with plastic surgery, there are also negative implications that present themselves. More often than not, there is a correlation between plastic surgery and pitiable post-surgery results that have been recorded. These negative outcomes are majorly for those patients who had a personality disorder, others are those who decided to take the surgery because they visualized it as a way of saving their relationships with their spouses or friends. The other category is of those who had already had unrealistic objectives and goals that they had set ahead of themselves.
These kinds of individuals are usually dissatisfied with the result of the surgery and there has been a close connection between such patients and suicide. In such a situation, cosmetic surgery has done nothing to improve the self-esteem or body image of a person. In any case, cosmetic surgery will just worsen the situation. This is the kind of risk that Xiaoqing is exposing herself to not to mention the fact that she wants to please her boyfriend which is the main driving force behind which Xiaoqing wants to have the surgery (Santoni-Rugiu 103).
The argument that self-esteem is improved through cosmetic surgery might not be true for all. There are those individuals who suffer from a disorder known as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). BDD is a kind of disorder where a person is severely preoccupied with an appearance of part of their body. At a high chance, this could be a disorder that Xiaoqing might be suffering from. She says she is psychologically ill and that cosmetic surgery would help her build a strong personality. From this kind of talk, it can be seen clearly that Xiaoqing is most probably not content with the way her body is and chances are she is suffering from BDD without her knowledge. This becomes a dangerous case because people who suffer from this disorder become obsessed with their bodies and in turn interfere with the approach towards life. Studies conducted show that most cosmetic patients have a case of BDD and in most cases, the surgery does not bring about improvement in this disorder (Greene, par 11).
Some argue that surgery should not be conducted to please or gratify the cravings of a sexual or romantic partner. This is a conclusion that has been reached even by professional psychologists. These psychologists advise and encourage the surgeons to identify the reasons that the patient proposes to have a surgery conducted so that they might determine whether the patient is suffering from BDD. In case a patient is suffering from BDD, the psychologists recommend that the patient should undergo psychological treatment rather than cosmetic surgery in which chances are that the patient would not have any change in the way they perceive themselves. Among the unrealistic reasons that psychologists hold for conducting cosmetic surgery are such as those induced by pressure coming from either a romantic partner or friend which are those that are causing Xiaoqing to opt for cosmetic surgery. Such a case should not even be considered because chances are the victim might undergo depression later on in life because the partner might opt for divorce because the physician does not change the emotional and inner makeup of an individual (Fraser 84)
Considering that Xiaoqing is at such a tender age of 21 is another caution that she should have in mind. At such an age, the romantic relationship that she thinks is the pillar of her romantic life is probably just a fling that will be short-lived. Therefore, she should think and critically look at the fact that she is still too young to be thinking about such a serious life-changing decision that is made to a commitment that may die away sooner rather than later. This is reinforced with the fact that the boyfriend has already dumped her meaning that she does not appreciate her personality but only wants to use her since he knows she has a weakness so that he may satisfy his fantasies for Jessica Alba through Xiaoqing (Snyderman, par 14)
It is also a compromising situation that she wants to change and specifically become entirely someone else. This is not her wish to become the living image of Jessica Alba but it is a fantasy imposed on her by her boyfriend. It is entirely one thing to want to modify yourself to look better from wanting to completely change your appearance to look like someone else. Considering that Xiaoqing is young and still growing, she is still developing, and given time she might turn out to be a beautiful person. It is partly ironic to think that no one is perfect but she wants to change imperfection into imperfection (Haiken 93)
Xiaoqing should consider her stand in wanting to have cosmetic surgery. This is because cosmetic surgery has its disadvantages such as the body might react to the anesthetics administered and other complications that arise from surgery because cosmetic surgery is just a surgery like any other and also the risks of infection. What makes the situation worse is the fact that she wants to take on the appearance of another person and even worse is the fact that she wants to change her appearance because of pressure from another person and not from her own self-made decision. Cosmetic surgery should therefore be a decision that Xiaoqing makes based on her wish for it (Gilman 53).
In conclusion, Xiaoqing should desist from taking cosmetic plastic surgery mainly because it is a decision that she made out of pressure that she received from a romantic partner which is the main reason why she wants to have the surgery. Wanting to please a romantic partner should be the last option that she has if she wants to undergo cosmetic surgery because the partner can always grow tired of her and what will she do with her appearance once the romantic partner leaves her. She should realize that other post-surgical complications might arise from surgery that might not be worth the experience of having to undergo through the knife. Having in mind that this will be a permanent alteration to herself. She should first consider what her long-term benefits will be instead of looking at the selfish wants of her already ex-partner.
Works Cited
Fraser, Suzanne. Cosmetic surgery, gender and culture, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003
Gilman, Sander. Creating Beauty to Cure the Soul: Race and Psychology in the Shaping of Aesthetic Surgery, California: Duke University Press, 2005.
Greene, Jim. “Advantages and Disadvantages of Plastic Surgery.” Advantages and Disadvantages of Plastic Surgery. 2008. Web.
Haiken, Elizabeth. Venus Envy: A History of Cosmetic Surgery, New York: JohnsHopkins University Press, 1997
Santoni-Rugiu, Paolo. A History of Plastic Surgery, New York: Springer, 2007.
Snyderman, Reuven. Prophylactic mastectomy: Pros and cons, 2006. Web.
Human skin may have little indentations called dimples. They can appear on many body areas, including as the lower back, chin, and cheeks. Cheek dimples are frequently referred to as a hereditary dominant characteristic (Opoku-Agyeman et al., 2020). On the real genetics of cheek dimples, however, very little research has been done. Whether or not dimples are genuinely hereditary is unknown. Children born to someone with dimples frequently get them as well. This shows that it is a dominant trait that is inherited. However, not every couple with dimples has a child who also has them. Later generations of the family may get dimples that look identical. One family, for instance, was seen to share dimples on both cheeks with siblings, father, grandpa, and great-grandfather (Opoku-Agyeman et al., 2020). In certain families, children may have dimples, although they are not sustained over more than one generation. Additionally, while some people may always have dimples, others may actually see a shift in their dimples throughout time. Having dimples as a youngster does not guarantee having them as an adult. Additionally, a youngster who was born without dimples could get them later in life.
Cheek dimples are thought to be chromosome 16-related. According to various studies, cheek dimples are formed by the insertion of fibers on the inferior bundle of the zygomaticus major muscle or by the muscle’s bifurcation (Opoku-Agyeman et al., 2020). Thus, cheek dimples are specifically mapped to chromosome 16. The survey conducted on cheek dimples included 30 individuals, including friends and acquaintances. The data collected was evaluated, and the findings showed that the phenomenon of cheek dimples is mostly a dominant trait.
In the modern world, cosmetics play an important role as a decorative technique used by young girls and women. Today, women and girls also wear more cosmetics than ever before. In earlier decades, a “painted” woman was automatically an immoral one. During the Twenties, mascaraed lashes, face powder, rouge, and red lipstick appeared on most women and girls who wanted to appear fashionable. They often plucked their eyebrows into a high arch, like the film stars of the decade, and used lipstick to shape their lips into a “beestung” look, tiny and pouting. Today, fashion demands that women use decorative cosmetics and makeup to look fashionable and charming.
The topic is important because it influences the appearance of a woman and her self-identity. On the other hand, the cosmetics industry is one of the most powerful and influential determining our tastes and priorities. Thus, fashion and appearance are as important as behavior when people look to the movies as models. Girls wear very tight sweaters and heavy makeup. The flamboyant styles of black rock singers also influence these teens, who adopted the stars’ extreme “drapes,” or loose-fitting trousers with narrow bottoms, shirts with wide collars, and, in imitation of the famous song, blue suede shoes. It is important to understand what good taste is and how to use cosmetics and makeup properly.
At the beginning of the 20th century, makeup was used to protect and project a sense of self. As already noted, techniques of decoration were not distinguished from fashion. They were regarded as traditional and unchanging reflections of social hierarchies, beliefs, and customs. Makeup embodied meanings of feminine nature and freedom while also encoding power relations. Occasionally, makeup was also acknowledged as an art form with aesthetic meanings. In doing so, they found that there were individual variations in makeup behavior as well as changes in decorative techniques over time. In short, new social and political ideas changed fashions in the details of the headdresses and makeup. Makeup became a part of style defined as a combination of simplicity, practicality, and suitability (Peiss 136-137).
Critics explain makeup as a ‘body technique’ which displays social behavior expressed and displayed through a unique personal image by a girl. Rather than restricting fashion to culture, fashion is a general technique of acculturation. Following Peiss (1998): “Even women who identified themselves as feminists found themselves caught in contradictory impulses” (76). Makeup is often associated with feminist ideas and fashion. It shows the rules, codes, and language of the garments and how they should be worn. Cosmetics and bright images in glossy magazines appeal to young audiences popularizing new makeup trends and colors. Small shops selling the latest fashions, called boutiques, attracted trendy teen girls who wanted to sample miniskirts and new makeup.
Peiss (1999) explains that makeup becomes a language of women’s culture and feminist identity. She shows that makeup is ‘read’ not as individual units composed into a whole, either in terms of the ‘social type’ evoked by an outfit (for example, housewife, hippie, businessman) or in terms of ‘the look’ as a whole. Where an outfit cannot be interpreted, people either take one item of clothing as being the most salient and classify that or else produce an account that can reconcile the codes attached to different items of the outfit. Makeup displays certain body techniques and highlights relations between the body and social habits. Today, for many women makeup symbolizes personal expressiveness and the ‘inner self. “Makeup is very important because your face is the first thing people see when you’re in the workplace” (Riordan 85).
For me, makeup means the possibility to create and underline a unique identity and the self. The notion of individuality produces a rationale for cosmetics in terms of constructing a ‘unique identity. The desire to approximate perceived ideal makeup is a prominent attribute of American women. Femininity is complex and contradictory work against the home, conservatism against progressiveness, and habit versus change.
The pressure to manipulate and actively control facial expression shape stems from the emphasis on appearance as the hallmark of contemporary western women. I have started to use makeup not a long time ago and try to avoid heavy and black colors. Little makeup is the best way to preserve your identity and unique facial expression. My first cosmetics was lipstick, and only in several years started to use eyes shadows and liners. To learn the main rules and secrets of good makeup, I read fashion magazines and try to apply these lessons “into me face”. The first experiments were very successful but I decided to avoid dark colors and power.
A lot of my friends have highly styled hair, elegant makeup, tight but tasteful dresses, and high heels represented self-confident womanhood. They share the same ideas about make-up and suppose that it helps a girl to underline her beauty but it is important to avoid too many colors. Makeup is a form of ‘dress’ that provides both a badge of identity and a personal signature. Fashion systems are important because of their accessibility and visibility as commentaries on political exigencies as well as practical ways to negotiate the conflicting departments of existence.
A lot of information is available about this topic, but I would like to know about 17-th-18th century makeup culture and the main ingredients used by women during this period. I know that makeup was opposed by religious believers and those women and men who shared old traditions and reject new cultures. But the Victorian women used makeup and natural substances to underline their feminine identity and beauty. The Victorian women partook of a new range of social engagements.
The development of the store allowed women to enter this public space as consumers and bought cosmetics. Makeup suggested that women were drawn into this expanding consumer culture partly as an attempt to diffuse some of the demands of feminism which was fuelled by the expansion of the numbers of women in paid employment, and by their demands for economic independence (Riordan 92).
In sum, modem American society perceives makeup as modernity except for strong religious believers and the older generation of women. Makeup is extremely popular among young women who cultivate a sense of style, develop a multi-purpose wardrobe and learn the social values associated with new order and culture. “But fashion, beauty, and domesticity are not static concepts linked to the feminine” (Peiss 65). Modern women’s magazines carry advertisements for makeup, yet continue to publish only limited information or advertising for cosmetics.
Works Cited
Peiss, K. Hope in a Jar: The Making of America’s Beauty Culture. Owl Books, 1999.
Riordan, T. Inventing Beauty: A History of the Innovations that Have Made Us Beautiful. Broadway. 2004.
The increased access to information through various modern and traditional media platforms has its upsides, but over the past, there have emerged many downsides to the constant access to media. One of the downsides includes the pressure on women that is applied to them by the image that the media has promoted over the years. Women in different media platforms, including traditional media platforms like televisions, have assumed the culture of promoting the image of the modern woman as a perfect figured woman with a flawless face and has a good sense of fashion.
Social media has intensified the pressure as more women are forced to assume specific images in their photos. This trend has led to the development of a society whose members are actively subscribing to the stereotype that women should be slender with light skins, perfect hair, and enhanced body parts to attain a voluptuous figure. This culture has affected the self-esteem of some women, influencing them to opt for cosmetic surgery procedures in an attempt to look like the image of women promoted by the media.
A decade ago, the cost of cosmetic surgery was extremely high, and the technology that was available for the same was not as accurate as of the current technology. There have emerged professional cosmetic surgeons with highly equipped facilities for different procedures. As the cost of cosmetic surgery has reduced, more women from the high and middle-income groups of the society can now afford to alter their physical looks.
A critical look at the majority of the women that have undertaken cosmetic surgeries reveals that there are particular similarities in the results. Most women undertake cosmetic surgeries to enhance their facial looks and to increase or reduce the size of some body parts. This quest is always inclined toward developing the perfect body shape and facial features as promoted by the media. The media has played a major role in influencing the behavior of different people across the world. People are inclined toward emulating the behaviors depicted by various characters shown by the media.
What is more important, media is the main source promoting cosmetic surgery in women. As a rule, women like themselves when they look in the mirror. Often, patients come to the cosmetic surgeon and say that they have seen themselves a hundred times in the mirror and did not notice anything. Then they saw their photograph on Facebook or a photograph of their friend or actor and realized how far they are from perfection.
The media declares that certain beauty standards need to be followed. The mirror shows how a person sees himself, but the reflection in social media or the reflection of other women shows how the world sees a person. Both young and adult women come to the cosmetic surgeon. The goal of plastic surgery is easy – to look better when communicating with friends via Skype or to look like some friend or celebrity. All in all, media remains the paramount reason dictating its rules concerning beauty and forcing women to want to undergo the operation as discussed hereafter.
Objectification of Women in the Media
One has to look into the image of the modern woman that is being promoted by the media to understand the reasons behind many women undertaking cosmetic surgeries. Each day the global society is exposed to more than 2000 advertisements on different media platforms, but there is a clear indication that in most adverts, women are used for leveraging the interest of the target audiences (Beasley & Denesi, 2013).
It is also apparent that the majority of the advertisements involve women with similar physical appearances, which are characterized by voluptuous bodies and flawless faces. This has led to the culture of women using their bodies as marketing objects and their faces as masks to appeal to the global society.
Modern society often perceives a woman as a sexual object. Objectification of women leads to the fact that people are beginning to consider them as the object without morality and will. It is a process of dehumanization, which allows performing everything with the object. In other words, objectification is the process of objectifying women reducing her image to the abstract image of artificially endowed one with several characteristics.
The objectification of women is a concept that the media has sold to global society. Most people in contemporary social platforms do not see any problem with objectifying women. It is even sadder that women are also involved in objectifying their fellow females, but from a critical point of view, which is associated with an affirmation of their appearances. The objectification of women through the media has led to more women becoming conscious of the standards required for women regarding appearances (Adams, 2010).
Women are now actively internalizing the perspectives of observers of their respective bodies because the media has made it clear that modern women should assume a specific image. The quest to assume this image has resulted in the need for women to have some of their body parts modified, which is facilitated by cosmetic surgeries.
Cosmetic Surgery Pitfalls
The media appeals to women by revealing that it is possible to attain the perfect physical appearances and promoting the idea that every woman should join the quest to look like the image of women promoted by the media. However, media usually does not uncover the negative consequences of cosmetic surgery that might appear in some cases.
First, the beauty propaganda in the media makes women sacrifice much, mainly, the health, to match the ideal. The fact that the celebrities are not as beautiful in real life as in the magazine remains hidden by the media. Photoshop is the key tool making them shine while they look normal in real life. Some women will never achieve beauty ideals, but in the pursuit of beauty, they can lose a lot. The media states that if women want to be beautiful, then she has to be thin.
Due to the above statement, liposuction has become quite popular. However, as a consequence one can receive kidney failure, anemia, skin sagging, and scars. Certainly, it is possible to believe in the myth of the non-surgical liposuction, but, usually, a simple cosmetic procedure is hidden behind that beautiful name. Also, the woman should have a thin waist – the thinner, the better, even if the too-thin waist is unnatural. However, it does not prevent a woman from the removal of ribs that might cause pyelonephritis. Also, it will leave terrible scars that also need to be removed surgically.
Among the other causes, there is a negative reaction to the drugs used during surgery and intolerance to anesthesia. In some cases, after the surgery, patients detect thrombi abscesses as a result of the unsuccessful intervention. During the surgery, the surgeon may touch a nerve and major blood vessels. It is also impossible to ignore the lack of competence of the physician and the individual characteristics of the patient, because of which the tissue fuses for a long period.
Finally, all the above ramifications might lead to psychological affection. The result might not meet expectations leading to disappointment or even depression (Soest, Kvalem, & Wichstrom, 2011). Studies show that many patients undergoing plastic surgery suffer from obsessions of their appearance. They may develop a dependency that will push them to the following cosmetic surgeries. There is a common mental disorder, known as the corporal dysmorphic disorder when the women become so distorted in the perception of their body that no improvement in the appearance cannot convince them (Khazir, Dehdari, Majdabad, & Tehrani, 2015).
It is also of great importance to point to the fact that the results of cosmetic surgery can be subjected to harsh criticism from family and friends. Even though it approximates the women to the ideal, it also might lead to unpleasant consequences. Thus, the media reflects only the positive side of cosmetic surgery.
Symbolic Messages in Advertisements
The media has managed to dismember women through the development of advertisements that only focus on some parts of the female body as selling points. The trend has gained momentum in both print and video adverts, which has influenced the society to subscribe to the notion that certain parts of the female body should define their physical beauty (Furnham & Levitas, 2012). Thus, media becomes a powerful and influential tool affecting women in the issue of beauty.
While the objectifying images of women have led to the development of the idea that there are parts of the female body that should be enhanced or reduced, the media has insisted that the advertisements are only symbolic (Markey & Markey, 2010). However, there is a clear indication that the symbolic images have influenced women to alter their physical looks because the selling of perfect images has become acceptable in society. The affected women believe that the images of women promoted by the media are used as the scale to measure beauty by the rest of society.
The dismemberment of the female body by the media has led to many women viewing their bodies as different parts rather than concentrating on the image of the whole body. This has been revealed on social media platforms, where many young women only take photos of specific parts of their bodies with the hope that other users will approve of their physical appeal based on the scale of the image of the modern woman (Berberick, 2010).
While some women have the physical features similar to the image of the women portrayed by the media, many others lack these features, which make them lose the self-esteem to past photos with confidence (Davis, 2013). Such women are targeted by the growing industry of cosmetic surgery, and the affordability of the associated procedures has led to more women purchasing the services.
Social Media and Physical Perfection
The world has transitioned into a digital age where people are required to create profiles on social media that highlight their personalities, as well as physical appearance. For instance, Facebook and Twitter require users to have profile pictures that help other people to identify them. There is also a growing trend where people comment on the level of the visual appeal of the profile pictures, and most women use their profile pictures to enhance their self-awareness based on the responses from other users when they post a picture (Wheeler et al., 2011).
It is common to see girls taking pictures of the most appealing body parts and posting them on social media platforms because they believe that other users judge them by their physical appearances. The quest for the best profile picture has seen many women using cosmetic surgery to enhance their looks.
Additionally, social media platforms have also led to an increase in the number of women using various photo editing phone applications and computer software to enhance the way they look. The mass media in different parts of the world that are fairly Westernized in their cultures has been editing pictures to perfect the image of women in advertisement and presentations. The media has influenced society to view the modern woman as a version of female perfection, and many women want to emulate this image (Hansen, 2011).
The problem arises when the women have to live up to the perfectly edited photos, and cosmetic surgery solves this issue. Cosmetic surgeons have increased their ability to meet the exact specifications of their clients; hence, more women have gained the confidence to undergo procedures to remove wrinkles, change their skin tones, and alter the size of different body parts. This way, they can positively show off the bodies without the need for photo editing.
A study conducted by Klein (2013) revealed that the mass media has a direct role to play in influencing female students in colleges to develop eating disorders. The media has depicted a slender body in women as the most attractive type of body, and the persistence on the same has influenced college students to assume bad eating habits to tone their bodies to perfection. While Klein’s study focused on eating disorders that have been caused by the image of women promoted by the media, it is apparent that cosmetic surgery is also one of the options that are currently available for young girls to enhance their physical appearance.
In the past, most of the consumers of cosmetic surgery were rich elderly women looking to maintain their young looks, but the current players in the business have revealed that both younger and older women are purchasing their services (Slevec & Tiggemann, 2010). Interviews with some of the surgeons have revealed that the majority of the women use media personalities and celebrities shown on the media as the reference to the types of bodies and facial looks that they desire at the end of the cosmetic surgery.
The Media and the Psychologically Hostile Social Environment
There is no doubt that the majority of the women who undertake cosmetic surgeries are influenced by their lack of self-esteem to pursue permanent alterations on their bodies. Psychologists have revealed that most women are conscious about their physical flaws and the level of their self-esteem increases when these flaws are eliminated (Diller, 2011). The media has been involved in direct enhancement of low self-esteem in women because women are fond of comparing their physical appearances with other women around them.
The mass media in Western nations is notorious for employing the most beautiful women to present various shows (Roxby, 2014). For instance, there are news companies that have been known only to employ women with certain types of bodies and a very good sense of fashion.
Seeing that women compare their bodies with those of the women around them, constant exposure to mass media keeps women under constant comparison with the news anchors and other presenters. Additionally, television entertainment has adopted the development of reality shows that involve celebrities and other women who openly confess to having their body parts altered through cosmetic surgery. These women encourage other women to undertake the procedures.
There have also been reality shows that highlight cosmetic surgeries that have gone wrong in an attempt to show women across the world that the procedures can result in more flaws (Crockett, Pruzinsky & Persing, 2007). However, as if to mock the shows that discourage cosmetic surgeries, there are new television shows such as Botched that tell stories of cosmetic surgeons who fix errors done by other cosmetic surgeons. These shows have created an image of women as mere objects that can be shaped according to their preferences repeatedly.
Following the development of an image of modern women by the media, most women have pursued surgical procedures to rectify the physical appearance of the body parts that they believe are not in line with the appearance of the modern woman. For instance, one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries among women is changing the size of their lips to look more appealing to the rest of society (Swami, 2009). Nose surgeries are also common, especially among celebrities who want to look perfect in videos and movies.
It is also apparent that most of the women working in mass media companies also have flaws, but graphics experts in the production process have software that eliminates the flaws to give the public the notion that they are perfect. Young girls idolize these personalities, and they end up believing that the image of women promoted by the media is attainable; thus, they opt for cosmetic surgery.
The Artificial Woman
The media has created an image of the modern woman that is associated with neutrality in cultural aspects. The image of women that is promoted by the media depicts that the modern woman has a body that is not indigenous to any particular region or race. Many women in modern society do not feel comfortable with their natural looks. For instance, the image of the modern woman is associated with artificial hair and slender bodies with a hint of voluptuousness.
Naturally, women from different parts of the world have different physical features that are unique to them, and this brings diversity to the type of women in the world, regarding physical appearances (Chapman, 2011). By eliminating these unique features in women, the media has developed an image of a woman that is associated with artificial body parts. Many young women have subscribed to this notion, and they have been looking to achieve the image of women as it is portrayed by the media. Some women will go to extreme levels of cosmetic surgery to look like the perfect woman as dictated by the media.
Positive Points of Cosmetic Surgery
Cosmetic surgery services are becoming increasingly popular around the world. Some of the patients undergo the operation pushed by the urgent need motivated by serious shortcomings of the appearance both congenital and acquired. Moreover, there are several different reasons created by the media causing women to seek such services. To the door of the surgeon’s office, they pushed by the desire to demonstrate their status by changing appearance to emphasize respectability and success. The increased competition in the labor market is also forcing women employees to concern about their appearance more than before.
As a result, virtually every institution of cosmetic surgery and cosmetology in the world offers liposuction procedures of reducing fat in particular areas making it the most popular procedure in the world. The media claims that despite the age and lifestyle that is far from a healthy one, it is possible to be a successful and attractive businesswoman and manager.
The pursuit of professional self-realization is not the only incentive for women to conduct operations. Another common problem is the difficulty in relationships with the opposite sex. Many people tend to blame their loneliness for disadvantages looks, although they are often far-fetched. For instance, the woman, desperate to find a life partner, discovers the core of her unhappiness, says, in ugly ears or nose shape, undergoes a cosmetic surgery for an affordable price.
Often patients performing plastic surgery are people experiencing a midlife crisis, who pounced on their prey closer to forty. In this case, some of them see a way to extend a youth or a sign of the new life beginning using the surgical procedure.
The above reasons demonstrate that cosmetic surgery might be helpful to some extent. However, people are tending to overestimate changes in their appearance. The surgeon may adjust the shape and facial features but does not solve the psychological problems that pushed the women under the knife (Mulkens, 2015). Therefore, each solid clinic specializing in cosmetic surgery has an experienced psychologist, who holds consultations with patients before procedures.
Conclusion
There is a clear indication from the secondary sources reviewed in this paper that the media has played a major role in influencing the undertaking of cosmetic surgery on the part of women. Women are compelled by the perfect image of women portrayed in adverts and television programs to pursue the development of the perfect body. This trend is especially more common among women with low self-esteem.
A critical look at the majority of the women that have undertaken cosmetic surgeries reveals that there are particular similarities in the results. Most women undertake cosmetic surgeries to enhance their facial looks and to increase or reduce the size of some body parts. The majority of young women who undertake different types of cosmetic surgery are influenced by the notion that when they acquire the perfect body, they will be happier.
The media has managed to dismember women through the development of advertisements that only focus on some parts of the female body as selling points. The trend has gained momentum in both print and video adverts, which has influenced society to subscribe to the notion that certain parts of the female body should define their physical beauty. In the past, most of the consumers of cosmetic surgery were rich elderly women looking to maintain their young looks, but the current players in the business have revealed that both younger and older women are purchasing their services.
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Advertising as is gambling calls for precision and sound judgment in order to pick the intended stake without fear or hesitation. Today unlike any other day in modern history, business rivalries have dominated the centre stage influencing even our tastes, styles, and trends in our individual walks of life. Competition to acquire the basic brand markets to mortgages, advertising has vehemently revolutionized the real concept of business in general and in particular the cosmetic industry.
Thus, looking at how various products are being advertised, one cannot fail to note the seriousness of the product owners in as far as convincing the consumers to fall for the given product. Thus, advertisements can be said to be a hook that is typically employed to fish the client from the larger pool of similar products. Basically, most advertisers tend to employ the use of sex as a tool for marketing diverse products. This is clearly evidenced in the way women’s products are market through massive advertisements.
For two decades now, I have realized women’s beauty products have undergone a significant metamorphosis due to the rapidly changing marketing landscape and consumer awareness’. Therefore, the advents of radio and TV advertisement have also equally played a significant role in the way women’s beauty is being handled. More so, the emergence of newspapers, gender magazines, and other types of literature have played an instrumental role in defining how diverse beauty products are being advertised and promoted across the female Diasporas. All in all, it should be noted that due to the way females define beauty so have firms dealing with beauty products have developed strategic marketing plans of creating sensational beauty products.
Research aims
Comparing diverse companies, one is in a position to be challenged by a number of similar products claiming to deliver the rare quality which cannot be offered by the competitors. Thus, the purpose of this study is to provide an informed insight into how the advertisement is employed by some of the leading firms in hewing market using sophisticated ethical or unethical procedures.
Literature review
Bobby Brown is one of the leading firms that have exceptionally managed to cut a substantial niche in the cosmetic industry. Considering the fact that, most of the firms merchandising beauty products through various media are strategically targeting women across all female spheres. But what is cosmetic advertising? Typically, cosmetic advertising is regarded as the promotion of beauty products by cosmetic firms such as Bobby Brown among others.
I have noted that these advertisements are employed to target the female populace that is intending to change its facial appearance from now and then. Commonly this habit by women to use cosmetics is curtailed to boost physical beauty as well as reduce aging. As I have noted, many cosmetic firms employ the use of dirty tactics in order to impact potential clients.
Hence, such scenarios have seen some of the major cosmetic firms on the firing line to the manner by which they employ the use pseudoscience as well as offering promotion of products with improbable goals. However, looking at how Bobby Brown undertakes their advertisements, it is imperative to state that, they have mastered the use of positive media to present their products. Thus, using well-articulated and balanced commercials, their products are ever arousing ripples among adoring customers who have developed an insatiable appetite for their products.
Nevertheless, delving deeper into the nature of their products as well as comparing them with complementing advertisements, it is possible to note that, they have avoided using the commonly used hype by other competitors who anchor their advertisements in sex. Despite the market challenges, Bobby Brown firm has managed to employ the use of appealing colors and well-selected slogans in their advertisement. According to a recent study, it was established that the manner by which Bobby Brown relates to its clientele through diverse advertisements, they are unchallenged. Thus, am of opinion that, it is their selective use of language, branding as well as packaging their product that exudes such a following in the female world.
The typical concept in Bobby Brown products is often subtle and balanced, even where the elements of sex have been employed; it is often hard for a layman to note. Thus, I beg to argue that, it is their concepts of advertising that are alluring women to run for their products. This is due to the fact that this firm has managed to propagate the art of creating products that are highly appealing to women hence closing the gap between providing for their beauty needs as well as relating with them.
For instance, consider the way this firm has packaged its holiday gifts, it is prevalent that, trust is the key element that is driving them to build a profound base among women. I am of opinion that, BB as a beauty firm has learned the art of presenting their outdoor and indoor advertisements with a clear message and honesty claim of their product (Belch 1981). Hence, this concept has helped them to dominate and impact positively on the concern of potential clients who may have not used their products before.
From various studies, I have noted that, since 1991 when BB, revolutionized the world of women’s beauty, she has been employing cool but natural advertisements whose glamour touched the very innate part of any given woman due to their sincerity. Thus, it is on the philosophy of beauty that I would like to state that, despite the glamour injected in the way BB products are advertised, it is crucial to note that quality is another element that is highly reflected in the promos. This phenomenon is typically reflected by the firm’s ever-standing philosophy of defining beauty to be simple, real and equally approachable. This opinion has made it possible for this firm commercial to reach out to women of all walks of life to the way they have presented their products in a manner that is accessible yet quality assured products (Andrews, et al, 1992).
All in all, I do aver that advertisements that are currently being run for BB portray a sign of quality which definitely impacts the way consumers value specific beauty products. Thus, it is instrumental to relate almost any fast-moving beauty product with BB. This, as I have noted, is more propelled by a concrete assurance from the manufacturer that the product is of the highest quality and equally safe to use without any after-use effects either on a short-term or long-term basis (Ahearne et al, 2000). Equally, it is important to note that, all beauty products which BB carries in their campaigns do carry very crucial information pertaining to their safety. Thus, comparing their advertising strategy with other cosmetic industry players. One cannot fail to realize they hold the secret of touching the clients hence securing the much-needed market strongholds across the world today.
Therefore, I have noted that BB products have become the preserve of both rich and the poor alike, and this has been made possible by their concentrated advertisements which are not discriminative but rather are all-inclusive (Green et al, 1994). Therefore, using Billboard advertisements are designed to catch a person’s awareness and create an unforgettable consciousness very quickly, leaving the client thinking about the advertisement after they have come across it (Belch, 2004). They have to be decipherable in a very petite period because they are frequently read whilst being passed at soaring speeds. Thus, there are habitually barely a small number of words, in big print, and an entertaining or arresting icon in sparkling color.
Research methodology
I have established the scope of this topic with an accompanying literature review. Generally, I have found that it is wise to consider the appropriate logical step that would of significance in establishing and supporting my claim that the aforementioned cosmetic firm has managed to positively influence and impact the market through the use of media and other diverse communication venues.
Basically, I have found that it is important to utilize more than one method in evaluating the key strategies as well as sampling the evidence I have gathered in relation to the advertisement impact on a client to Bobby Brown beauty products. This is instrumental in that, understanding the core concept being employed by Bobby Brown in influencing the women fraternity to embrace their products with such trust (Launert, et al, 1987). Thus, I opted to undertake a general case study of the diverse commercial by which the BB have a place either in radio, TV, newspapers as well as in billboards across different marketing zones (Berelson,1971).
Therefore, am of opinion that, combining diverse research strategies would offer varied results which could be evaluated to provide a clear picture of the research at hand.
Data collection method
After deciding on the research procedure to utilize, I found it crucial to collect the needed information. Consider the fact that, the data I collected was confined to a particular time frame due to dissimilar factors, meaning much of the data I used was secondary in nature, and this entailed, information retrieved from libraries (documentaries), regional news, coverage, and editorials (Multiple sources) (Launert, et al, 1987). And also, surveys which included data I gathered during continuous or regular surveys which were either internal or external. These types of secondary data I found to be available in books, journal articles, newspapers & magazines, conference papers, reports, archives, films, television, electronic database, internet among others (Green, 1998). The purpose of these sources is to have open access to diverse approaches and analysis of varied advertisements traits which over the years have assimilated other cultural traits.
Therefore, in this case, I present my case emphatically tilting towards secondary information.
Analysis of Data and Interpretation of Findings
The data I gathered or obtained via the diverse methods could either be classified as quantitative or qualitative. The nature of this study did not call for such huge statistical data analysis; this is due to the fact that the research is interpretive
Quantitative analysis
In this case, I presented the data gathered through a scale, meaning the data requires inferential differences to be determined due to frequency as well as dispersion (Bradley, 1991).
Qualitative analysis
The data is anticipated to be more regularly used within the research than its quantitative equivalent. Even though there might be an extent for a certain degree of quantifying some of the information, and the overall non-quantifying process is likely to be used during the data analysis and elucidation process. This would entail categorization, ‘unitizing’ data, identifying associations and developing categories to facilitate it, and developing and testing hypotheses to reach conclusion (Lefkowith, 1994).
Conclusion
Diverse cosmetic products call for a stringent approach, this is typically allied to the fact that relations build our identity; hence it is through individual attachment to his/her favorite product or specific commercial culture that we define who we are. From that note, I realized, it should be noted that all over the world, no marketing phenomenon is as diverse as advertising. Hence, through various advertising procedures, the social society is being exposed to dynamic advertising cultures which are influencing the entire populace due to the introduction of foreign trends and lifestyles (Walker, 1987). Thus, distinctive trade, as well as foreign policies, have provided a conducive atmosphere by which Bobby Brown has been overrun borders, hence building well-established and stable markets due to the values injected in their products (Sloan, 1989).
Due to the magnitude of client diversity in product tastes, I concluded that it is paramount to understand that some cultural elements can be misinterpreted in marketing prospects in relation to advertising. However, as I have indicated, BB intricately developed a serious campaign, whereby, they incorporated the use of promotional materials and giveaways in their adverts (Lefkowith, 1994). More so, they included trade discounts in their products, and this has greatly influenced even the distributors of cosmetic products to give them a top priority.
This is due to the fact that, separating influence and product is often difficult, hence when addressing consumer traits, it is important to evaluate the relevance of particular practices in comparison with other traits. Consider that, the female world paints anything American to be evil. In such a scenario, interpreting advertising practices becomes crucial in understanding why specific values are being held in high esteem, while others are viewed as unhealthy acts in advertising (Michalun, 1994).
Therefore, may I state that BB advertising campaigns can be said to be strategically designed to influence the potential consumer opinion of beauty products. This can be linked to the fact that the message, color, and eventual setup of their commercials are always attractive and engaging. Likewise, they have mastered the art of labeling their signature brands with such a creative mind that; it is easier to remember in comparison with other competing products.
Thus, using their vast knowledge of the cosmetics market, I have come to realize that, Bobby Brown products are advertised with a spectacular audience in mind. Hence, even when launching advertising campaigns, it is possible to note that each and every sphere of the public is presented. And this has greatly impacted the way consumers perceive BB products.
Therefore, may I add that, more than advertising beauty products, the cosmetic market is calling for positive corporate integration involving industry players and in relation to the cosmetic industry. This dimension has greatly benefited BB in that, it has established itself and more equally managed to create a commercial base that is growing daily in terms of clientele and production. Nevertheless, BB managed to capture the imagination of the female world with their well-researched commercials. This I have realized is done through teamwork, market surveys, and equally involving diverse market plays and other associates in order to make their dream come true.
So, the bottom line in their advertisements is not how much they will make but rather how many clients they will capture and how long will they retain the already growing market. Armed with such kind of a challenge, it is evident why they have concentrated on building their base using any tangible resource at their disposal and equally being involved in corporate social affairs in order to build an image that is easier to relate with at all times.
Am in a position to aver that, it is that concept of being involved with their clients that have helped in the way their commercials have impacted the intended clientele positively. More so, this phenomenon is reflected in the way their commercials are presented across diverse media houses including websites that host their pop-up cookies in order to capture and market their protection to overseas markets that are not yet fully exploited by foreign beauty products. In principle, it is the nature of their adverts that creates an environment of belonging that fuels them to where they are today. Call it a positive marketing campaign.
References
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Andrews, J. Craig S H. Akhter, S. Durvasula, and D. D. Meuhling. (1992.) “The Effects of Advertising Distinctiveness and Message Content Involvement on Cognitive and Affective Responses to Advertising” Journal of Current Issues and research in Advertising, pp 45-56.
Belch, George E. (1981). “An Examination of Comparative and Noncomparative Television Commercials: The Effects of Claim Variation and Repetition on Cognitive Response and Message Acceptance” Journal of Marketing Research, pp 333-349.
Belch, George, Belch, Michael, eds. 2004. Advertising and Promotion: an Integrated marketing communications perspective. Irwin: MacGraw-Hill.
Berelson, B., 1971. Content analysis in communication research. New York: Hafner Publishing Company.
Bradley F., 1991. International marketing Strategy. New York: Prentice Hall.
Cain, W. W., (1970) “International Planning: Mission Impossible? Columbian Journal of World Business. No. 58.
Green, Annette. Dyett, Linda.1998. Secrets of Aromatic Jewelry. New York: Flammarion.
Launert, Edmund, Jedding-Gesterling, Maria. 1987. Perfume and Pomanders: Scent and Scent Bottles: From the Schwarzkopf Collection and European Museums. London: Potterton Books.
Lefkowith, Christie Mayer.1994. The Art of Perfume: Discovering and Collecting Perfume Bottles. London: Thames and Hudson.
Michalun, Natalia, with M. Varinia Michalun.1994. Milady’s Skin Care and Cosmetic Ingredients Dictionary. Albany: Milady Publishing.
North, Jacquelyne Y. Jones.1986. Perfume, Cologne, and Scent Bottles. West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publisher.
Sloan, Jean.1989. Perfume & Scent Bottle Collecting, with Prices. 2nd ed. Radnor, PA: Wallace-Homestead Book Co.
Utt, Mary Lou., et al.1990. Lalique Perfume Bottles. New York, NY: Crown Publishers
This study documents the multimodal analysis of cosmetic surgery advertisement in British clinics. Specifically, flyers from three clinics have been analysed throughout this study. The analysis has considered the textual and visual elements used to pass the messages to the targeted audience. It describes how advert discourses utilize the ideal female body in the leaflets to increase their profits due to increases in cosmetic surgery. The targeted audience is persuaded with the prevalence of the feminine ideology, which in most cases, starts from and continues to be enhanced by consuming cosmetic products and services to meet men’s expectations.
Thus, men define what they believe an ideal female body should be equated to, thus pushing them to fit in the social pressure. It is essential to note that women willingly choose to undergo surgeries, which have diverse consequences. However, it is difficult for them to resist the pressure partly because they are influenced by supermodels, whom they consider their ambassadors when it comes to some product consumption and cultural and social acceptance. Thus, the current research reveals that these ideologies can be studied using multimodal realizations, such as through assessing the hidden messages in text, colour, and images.
Introduction
This chapter describes the background of the multimodal analysis of cosmetic surgery advertisements based on the approach given by British Cosmetic clinics, which major in surgery and body transformations. It delves deep into understanding the concept of advertisement and its application in the cosmetic industry. It also enumerates the research aims, which guide this study. The essence of this section, therefore, is to provide an in-depth understanding of the issue under investigation and to achieve the research objective by providing needed responses to the key explorative problems.
Background
The Concept of Advertisement
Advertising refers to the means of communication in which sellers or businesses lure consumers to use the products or services. Product promotion requires the publicity to create a message that focuses on and inspires the targeted market and pays some defined costs to make their promotions reach the intended people (Hidayat et al., 2020). In the current world, advertising is present in almost every corner of human interaction, particularly in social media and other discourses such as magazines, newspapers, journals, radio, press, mail, events, and peer endorsements (McLoughlin, 2017).
The advertising industry comprises several categories of people and organizations working to ensure that their leaflets can reach the intended audience and impact it. There are advertising companies, advert creators, media, editors, visualizers, designers, market researchers, and brand managers (Lee & Lau, 2018). The business that wishes to advertise its services or products has to hire advertising agencies with experience and content to make the advert capture the intended market.
The definitions of advertisement adopted for this study focuses on informing and persuading target customers to buy a particular product or service from a specific organization. This is a general approach to understanding the concept of product promotion. Apart from persuading the buyers to purchase a certain item, advertising can also help the seller achieve other outcomes. Firstly, according to Jang and Moutinho (2019), promotions help an organization to generate product demand. In this case, the advertising pulls the goods and services through different distribution channels and notes the business, which does the selling. In essence, the advert made resulted in increasing customers’ demand for the service, product, or idea. This enables the owner of the business to sell products in large volumes to the targeted audience.
Secondly, advertising acts as a way to preview new trends in the product line or industrial standards. A product, service, or concept snapshot enables the seller to motivate its target consumers to obtain the items sold as they would not need to be left behind in what the world finds fashionable at any specific time (Shareef et al., 2017). Businesses offer coupons, trial offers on the new productions, and rebates to acquire new customers and induce those who already exist to try the new products and services.
Thirdly, advertising helps to provide information to the target customers. This is important, especially when a business, which promotes its products, wishes to decode some misleading information in the market. According to Anshari et al. (2019), by advertising, an organization can supply the necessary information to the target buyers to understand some of the concepts about the product or service and know where products are available and can buy them. Information is critical, especially when a service or product line affects human life, such as cosmetic surgery. The next section describes how advertisements are used in the cosmetic industry to provide information and persuade the targeted audience to buy or use certain products.
Advertising in the Cosmetic Industry
Social media platforms and magazines have various contents, which relates to the cosmetic surgery industry. Beauty attracts users from different parts of the world, and they become targets for the manufacturers and sellers of such products. The beauty industry’s main contents comprise campaign, advertisement or news about launching a new brand (Ringrow, 2016). Simultaneously, advertising options also vary due to the availability of different platforms. Most of them emphasise the image of customers who undergo surgery to become more “perfect” than advantages of certain plastic surgery clinic overall. These options are print, TV, radio and Internet advertising, as well as mall boards.
One can note that radio advertising is the most distant in terms of the images and beauty standards use due to its limitations in their visual presentation. In other words, it is easier for a plastic surgery clinic to describe its advantages through radio advertising, rather than to convey the need for changes through a short verbal message. Nevertheless, this type of advertising has its benefits as it is usually short and catchy. Such audio messages are also often repeated and make the listeners remember them, since they hear them several times during “driving time”, or on the way from home to work and back (Cohen, 2010). Thus, although this type of advertising is not suitable for analysis in this research, it must be considered.
TV advertising has some similarities with radio, but, at the same time, differs in the key ability to spread images. A similar feature is that marketers need to know exactly the demographics of their audience, as well as the time at which the ad is seen and accepted by as many people as possible (Cohen, 2010). Without these elements, even the best commercial is a waste of money. Simultaneously, the advantage of television is that it can broadcast different types of images, such as the results before and after operations, model images of ideal bodies and faces or specialists in the workplace. In other words, TV ads can grab the viewer’s attention in many ways, without focusing only on the “ideals” that people should aspire.
Internet advertising has even more options and advantages as it is not limited by time and format. For example, it can be a photo, video, text message with useful information or call to action, which displays clinics’ services. Simultaneously, the images and messages of advertisements can differ significantly depending on the benefits of clinics, as well as the level of morality and ethics that determines the use of accents.
For instance, one clinic may advertise post-trauma rhinoplasty surgery while others focus on women’s sexuality according to typical male-centred beliefs. However, most often existing and emerging businesses use social networks to extend their target markets through advertisements and representations of female bodies to create specific narratives about the products and services they offer (Appel et al., 2020). Nevertheless, since Internet advertising has many options, it is difficult to analyse it from a certain perspective, so conclusions can only be drawn from the systematic analysis.
At the same time, such kinds as print advertising and mall boards are suitable options for analysis as they use the visual images that are limited by one moment and, therefore, usually convey the main trend of plastic surgery advertising. According to Cohen (2010), mall boards are a more effective way to advertise because they are visible due to their size and are located in places of consumers concentration.
At the same time, print advertising in magazines is the most common type, which has the same message conveying characteristics, namely a vivid visual image and short text message (Cohen, 2010). Consequently, the analysis of print advertising in magazines is most relevant, since it summarises the most common trend in drawing attention to plastic surgery. The main argument for confirming this idea is that print advertising is an effective way of sending the message through visual imagery that also has its limitations, which forces marketers to choose accents.
Cosmetic surgery focuses on enhancing appearance through medical and surgical techniques, and it can be applied to all areas, from head to toe. Even though this invasive physical practice is risky and painful, people are still willing to take this risk and suffer the pain. It is because they desire to modify their body and achieve the dream of a perfect body. The questions are, why do people need to be perfect, and what does “perfect” mean in their interpretations?
When browsing social networking sites, reading magazines, and watching television, it is unavoidable to be bombarded with zillion female images, mainly young girls with skinny bodies, flawless skin, beautiful faces, or luxurious backgrounds. The television makeover programs, testimonials in beauty magazines, and advertising posters are all highly promoting cosmetic surgery, and social media even directly advocate the “fake perfection”. Under this circumstance, women feel guilty about every flaw and imperfection on their bodies and arouse a sense of inferiority that they are born to be changed on physical aspects (Brooks, 2017).
This circumstance implies that the advertising and media overemphasize the importance of female physical attractiveness in different relationships, create the beauty canon, and naturalize the objectivizing female body’s ideology. Unlike other discourses, cosmetic surgery advertising produces and promotes the ideologies and utilizes them to achieve its economic goals. Under this circumstance, it is crucial to explore how persuasion can be achieved and what underlying ideologies and influential values in the advertisements promote mainstream thoughts. More importantly, it is critical to investigate how influence denaturalises the veiled ideologies and values.
Lirola (2009) revealed the gender inequalities and gender violence through the analysis of the advertisements. It stated that males had a privileged position in society while females were still inferior. Women were defined by physical appearance, and their bodies were utilized as an object to adapt to society’s wishes (Lirola, 2009). This mainstream value was promoted by advertisements that are androcentric and male-oriented. After a decade, it is time to re-examine whether the ideology and values that the advertisements are still male-defined, the female self-identification and values conform to society’s patriarchal demands or not, and the differences of using the female body images in the advertisements.
The current research focuses on deconstructing the representation of the female body in cosmetic surgery advertisements. Multimodal analysis is adopted to discover how the “perfect body” is mediated visually and textually, especially in advertisements that strive to persuade the recipients to conduct cosmetic surgery. This study shows how the visual elements are connected with the textual elements and how this combination shares the sexualized female body’s ideologies.
British Cosmetic Surgery Clinics
British cosmetic surgery clinics offer beauty products such as make-ups and body transformations, depending on the needs of the users. Hence, the number of beauty clinics in the country is relatively high, since some of them provide simple procedures, for example, injections for lip augmentation, while others specialise in more complicated surgeries, such as abdominoplasty or breast reduction. For instance, in 2019, the number of surgeries decreased by 0.1%, and a total of 28,000 cosmetic surgeries were performed, 92% of which were received by women (“Cosmetic surgery stats,” 2019).
These statistics allow scientists and marketers to assume the direction of advertising and the primary target audience of cosmetic clinics in Britain. In addition, as Li and Filobbos (2020) point out, requests for specific procedures and operations differ by geographic region. For example, Londoners were more likely to search for “brow lift,” and Birmingham residents requested information about “tummy tuck” (Li & Filobbos, 2020). These indicators also demonstrate the informational context that affects the British population, a significant part of which is provided by cosmetic surgery clinics through advertising.
Transform Cosmetic Surgery Clinic is one of the Transform Hospital Group facilities, which is the leading cosmetic surgery company in the country. This company is known for its services of weight loss, breast enlargements, nipple corrections, nose adjustments, and other cosmetic changes. Several years ago, Transform became famous because of celebrity endorsements in their advertising, although the clinic does not use this strategy currently (Tidy, 2020).
Nevertheless, the reputation and status of an industry leader allow the company to influence trends and, to some extent, dictate market conditions by changing demand. In addition, since Transform clinics are located throughout the United Kingdom, for example, in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Glasgow, there is a wide range of advertising coverage (“Find your local,” n.d.). Thus, the marketing strategies of Transform Cosmetic Surgery Clinic aimed at increasing demand and making a profit affect not only the operation of the clinic but also the audience that perceives the advertisement.
Consequently, Transform Cosmetic Surgery Clinic is an appropriate option for the analysis of cosmetic surgery advertisements due to the public’s reach and the company’s display of the main trends in the field. In this analysis, three texts from Transform Cosmetic Surgery Clinic are analysed for different aspects of multimodal language use to achieve the intended goal, which is to persuade their targets to use the products the organisation offers. The analyses present an in-depth understanding of how the advertising company uses different approaches to communicate the intended message to the target customers.
Aims of the Research
This study aims to investigate how cosmetic surgery companies use both verbal and visual features in advertisements to persuade women to undergo plastic surgery, and deconstruct the ideology of beauty in society.
Literature Review
This section provides a literature review on approaches for conducting multimodal discourse analysis. A review is necessary to examine the features of the different multimodal analysis approaches, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Understanding these characteristics facilitates the selection of specific structures, such as the position and size of the text concerning the image, to conduct a detailed analysis of cosmetic surgery advertisements and determine the meaning of various symbols.
The Concept of Multimodal Discourse Analysis
Three different approaches exist and can be used to conduct multimodal discourse analysis. The first is the social semiotic modality formulated by Jewitt (2013). This particular viewpoint focuses on using choices to make meaning of any discourse. The second point of view is MDA’s use, developed by Kress and van Leeuwen (2001), following Halliday’s model (1967). The perspectives mentioned above differ in their particular stress on the sign-maker. The third technique is the multimodal interactional analysis, which according to Jewitt (2013), “addresses a dimension of the social semiotic that conventional multimodal analysis does not seem to commonly address and focus on how multimodal texts are interfaced with and mediated by people” (p. 33). More focus is placed on MDA, which defines the goal of the current research.
One of the multimodal discourses that have existed for several years is Barthes (1977) in Rhetoric of the Image, where he reviewed the link between image and language as tools for expressing meaning. MDA raised several concerns regarding its application in academia. However, despite such criticisms, multimodal discourse continues to be used in vast academic fields. In its prosperity in academia, this analysis is used in two ways: multimodal metaphor and systematic functional linguistic (SFL). The multimodal metaphor approach studies the discourse using the cognitive perspective.
On the other hand, SFL interprets the functional link between language and social structure. Apart from the two scholars mentioned above, other researchers have contributed tremendously to the growth and stabilization of MDA, such as Martinec (2000) and O’Halloran (2004), who discussed the aspect of systemic function. Still, other studies have continued to find how different disciplines can contribute to understanding the multimodal discourse analysis. For instance, digital technology was adopted in 2002 and resulted from annotation and analogue of complex MDA (LeVine & Scollon, 2004). The main aim of the efforts put in this area results from the need to understand different aspects used in the advertisement, such as in cosmetic surgery.
The logico-semantic expansive relations, projections, and representation, which result from language grammar, can also link the multimodal text’s visual and verbal aspects. The shift to social expositions within linguistics transposed the attention of how the use of language shapes. This turn to social approach agrees with the theory formulated by Halliday on the social functions of textual language. Metafunctions appear to be higher-order constructs of meaning instead of being particular to a single language (Ledin & Machin, 2019). On the other hand, metafunctions can be viewed as meaning potential, which refers to the implied meaning or action resulting from any specific set of modal resources.
Halliday refers to this as “every semiotic fulfils a function of ideation, which represents the internal and external sides of the world, and serves the interpersonal function, which enacts social interactions and relations” (as cited in Kress and van Leeuwen, 1996, p. 15). This implies that any particular text has an element that coherently interrelates with each other. These specific features link with the relevant environment, which accomplishes textual function.
Kress and van Leeuwen (1996) went further to study and develop concepts that could also help understand MDA. According to them, one can visually realize ideation, textual, and interpersonal functions using composition, which comprises information value and salience, the modality of vectors, and framing. Van Leewen (2005) and Maier et al. (2007) opined that both verbal and visual modes function together, except that most of the time, either of the modes extends or elaborates its meaning. Lemke (1989) reiterated that ideational metafunction offers textual dimension and has features of verbal and visual symbols that can be decoded through multimodal transitivity.
On the other hand, interpersonal metafunction provides facet to words, conveying, and interacting with the intended audience (Lemke, 1989). Furthermore, the textual metafunction comprises the interrelatedness and linkage between written words’ visual and verbal components. Thus, there is a need to understand how to construct models that describe images in relation to the text.
There have been efforts to connect images and text to make a better judgment of the visual elements. Kress and van Leeuwen (1996) came up with a model describing the semiotic pictorial resources and how they are used. Consequently, this resulted in the formulation of the systematic functional grammar framework and adopting a visual design grammar (Kress & Leeuwen, 2006). According to the concept, the visual structures are viewed as linguistic components. The various segment of this model presents a specific function, which interprets unique experiences and creates social interactions. For example, in communication achieved through visual representations, one has to choose between different interpretations and, at the same time, express the diverse social interactions using variations of colour or the structure used to compose the image.
Multimodality considers both communication and representation to comprise more than any language offers by being more attentive to different communication methods such as gaze, colour, pictures, posture, composition, and topography. It asserts that these components lead to the transfer and generation of meaning when they are combined. Each component has a meaning potential, which defines its propensity to transfer meaning.
The full denotation of any element can be realized only when it exists in its entirety. MDA’s purpose is to know textual meaning and power based on how they activate different modes, including verbal, aural, and visual (O’Halloran, 2004). It is possible to systematically deconstruct texts using semiotic analysis with MDA, which has been used to analyse several domains, including magazine covers, movies, online advertisement, motion pictures, commercials, surgical websites, and books.
Research Questions
How do the companies use idealized female body image to achieve economic goals?
Are the ideologies of beauty still male-defined?
Methodology
This section provides the methodology used to gather data utilized in the project. In this multimodal discourse analysis, samples of three articles from the British Cosmetic Surgery Clinic are examined, because of the region’s known cosmetic industry. The texts were taken from one of the British cosmetic surgery organization known as Transform Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, which is renowned in entire Britain for offering high cosmetic surgery services and treatments. The three advertisements from the Transform Cosmetic Surgery Clinic were selected for this study because they are considered aggressive in terms of publicity.
Advertisement is a multimodal discourse, which contains pictures and texts. These elements are considered interrelated in terms of creating meaning to the flyer. A poster can also be used to send messages to the intended audience. However, poster advertising is mostly a one-way communication tool used by several companies to pass the intended idea. In particular, this is possible because the bodies that are embedded within the signs are often representational. The images used in the posters can help the audience to understand the messages that the advertisers are trying to pass since the pictures create an emotional appeal. However, when catchy words accompany the images, they often engage the readers more than plain posters.
Since advertisements that use text to accompany visual images tend to engage the audience more, this project uses multimodal analysis to decode how the advert’s verbal and visual components work together. In particular, the approach used in this analysis considers visual and textual characteristics. The three main elements of visual characteristics include the following:
Prominence: describes the interactions of several factors (such as image, letter size, choice of colour, placement) and concerns the size of the pictures compared with the written text
Frame: describes whether the elements appear in the text are placed together or apart.
Information value: describes the placement of the texts within the advert. For example, left to right, centre to margin, and top to bottom.
The analysis was followed by talking about colour schemes and the subject’s gaze and positions. For instance, in the advertisement used in this project, all the women are tanned and young, which indicates the characteristic of the intended audience of these texts. The women in the images wear very few clothes, which partially reveal their breasts through the low neckline. The private sphere is represented by one’s body and the openly displayed sexuality, which is a significant aspect of the younger population. Modernity has used feminist nakedness until transforming it in practice at the same time codified and considered in terms of money or commercialisation.
As for the textual characteristic, the verbal components found in the text may enhance the visual aspects of advertising the messages. Companies tend to incorporate texts to promote themselves beyond the visual representation of the product they sell.
The words enable businesses to brand themselves in ways that integrate and socialize with the intended audience. Terms such as “transform”, “enhance”, “suit up”, and “experts” have been used to send specific messages to the target population. These words are written in large letters, hence easy to read, and integrate well with the images. This makes it easy for the viewers and readers to understand the intended message. This aims of this section are to explain the transitivity patterns that develop from the textual to the visual elements in the text. It will analyse in stylistic and description and transitivity structure and verbo-visual coherence.
Visual Grammar
Visual grammar was proposed in 1996 by Kress and van Leeuwen based on the findings from semiotic school, which was mainly concerned with illustrating linguistic written words. Halliday (1967) saw language as a depiction of semiotic mode represented by ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions. Kress and van Leeuwen built their theory by redefining the words used by Halliday, such that they called them representational, interactive, and compositional metafunctions, respectively. In this new definition, representational connotation focuses on how pictures created in any particular piece represent the participants used in the image. It is split into the narrative and conceptual representations, according to the Transitivity framework developed by Halliday. Narrative representation gives extensive actions and events, change processes, and transitory spatial arrangements.
Interactive meaning concerns the social links between interactants and evaluative orientations that actors or reactors adopt towards one another and to the area symbolized by the text. Its discernment relies mainly on attitude, modality, contact, and social distance. Social distance describes the links between the viewer and the producer of the image and the represented participant as a frame size function. Attitude categorizes image into objective and subjective, thus deeming them naturally neutral. Contact describes the demand relation between the represented and the targeted audience and then conveys the intended meaning through offers and demands following Halliday’s four speech acts. Lastly, modality emanates from linguistics and describes the credibility of statements concerning the world and explores its markers’ roles, such as colour differences, saturation, and differentiation.
On the other hand, compositional meaning associates the interactive and representational pictorial meaning using framing, value, and salience. The value of information mainly deals with the placement of components and their attached trusts. The information can be arranged in different layouts based on the designer’s understanding of culture and the target audience. Salience describes the factors considered in the hierarchy of placing various elements based on their sizes, focus sharpness, and tonal contrast. Lastly, framing refers to the link between connectedness degree and differentiation. However, it is critical to understand that framing and salience offer practical know-how for image interpretation, though it can result in over-interpretation since the researcher can be subjected to unusual decisive meanings. Citation
Multimodal Analysis of Three British Cosmetic Surgery Clinic and Discussion
Text 1. Transform the way you look, love the way you feel.
The current research is based on British cosmetic surgery clinic and beauty magazines to expose the narrative around lean bodies resulting from clinical interventions. In this study, three images from “Transform”, a top cosmetic surgery clinic in Britain, are analysed. Each of the images from the firm presents unique messages to the intended targets. The advertisements discuss major visual and linguistic features of the magazines to help decode and understand the meanings hidden in the flyers’ multimodal texts. The leaflets are produced to convince the women to consider using cosmetic surgery to transform their bodies and become monuments of beauty in their society, even though the advertisement’ primary goal is to make the clinics generate profit.
The perspectives taken in this study to decode texts written and visualized help to understand social practice and behaviour. According to Van Leeuwen, (2008), ‘’Social life can be seen as networks of diverse social practices, including economic, political, cultural, familiar practices and so on. Social practices are more-or-less stable forms of social activity which always, or almost always, include discourse’’ (p. 23). Regarding cosmetic surgery, the social practices persuade the viewers of advertisements to feel inadequate to meet the normal standard, thus desire to modify some parts of their bodies to be as that of their idols, yet without considering possible consequences of their actions.
Visual Features
Text 2. Transform yourself.
The different visual elements that help in constructing meaning in the pictures are clarified using visual grammar, which uses frames, prominence, and information value to explain each element in the advert. After analysing these features, the significant features used to represent hidden meanings such as colour and gaze are considered. Each of these elements exists in the pictures and serves different purposes based on the designs used.
Prominence describes the combination of text and image and other attributes related to their specific features such as the relative size of the texts and image, colour, and placement within the flyer. Frame indicates whether texts and images are placed together at the same point or separated in distinct places. This is an important aspect of understanding the relationship between the two elements and their effects on the targeted audience.
Figure 3. Advert by Transform Cosmetic Surgery.
Frames from an important aspect of multimodal textual composition, mainly because they point out various text elements. All the texts analysed in this research are placed in different parts of the flyers. In Text 1, for instance, the words written to accompany the image illustrate the main goal of the advert. These include the emphasis on “transform” and “love”, which immediately captures the eye and mind of the viewer, especially women, who process the information to mean that they will love themselves after transforming their bodies through cosmetic surgery
In Text 2, the words are placed at the right and left and top and bottom of the flyers. The text on the left is distinct “Transform”, which is pushed to the side of the back, thus making her curve at the back more pronounced. The texts on the right are diverse. First, the most notable one is “yourself”, “transform”, placed at the upper part of the woman, and constitutes a trajectory that links the lady’s beautifully curved breasts with the rest of the body.
One can easily identify that the theme is “Transform Yourself”, which combines the text on the left and that on the right, making the audience scan through the body when reading the texts. There are writings at the top of the advert and the lower part, however, they are not visible at first glance. Moreover, the words are written in both horizontal and vertical orientations, making the viewer glance at the cleavage in a different direction, hence looking directly at the woman’s breasts, which are focal of the flyer.
Text 3 is a bit different from the first two, particularly with respect to the orientation and placement. There is no particular textual orientation on either the left or right or top or bottom. However, the placement of the words “Enhance your Confidence. Transform yourself” is made through the body as this gives the viewer a closer look at the body of the person in the flyer, hence contemplating the meaning of those words and seeing their evidence on the image.
Colour Scheme
Colour is an essential element in the multimodal analysis because it presents a vast amount of information. All the women are tanned, which creates a more fulfilling and pleasing to the viewer, mainly because it removes biases. Bright colours are used in Text 1 while black in Text 2 and 3. Using these two colours accompanied by their smiles represents the vibrancy and universality resulting from cosmetic surgery.
Moreover, the black colour symbolizes the authority and strength these women possess to speak about and defend cosmetic surgery. Blue and its various shades dominate the background used in two of the three texts analysed, representing royalty and power. According to Kress and Van Leeuwen (2002) and Van Leeuwen (2011), colours can highlight different features of the participants in an advert. However, it is also important to notice that some colours may have been used appropriately. For instance, the shade of red in the woman’s lips in text 1 and text 3 may differ with that meaning it implies on the background of Text 2. For instance, the shade adopted in Text 2 may sum up the circumstances of pre-surgery and post-surgery in the Transform Cosmetic Surgery Group.
Gaze and Subject Positions
Text 1 presents a youthful, attractive lady, with her eyes deeply focused on the viewer. Her hair curls in such a way that it creates a feeling of peace and admiration of the cosmetic products used on her. Her most outstanding feature appears in her smooth and long face, with well-trimmed eyelashes, which are well complemented with the shape of her mouth. In text 2, the image shows a young and beautiful woman revealing most of her body that created the notion of fitness. She is lean and steady, looking younger than she is supposed to be, which is attributed to cosmetic surgery. Her smile shows that she is likely satisfied with the service she got from Transform. It is also critical to notice that her body is perfectly placed at the centre of the burner, such as it does not lean on either right or left, or top or bottom.
Text 3 shows a beautiful middle-aged woman looking stunningly at the viewer, showing great confidence in her body. Her arms are stretched out to reveal every perspective of the curves achieved through surgery. The body of the woman attracts the eyes of the viewer at first glance. It is worth noting that she is a young woman and chose the service to look as stunning as she appears in the image. Her smile reveals both the confidence and satisfaction she has with the surgery offered to her.
Linguistic Features
Even though the images occupy the more significant part of the leaflets, there are essential verbal features in the texts as they accompany and improve the visual perspective of the advertisement’ information. The linguistic features in these flyers serve two purposes, which include description and coherence. Thus, the texts can explain the transitivity pattern used throughout the advertisements to capture the mind of the image viewers.
Description of Styles and Text
Words used in the leaflets were chosen carefully to perform specific functions. In most advertising discourses, as with the current flyers, positive expressions and instructions are used, combined with different approaches to reach and persuade the customers to use the products. In particular, Text 1 and 3 have a vector at the participant’s eyeline stating, “Britain’s number one cosmetic surgery specialists.” The statements make the viewers develop a sense of attraction towards the company and build their confidence in the services it offers. Being the topmost company creates a sense of dependability on the clinic, and assures potential customers of gaining the body they desire to have. Most people are uncomfortable with their bodies, hence when they see a source of gaining their belief in themselves, they find it satisfying and reassuring.
Flyers used by Transform have used repetition to pass their message to the targeted clients. In particular, the clinic has used the word “transform”, which is the name of the medical facility, but at the same time, the name of the activity that should be achieved by the surgery. The word “surgery” has also been used in several places within all the three texts to enhance the understanding of the service the clinic offer. This is meant to qualify the fact that the body transformations are supported by medical practices and the fact that the clinic can perform all the possible surgeries. In “Transform magazine, the phrase “Britain’s number one cosmetic surgery specialist” is repeated in all the clinic’s flyers. This creates the competition by revealing to the targeted audience there is no competitor cosmetic surgery in the area.
Verbs form a critical part of the advertisement as it puts the targeted audience in control of everything they need. All the texts use verbs in their advertisement to create a sense of action from the targeted audience. For instance, Transform Cosmetic Surgery Group has used the verb “transform” in two of its leaflets, first to create a doubt in the mind of the targeted audience that their bodies are not in shape, and secondly to give the perspective that they can change their bodies to a perfect size that will please them. Secondly, the clinic has used the verb “enhance”, which is meant to tell the audience that having a good body is not the final solution, that there is more to be done.
Attention
Attention is crucial in any advertisement as it makes the targeted audience develop a sense of the company. Promoting a business or a particular product requires a detailed approach as the audience can focus on the advert or decide to ignore it. Marketing not only provides information about the service of the business being advertised but also persuades the viewers to grasp the consumer’s attention. All the texts analysed in this case pay close attention to the three most useful ways of capturing the attention of targeted customers, as suggested by Suggett (2014), who claims that location, personalization, and a shocking factor can help best hook viewers to the flyer.
Participant’s Representation
The three participants used in the text are young women, who are represented as confident and beautiful. Their smiles and attractive faces reveal the quality of service they got from the cosmetic surgery, and in particular, from the clinic. Moreover, the choice to use only women in the flyers is crucial as it forms the primary need for advertisers to reach the vulnerable women who think they are inadequate.
Sexuality is a crucial element that promoters of businesses use to persuade women to get cosmetic products and surgery. As noted by Suggett (2014), sexuality drives every form of advertisement, both among the man and women. Consequently, it is often possible to find that the number of females in advertisements used in different niches is higher than that of men. The faces of the participants in these texts are closely linked with those of celebrities within the country. Influencers are mostly used to help the public understand the move towards using a particular product, partly because they have a huge following and can easily persuade their internet friends.
Context Specification
Transformation attracts viewers by addressing the specific contexts of services offered. First, using women is crucial because women are most affected by their bodies’ insecurities. For instance, ladies want to have appearances similar to those they adore because they believe having tanned bodies makes them more attractive to men. At the same time, they are driven by the desire to meet what the men construct in their minds. It is often easy to realize that men are attracted by women with soft, smooth, and curved bodies, hence creating a sense of inadequacy in their women’s minds. Moreover, context is implied by revealing the types of surgeries the clinic performs and highlighting the major ones, such as breast, hip, and facial manipulations, which are some of the main areas women are interested in to have changed.
Overall, analysis of Transform’s advertisement demonstrates that Lirola’s (2009) findings on inequality and sexualisation of women are relevant today. First, all three plastic surgery clinic’s ads use images of women to reach their target audience. This fact is not indicative in this case, since the analysis includes only three images; however, if one analyses the advertisements of both the Transform clinic and other similar facilities, he or she will note the predominance of female portraits. This feature also coincides with the thesis of Lirola (2009) that men are privileged and better than women; thus, they do not need to change.
At the same time, women must change to meet the expectations of men, who perceive women through their appearance, and, therefore, require sexy and attractive body shapes and beautiful faces. This statement is also emphasised by statistics, since, for example, in 2018, 92% of plastic surgeries were performed on women and the most demanded procedure was breast augmentation (“Cosmetic surgery stats,” 2019). In other words, these changes that women have undergone were caused not by physical reasons or injuries but imposed by advertising and society.
Secondly, all elements of advertising and the message, in general, are aimed at changing the body of women in accordance with European beauty standards. The placement of text on advertisements is used to highlight the curves of the female body that are most stigmatised and objectified. For example, the word “transform” emphasises the waist and curve of the woman in Text 2, and the word placement in all three examples points out more than medium-size breasts.
At the same time, although, unlike the study by Lirola (2009), women are depicted without men, they have many similarities, such as tanned skin, attractive breasts, youthfulness and fit bodies. This particular feature and emphasis that advertising offers once again confirm the thesis about the sexualisation of the female body, which is aimed at meeting the needs and creating male-oriented standards of female beauty. In addition, all the women also look happy with the changes, since, after the operation, they meet the standards imposed by the masculine society and can feel more confident.
Another feature that highlights the inequality in plastic surgery advertisements is the text that convinces women that their appearance is imperfect. The analysis showed that the word “transform,” which is also the name of the company, was used in all texts to emphasise the need for change. The word “enhance” is also used to hint that women, even with minor flaws, cannot be completely confident in themselves. This approach can be characterised as “gender violence,” which Lirola (2009) highlights as it exposes women to social pressure due to the features of their bodies. These advertisements also promote this type of violence as they propagate female beauty standards that are far from reality for most women. Thus, this analysis demonstrates that the ideology of beauty has practically not changed over the past decade and remains male-defined.
Conclusion
Cosmetic surgery has been used extensively as a social and cultural norm that compels women, and in some cases, men, to define their bodies by consuming some specific products and practices such as clothing and lifestyle. The analysed data have revealed several discursive aspects in the multimodal construction of cosmetic Surgery among women. These include what they consider an imperfect body, need for improvement, extra beauty, sex, and health and fitness. While imperfections exist, the need for Surgery among women is driven by the need to satisfy the men’s eyes, who are the creators of the perceptions of flaws in the feminine body.
However, the women find consolation in cosmetic Surgery as it promises them to solve their issues, thus meeting their body goals. The businesses that offer these solutions use different strategies to reach their intended customers. For instance, they use influencers and texts that are meant to pass persuading messages, thus making it possible for the clients to seek their services. Most importantly, the audience willingly chooses to go to the surgeries based on the impacts created by different advertisements.
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Consumption is central to many global economies and has contributed to the phenomena of globalization. This consumption of the world has changed the way we consume some products and the reasons for engaging in such activities. The increase in consumption and release of leftovers has consequently posed environmental challenges ranging from degradation, global warming, and deadly diseases. Improvement of communication and information technology has contributed to advanced forms of advertisement that promote the consumption and exploitation of markets down to the most localized places within the global village. Consumption is currently viewed as a kind of competition where it is analyzed and consumers are rated by how much they consume. One of such products that the world consume largely are cosmetics that are associated with civilization as they touch on human appearance and odor
It was last week when I realized that my perfume was exhausted and while I was going through Mexico city I decided to buy another perfume but this time I needed to change the brand I was used to. I was having in mind a brand that has recently hit the media advertisements. I bought it and it has been gorgeous for me. Most of my friends have liked it and this confirms that my $15 for the new brand is paying off. Although there were many cosmetic products on the shelves, most of them cheaper, I went for this product because of the emphasis of its ‘glory’ on the consumer. My concern has however been raised by my mother who claims that she is allergic to the fragrance and prefers a neutral brand. These controversies are not new in cosmetic consumerism and this inspired me to search deep into the analysis of cosmetic consumer products.
Cosmetics are for example perfumes like the one I bought, skin care creams, lotions, powders, lipsticks among others used to improve one’s appearance. There has been a proliferation of low and medium-priced category products that takes almost 90% of the cosmetic market in volume (Sanju et al. 4).
Moreover, there is increased demand for cosmetics in the urban population due to their better buying power, the changing culture, concern for looking better, availability of a wide range of products, and developed advertising technology. The consumption of cosmetics has increased and this has led to increased production, importation, and distribution. There has been substantial growth in the cosmetic industry with the united stated leading in production and market followed by Japan, Germany, Italy, and France (Sanju et al. 9).
The enormous cosmetic consumption in the world is worth raising some safety, health, environmental, and economic concerns over the products in the global product consumer.
Many people spend less time pondering about the material they often rub in to their skin pores, smear on their faces, brush onto their eyebrows and so no. The naked reality is that these products are chemicals that, like many others, can cause great harm under some circumstances.
The ingredients that are used to make cosmetics are deemed to pass quality tests and official regulations to ensure that synthetic ingredients are not included. Even though these regulations exist most cosmetic products containing harmful materials infiltrate into the market. The companies that make these products continue to mislead the consumer by claiming that their products are made up of natural ingredients that are green and organic. Many activist groups have stepped up a campaign for safe cosmetics free from toxic materials especially those derived from petroleum products, sodium Laurel and Parabens.
Some cosmetics contain chemicals with strong effects on human health for example Phthalates, Acrylamide, Formaldehyde, and ethylene oxide that are present in most of the cosmetics. The immune systems recognize these substances as harmful, dangerous, and foreign and create allergies for them. There are face creams that cause vomiting and lack of sleep (Reed 3). As far as beauty means good health some cosmetics aimed at this are just harmful to the beauty and health of consumers and only benefit the manufacturer who gains by having huge returns at the end of the day. The fact is that there are innocent consumers who have health problems but are not aware of the cause of their health problems.
Cosmetics have negative health effects ranging from skin irritations, dermatitis like the ones caused by Parabens and allergies (Lewis 1). Synthetic fragrances used in cosmetics cause allergies and this goes into costing consumers heavily in terms of health and money. Cosmetics are meant to enhance one’s appearance are very influential consumer products. Companies use young models to advertise these products and are also packaged in a way that is very appealing to the consumer so that avoiding them is difficult. These advertisements which use young models also raise social concerns that regard younger and younger beautification. This alters the young generation’s lifestyle so that life is associated with look at the expense of one’s health.
Another social controversy is raised by the concern for another person’s health. There are people like Hindu who burn incense sticks in their Pooja and temples and although no much serious health issue is linked to these sticks, there are people who are allergic to such fragrances. Using these fragrances means that one is violating some social concern for those who are affected by the substances. Cosmetics of this type also are known to affect small children and sick people.
Whatever cosmetics are smeared in the skin is assumed to be absorbed into the body but discarded cosmetics must get into the environment. Cosmetic remains and packaging materials and thrown into the drain and landfills in millions every day. These products are mostly packaged in plastic, glass, polythene, and metallic containers that pollute the environment. The companies that make the cosmetic have no concern for the environment and do not utilize environmentally friendly biodegradable materials. Another concern is that the companies use animals in their trails in a way that violates animal rights. Some brands of nail polish for example was recently found to contain Dibutyphthalate, a chemical that is known to cause animal cancer. Using them on animals therefore exposes them to the danger of contracting cancer. There other cosmetics that contain toxin likes mercury, lead acetate, toluene, coal tar, and petroleum distillates that are highly harmful to the environment. Cosmetics are consumed on a large scale and their chemical composition, therefore, poses a great threat to environmental elements like soil, plants, and animals.
The production of cosmetics can neither be safe for those involved in the process either. There have been many companies that are small scale that may not be highly regulated. The coming up of the product involves the mixing of chemicals whose scent can be harmful to the person involved. Cosmetic companies if not well supervised to comply with health standards can violate human rights by exposing their employees to unhealthy conditions.
The economic gain for cosmetics therefore goes towards the producers and the satisfaction going to the consumer may be costly in terms of health issues (Reed 4). The perfume I bought in Mexico for instance, as far as it may be appealing to me and my friends may come with its negative effects, at last, should it contain poisonous substances. As much as there are cosmetics in the market that do not meet consumer safety, there can be a possibility of corruption within the industry quality regulators. There are laws concerning education for personnel, labeling, laboratory controls, and production. Most cosmetics companies violate these laws and the results are seen in the health issues that are associated with their products (Pallingston 12). That is why there is a proliferation of adulterated and misbranded cosmetic products in the global market.
In conclusion, cosmetics have taken the young generation captive as well as the aging generation that increasingly use the products to maintain young looks. The choice of cosmetics however is mostly influenced by the advertisements, misleading information, and romanticized effects by the producers. Worse still is that these products go with fashion and are very expensive for the consumer in terms of side effects. Just like any other consumer product the real issue in cosmetics is not consumption and the satisfaction derived but their pattern and effects on humanity. This calls for careful selection when one is buying and using a cosmetic product.
Works Cited
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Pallingston, Jessica. Lipstick: A Celebration of the World’s Favorite Cosmetic. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998. Print.
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The cosmetic industry in Australia is characterized by high volumes of sales. It is estimated that the industry records an average of five billion Australian dollars every year. This industry exports many of the cosmetic products to various countries, and it is estimated that the exports earned from this industry are nearly $400 Australian dollars each year.
The market earnings from the Australian population are also high with every individual spending on cosmetic products. The industry exhibits continuous growth characterized by numerous market opportunities. Among the major cosmetic products are hair care products where the Pantene shampoo is a leading product. This product is credited as a bestselling hair care brand and the market in Australia is made up of a variety of Pantene shampoo products.
Like any other Australian cosmetic product, the Pantene shampoo is highly credited because of the clean and green reputation. This shampoo has been shown to cleanse thoroughly and at the same time provide a lasting lustrous shine on the hair. It has also been credited for providing a nice moisturizing effect on the scalp.
The major international markets for the cosmetic products from Australia are: China, USA, New Zealand, Japan, India, South Korea, and Singapore. However, the contribution of the local market is relatively high. Reports from the Bureau of statistics in Australia indicate that every household in Australia spends nearly millions of dollars on cosmetics (Australian Center for Retail Studies 1-7).
The cosmetic industry is dominated by various stakeholders whose entry into the Australian market is highly driven by the high ready market for cosmetic products.
The rapid emergence of new entrants into the Australian cosmetic industry depicts the ease of entry into this market. Other than Pantene shampoo, which is manufactured and marketed by Procter & Gamble, new entrants into the cosmetic industry in Australia include Jurlique, Red Earth, Priceline, and Lush. The existing barrier to the entry of new operators in this industry is associated to the structure of ownership in this industry (Australian Center for Retail Studies 1-7).
The existence of franchises in the ownership of this industry has been shown to be a key characteristic of the type of industry ownership. The amount of capital investment for the successful operation of a cosmetics firm in Australia is relatively costly. This possibly shields existing operators from the threat of other new entrants.
The implicated costs are related to advertising and the payment of royalty fees. Besides generating large volumes of revenue, the cosmetic industry is also credited for creating numerous job opportunities. For instance, the marketing of Pantene shampoo in Australia is conducted by various agencies that have also incorporated numerous retail outlets to handle the product distribution. The figures below illustrate the cosmetic industry statistics in Australia.
Major competitors on the Australian Market
The market share of the Pantene shampoo in Australia is relatively large compared to a majority of rival products. This is despite that the cosmetic industry in Australia is very competitive. The main traded cosmetic products are from L’ Oreal with a 34% market share. Other major stakeholders include Johnson & Johnson with a market share of 33%.
Pantene shampoo marketed by Procter & Gamble falls under personal washes and bath additives, which are rated at five percent of the market share of cosmetic products. On average, Procter & Gamble enjoys a good share of the market, and it is ranked in the seventh position among the best cosmetic companies in Australia. The hair care market in which Pantene shampoo belongs is ranked in the 26th position with regard to consumer expenditure.
The marketability of this product is highly driven by the efficiency of advertising strategies (Nielsen Ad News 1-8). As depicted in the figure below, Procter & Gamble has invested heavily in the advertising of its products via the use of various approaches. This indicates that the marketability of Pantene shampoo is relatively high and consumers have a wide recognition of this product.
The marketing strategy for Pantene shampoo is based on the hypothesized observation that a majority of users of this product, especially women highly appreciate the essence of healthy hair. Because many women believe that their hair is bound to be damaged following exposure to different products, Procter & Gamble was motivated to introduce Pantene shampoo on the market with the hope of addressing the various challenges to the hair and scalp among women.
The use of advertising in the promotion of the marketability of this product is a strategy that Procter & Gamble has effectively developed across Australia and the rest of the international market. The main challenge to the marketing of this product has been the relevance of the marketing slogan “hair so healthy it shines”. Procter & Gamble has been examining various strategies geared at improving the relevance of this slogan on the Australian market.
Challenges on the Australian market
The main challenge in the marketability of hair products in the Australian market is the ability of a product to exhibit superior quality compared to its substitutes. This is related to the nature of women who are the main consumers of these products. A majority of women are very skeptical with the emergence of new products on a market. Because of the benefits depicted in most adverts, women are highly lured into purchasing products that may likely not provide any of the benefits indicated in the adverts.
Marketing Pantene shampoo in Australia mainly focuses on the health of hair. Using the later as its brand equity, Pantene shampoo has used various beauty queens to promote the market acceptance of its products. However, because of the competitive nature of the Australian market, a majority of rival companies in the hair care industry are also adopting the use of similar strategies.
The existence of an ample political climate in Australia is an added advantage for investment, which implies that the available market share is eyed by numerous entrants. This is a challenge to existing operators but an opportunity for consumers who expect a wide variety of products with the entry of more operators. Existing operators like Procter &Gamble are constantly changing their strategies to overcome the emerging challenges.
For instance, Pantene shampoo in Australia has shifted toward the promotion of a treatment product called the three minute miracle. The launch of this product in the Australian market has greatly enhanced the market share for Pantene shampoo. The treatment product is very small, but it has offered the largest market segment for Pantene shampoo as a brand in Australia. This is related to the value attached to treatment and shampoo among women (ADAsia 1).
Because the use of the treatment, which goes hand-in-hand with the shampoo results into visible difference in the appearance of the hair, Pantene shampoo is highly purchased in Australia. The use of this new product to promote the marketability of the shampoo equally has been enhanced by the performance slogan that it came with. The use of the three minute miracle is believed to repair hair damage that may have occurred for over three months in three minutes.
This is an indication considered unbelievable among many of the product users. At the launch of this product, the main challenge on the Australian market was how to address the believability of the consumers in the performance slogan. However, through the use of global agencies, it was possible to design and launch a campaign that effectively promoted sale of the new product and a variety of Pantene shampoo products (ADAsia 1).
The launch of the new product on the Australian market occurred at the time of the financial crisis, which saw the emergence of various price wars and competition from rival products. However, the total sales for Pantene shampoo continued to rise across the Australian market.
The brand recognition and general acceptance in other markets also increased with the introduction of the new treatment on the market. The launch of the new treatment is highly credited for resulting into the highest volume of sales for Pantene shampoo range of hair care products. In Australia, the launch of the new treatment is believed to have shifted the marketability of Pantene shampoo hair care products to the first position in market share.
Key Market Targets
Understanding the emerging trends in the marketability of cosmetic products in Australia is vital for the survival of Pantene shampoo on the Australian market. The cosmetic industry in this region is very dynamic and at the same time rapidly evolving (IBISWorld 1). The marketability of any cosmetic product is highly defined by the brand recognition, the innovativeness, and product promotion strategies. Pantene shampoo is highly distinct on the Australian market, especially following the introduction of the new treatment product.
The marketability of this product is also highly enhanced through the use of strong advertising strategies designed with the help of various product promotion agencies. At the retail market, the main competitors range from pharmacies, supermarkets, and salons. The market share of cosmetic products at the retail market was estimated at $13, 400 million Australian dollars in 2009 and nearly$ 14 million dollars at the end of 2010.
The marketability of Pantene shampoo highly depends on the use of retail distribution channels, such as pharmacies, supermarkets, and department stores. The existence of numerous retail outlets on the Australian market intensifies the level of competition among product manufacturers (IBISWorld 1).
However, at the retail level, there is a very stiff competition among departmental stores and most of these stores trade large volumes of Pantene shampoos. The use of retail outlets in the distribution of Pantene shampoo is an added advantage for Procter & Gamble because it tends to reduce liability for the company.
Because of stiff competition, Procter & Gamble has also incorporated various online stores to increase the marketability of its range of products. The EmporiumOnNet.com.au is a major online shopping mall where a variety of Pantene shampoo can be purchased. The shift toward the use of online marketing has seen consumers in Australia purchasing more products and at the same time increasing their knowledge of the large variety of Pantene shampoo.
The Australian cosmetic industry is highly dominated by retail driven competition in an effort to attain the largest market share (Perry 1-3). For instance, many supermarkets are increasing their space to accommodate more cosmetic products and this adds on as an opportunity for Procter & Gamble.
This is because of the value attached to Pantene shampoo and the treatment. The alarming increase in retail competition has been influenced by a drop in legislative controls related to the trade of cosmetic products. Because the government of Australian values fair trade and the use of clean and safe ingredients, Procter& Gamble has an added advantage because of its clean and green reputation.
The marketability of Pantene shampoo and other cosmetic products in the Australian market is also highly influenced by the emerging consumer trends. The rapid changes in consumer trends on this market have resulted into changes in preferences. In particular, the Australian population is undergoing rapid aging and the demand for anti-aging products has highly increased.
As opposed to the recent past where the main consumers of cosmetic products were women, the current Australian market is made up of a large percentage of men in pursuit for various grooming products. A shift toward the launch of male specific varieties in Pantene shampoos is expected to increase the market share (Elliot et al. 10).
Because of the high value attached to the use of clean and green products in Australia, changes in product ingredients have a significant impact on the marketability of products in Australia. Procter & Gamble seems to effectively understand the emerging trends in the consumer behaviour on the Australian market, especially the value attached to celebrities and the use of clean and green ingredients (Australian Center for Retail Studies 1-10).
This explains why a majority of its adverts are designed with various celebrities in mind. In addition, the Australian market is characterized by changes in shopping behaviour. Many retail outlets are under intense pressure to provide consumers with product convenience, which explains why Pantene shampoo highly relies on the treatment product to promote the rest of its products.
The entire cosmetic industry in Australia is characterized by various opportunities and challenges. The major challenges to existing operators in this industry include the looming financial crisis, the high cost of petrol, the ageing Australian population, and the high level of competition. The major opportunities in this industry include the availability of a ready market for cosmetic products and the existence of an ample political climate for investment.
In addition, the rapid ageing of the population equally adds on as an opportunity for stakeholders in the cosmetic industry. This is because anti-ageing products and cosmetic products that conceal signs of aging, such as hair products that conceal the appearance of grey hair cannot be ignored.
The existence of these challenges and opportunities on this market present various implications for manufacturers and retailers of cosmetic products. However, to survive in such a market, manufacturers, and retailers of cosmetic products will need to critically examine the emerging trends in the Australian market. This will enable them to devise effective mechanisms of meeting the changing consumer trends and at the same time enhance their ability to retain consumer loyalty.
Works Cited
ADAsia. Pantene: Making Miracles Happen. Adasiaonline. 2009. Web.
Australian Center for Retail Studies. “Australian Health and Beauty Report.” ACRS Secondary Research Report. 2009: 1-10. Print.
Elliot, Marketing – Greg, Sharyn Rundle-Thiele and David Waller. Marketing. 2nd ed. Milton Qld: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.
IBISWorld. Cosmetic and Toiletry Retailing in Australia: Market Research Report. Ibisworld. 2012. Web.
Nielsen Ad News. “Australia’s Top Advertisers.” Special Report. 2009:1-8. Print.
Perry, Johns. A Cosmetic Industry Overview for Cosmetic Chemists. Chemistscorner. 2012. Web.
Despite an amazing increase in the number of products that are supposedly organic but which, actually, contain synthetic components, consumers of organic products are increasingly using these products.
This has made brand owners of inorganic products face insurmountable challenges in marketing these products since their products are competing with products whose prices can be comfortably lowered without their owners making losses. This paper uses the theories of consumer behavior to explain the reason behind the popularity of organic products among consumers and proposes the strategies that marketers can employ to reach more consumers.
European cosmetic facts
The distribution of natural and organic cosmetic and their demand in Europe have steered an exponential increase in the volumes of natural and organic cosmetic sales. Cosmetic companies are realizing doubled revenues after every year courtesy of natural and organic cosmetic sales.
This turn can be associated to the consumer preference shift in the cosmetic industry. Previously, organic cosmetics were demanded by people with abnormalities like rashes and irritation of the skin. However, with time, the consumers of cosmetic products realized that organic cosmetics had low levels of substances that may be harmful to the human body and the functionality that is characteristic of natural ingredients in organic cosmetics.
This has been the reason behind the overnight shift toward consumption of organic cosmetics (Folkes, 2004, p. 11). Another reason for the same is the superiority of the quality of organic cosmetic products from certain companies. An example of a brand of superior quality is Aveda.
Despite the high growth of the organic cosmetic market in Europe, individual businesses are not getting the best out of the prevailing growth. This is because individual businesses get a low share of the cumulative sales in the continent. German and France enjoy a comparatively large part of the market. This is due to the relatively good distribution channels in Germany and public awareness of the dangers of consuming synthetic products made possible by the media in France.
The aforementioned characteristic low share of organic cosmetic sales enjoyed by individual retailers in Europe has necessitated a revolution to the approaches used by these retailers to market their products (Bosmans, 2006, p. 37). The following paragraphs analyze the reasons for the popularity of organic cosmetic products in European markets based on the theories of consumer behavior.
Understanding cosmetic-consumer behavior
A proper mastery of the dynamics of consumer behavior is very crucial in the development of strategies for effective marketing. Traditionally, owners of cosmetic brands have always had a good understanding of the habits of consumers. These habits were based on a number of parameters which include income, gender, age and income.
Such knowledge was very instrumental in aiding them to establish efficient and definite strategies for attracting consumers of their products (Desmond, 2003, p. 17). Since the cosmetic market is popularly known for its virtual rigidity even during economic recessions, it is apparent that marketing strategies were central to the success of these brand owners.
After the global recession that began in 2008, the cosmetic industry was slightly impacted by the crisis. It was the introduction of another economic factor that made the economic recession have the impact it had on the cosmetic industry, specifically the organic cosmetic industry.
This factor was the increment of the public awareness of consumers about the dangers of synthetic cosmetics. A survey conducted to study the impact that the recession had on the cosmetic industry showed that, during the recession, a significant number of private brands emerged. The number of such brands was increased by the fact that people were migrating from other industries to the cosmetic industry since it was the least affected by the recession.
This was due to the fact that even in difficult economic times, everyone likes to spend on small things that help in making their lives more interesting. People are usually interested in goods that increase their well being, pleasure, health and the like. This was the reason for the virtual rigidity of the cosmetic industry during recession and the rapid growth of the organic cosmetic industry during and after the recession since organic cosmetic products are normally associated with increased well being and health.
The discussed virtual rigidity of the cosmetic industry together with the resultant increase in the number of individuals developing personal brands also led to more public awareness about the benefits of using organic cosmetic products and why people should avoid using synthetic cosmetic products (Osselaer, and Alba, 2000, p. 11). This is one of the reasons why the organic cosmetic market has been on the rise in the last couple of years.
As stated above, there was an increase in the awareness of the dangers facing the usage of synthetic products in Europe during and after recession. This led to a massive shift of customer preference from the use of synthetic cosmetic to the use of organic cosmetics. After the recession, the impact of the shift was most felt with an exponential rise in the total sales of organic cosmetics in Europe.
Besides the aforementioned dangers of the synthetic products on the bodies of the consumers, the products also have a significant contribution to environmental degradation. It is indubitable that people are becoming more eco-aware with time. This makes people be very selective on what they spend their money on by considering the effects that the products have on the environment (Percy, 2004, p. 421).
Thus the integration of environmental concerns with health and budgetary considerations has made a number of consumers be dedicated to using organic cosmetics. In a nutshell environmental awareness has been one of the major influences of customer behavior in the cosmetics industry.
Consumers are spending their money on cosmetic products that have minimal or no effects on the environment which is one of the reasons why organic cosmetic products are gaining increased popularity among consumers of cosmetic products. This obviously translates to more organic cosmetics being bought by consumers and, therefore, it explains why organic-cosmetic sales have been increasing in the last couple of years.
Another reason for the increased popularity of organic products is the benefits associable with the use of specific organic products. An example of such organic products is the organic makeup that is common in the contemporary cosmetic markets. The makeup is available in a wide range of tastes differentiated in terms of colors and textures. These enable customers to produce attractive effects after using the products and also soothe their skin with the natural ingredients contained in the makeup.
Organic makeup prices are highly variable and they accommodate virtually all budgets (Braun, 1999, p. 329). This makes the makeup accessible to a large number of consumers and hence its popularity. Organic makeup, like the other organic cosmetics, does not affect the skin negatively. This gives consumers the chance to try new products without worrying about irritations or allergies. This is one of the reasons why organic cosmetic products are realizing more sales.
To explain this, it is very easy to make an informed transition from using synthetic products to using organic cosmetic products. This is because the consumer will just buy the organic cosmetic product that he/she is interested in and try it out without worrying about negative effects on the skin/body of the consumer.
This has, therefore, facilitated numerous transitions from using synthetic cosmetic products to the consumption of organic cosmetic products. In fact, organic makeup is recommended by dermatologists to people with skin allergies and/or generally sensitive skin.
It contains multifunctional ingredients that benefit the skin in different appealing ways like helping in curing allergies, moistening the skin, softening the skin etc (Percy, 2004, p. 425). This is just one of the organic products and the benefits it has which can explain its popularity. Other organic cosmetic products are equally beneficial and this is why the organic cosmetic industry is growing fast in Europe.
The aforementioned limited market share of every individual brand owner in the cosmetic market is a major problem in the cosmetic industry. Brand owners have resulted in using brand differentiation and marketing campaigns to win a better share of the cosmetic market (Blythman, 2005, p. 16).
The competition is very stiff and thus there is need for the formulation of strategies that are capable of achieving good results. Individual brand owners and companies have therefore employed different strategies in a bid to woo more consumers of organic cosmetic products to their stores.
A number of strategies have also been used to change the preferences of the users of synthetic cosmetic products and make them users of organic cosmetic products in order to increase the total market share of organic cosmetic products and consequently increase the market share of individual brand owners and that of individual companies (Belk, Wallendorf and Arnold, 1988, p. 61 – 89).
These efforts have however faced major setbacks caused by a variety of factors in the cosmetic market. Let us have a look at the challenges that these brand owners and companies face in marketing organic cosmetic products.
Challenges faced in marketing organic cosmetics
The cosmetic industry is faced by a myriad of problems that make the marketing of organic cosmetic products a challenging task. Most of these problems are related to the difficulty associable with the identification of genuine organic cosmetic products by consumers (Blackwell, 2006, p. 37).
Since genuine organic cosmetic products have won unequalled consumer preference, brand owners and producers of cosmetic products are misleading the market by using fake descriptions of their products as being organic. They do this in a bid to make consumers of cosmetic products to be attracted to their products so that they can get a reasonable share of the cosmetic market.
It is sad that these tricks used by some producers of cosmetic products have got a good number of consumers of genuine organic cosmetic products fooled (Pincus, 2004, p. 380). This has led to a great difficulty in the marketing of genuine organic cosmetic products since they compete with other “organic” cosmetic products which can easily be offered at low prices. This is one of the reasons why brand owners of cosmetic products are getting an increasingly limited market share of the total cosmetic market.
Due to the above stated fact, consumers of organic cosmetic products are advised to be more selective on the products they buy form cosmetic stores. This will help to make manufacturers of such fake products grow some ethical values and it could lead to a more transparent cosmetic market.
Users and producers of genuine organic cosmetic products are also advocating for the introduction of an effective regulatory body in the cosmetic market to be checking the authenticity of products claimed to be purely organic by their producers (Maclnnis, Moorman, and Jaworsky, 1991, p. 151).
Another challenge that the cosmetic industry is facing is the lack of adequate regulations and lack of harmony in the European organic cosmetic market. The market has stayed for a very long time without sufficient EU regulations. As stated earlier, the result of this is the competition of genuine organic products with some cosmetic products which are considered natural/organic because they have a small proportion of organic ingredients.
This is regardless of the fact that such products are mainly composed of synthetic substances. The stated fact has led to the aforementioned slight decline in the demand of genuine organic cosmetic products which are the most demanded of all cosmetic products due to their health benefits and the increased public awareness of the dangers of synthetic products in Europe (Muehling, and Sprott, 2004, p. 29).
Strategies for marketing organic cosmetics
The fact that the organic cosmetic industry is booming in Europe has made a good number of brand owners of organic cosmetic products seek to reap the benefits of the boom. This has led to a lot of marketing strategies being adopted by these people and companies in order to give their products a competitive edge. The following is a discussion of some suggestions of marketing
Marketers of organic cosmetic products have a variety of choices for the marketing of their products. One of the strategies that these marketers can employ is the emphasis of the quality of organic cosmetic products in their campaigns. The marketers can use the variety of benefits that are associable with the quality of organic cosmetic products like the ability of consumers to try new organic cosmetic products without being worried about the effects they may have on their bodies (Kotler et al., 2005, p. 15).
Marketers can therefore be carrying free samples during their campaigns in order to cultivate interests to prospective consumers of organic cosmetic products. This will definitely yield good results since the first-hand interaction of a prospective consumer of organic cosmetic products with the products will definitely achieve a significant level of trust in the consumer.
This will make more and more consumers join the organic cosmetic products consuming community and even make some of the consumers using other organic cosmetic products to change to using the goods being sold by the marketer (Evans et al., 2006, p. 41).
Another strategy that can be used by marketers of organic to win a better cumulative proportion of the organic cosmetic consumers is by advocating for the formation of better regulating bodies to ensure that every product that is labeled organic is essentially organic. The regulating body should set strict rules on the labeling of products as being organic and it should be able to identify products which are not organic but are said to be organic by their producers.
The regulating body should also be able to impose tough penalties on defaulters of its laws in order to force compliance by producers who are used to deceiving consumers. This way the competition of authentic organic cosmetic products with false organic cosmetic products will be reduced and thus the authentic organic cosmetic products will have a better share of the cosmetic market (Perlman, 2009, p. 27). This will, in turn, increase the share of the market enjoyed by each individual brand owner of authentic organic cosmetic products.
Producers and brand owners of organic cosmetic products should also make sure that they adequately differentiate their products. This is because counterfeit organic cosmetic products are normally designed to be similar to authentic organic cosmetic products in appearance but they are inferior in quality.
Thus an approach aimed at differentiating authentic organic products and stressing the differences in of authentic and counterfeit organic products in marketing campaigns will indubitably work for the best of the organic cosmetic market.
It will enable these consumers to correctly identify genuine organic cosmetic products and therefore the competition posed by synthetic cosmetic products in the organic cosmetic market will be significantly reduced (Belk, 1985, p. 271). This will lead to an increase in the market share enjoyed by individual organic cosmetic companies and individual brand owners of organic cosmetic products.
The producers of genuine organic cosmetic products can also organize a campaign aimed at creating more public awareness on the dangers of synthetic products. Since there are many dangers associated with the consumption of synthetic products, this will lead to more people switching from using synthetic cosmetic products to using organic cosmetic products (Solomon et al., 2004, p. 24). They can also use this opportunity to market their organic cosmetic products which will lead t more customers demanding their products.
This is because, more and more people are becoming selective on the products they use in order to mitigate the effects that their lifestyle may have on their health (Braun-LaTour, et al., 2004, p. 17). Therefore, since, the use of synthetic products poses a threat to the health of consumers, public education on the dangers of using these products will automatically lead to more demand of organic cosmetic products.
The producers and brand owners of organic cosmetic products can also utilize the internet which has become the contemporary marketing tool. A lot of consumers of cosmetic products and other products are increasingly using the internet to obtain information related to the products they are interested in (Braun, 1999, p. 329).
The internet is thus a potential marketing tool for organic cosmetic products. It can be used to educate consumers of cosmetic products on the aforementioned dangers associated with the use of synthetic cosmetic products and products that are just marked as organic but which are essentially synthetic (Peck, and Wiggins, 2006, p. 13).
Consumers of cosmetic products can be given clues on the identification of such products so that they do not get fooled. The internet can also be used to provide information of organic cosmetic products so that they get acquainted with the products and make informed choices. The internet can also be used to make customers aware about companies that produce organic cosmetic products and also make them make informed choices of the company of their preference.
They can also be provided with the wide range of products that organic cosmetic companies offer in order for them to perform an analytical comparison of the various brands of organic cosmetic products (Percy, 2004, p. 421). This will lead to additional customers and make companies win dedicated customers.
The strategic use of the internet will, therefore, help to increase the customer base of organic cosmetic products and also increase the individual market share of individual companies producing organic cosmetic products and that of brand owners.
Companies producing organic products and individual brand owners may also conduct gender-based campaigns aimed at securing more consumers from a certain gender. For instance, cosmetic products are mainly consumed by women. The companies and brand owners may take campaigns to women audiences in order to reach more consumers of organic cosmetic products (Goffman, 1999, p. 23).
Conclusion
Despite the challenges that the organic cosmetic market is facing, the market has experienced a significant growth in the last couple of years. This is particularly true with Europe where there has been increased awareness on the dangers of using synthetic cosmetic products. A number of other factors responsible for the shift in consumer preference from synthetic cosmetic products to organic cosmetic products have been discussed in the paper.
Generally, the organic cosmetic market is growing in Europe but individual market shares of individual brand owners are not that rewarding. This has necessitated the adoption of various marketing strategies aimed at increasing the competitiveness of specific brands, brand owners and companies.
Several marketing strategies have been adopted in Europe without much success. Producers and brand owners of synthetic cosmetic products have increasingly used deceptive means to win good proportions of the cosmetic market. This paper has suggested a number of strategies that can be used to reduce the problem and win a better proportion of the cosmetic market to consume organic cosmetic products.
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Considering China and the skin care and cosmetic industries there in 2010, it is possible to say that this country has experienced great growth. The skin care and cosmetic industries in China are divided into male and female ones and it is possible to notice the tendency of the men’s skin care industry development increase.
The research conducted in the sphere of cosmetics and toiletries market in China by RNCOS shows that male skincare industry suffered greater growth than women’s one.
However, the general tendency was still to the height among other cosmetic facilities. Domestic China skin care cosmetics occupied the dominating place even though the international cosmetics also took its positions (Skin Care to Drive Cosmetics Industry in China 2010).
For example, French company LANCOME has occupied about 22 cities in China and leads the skin-care industry there successfully removing national manufactures. LANCOME has managed to become a China’s market leader in high‐end cosmetics.
However, there are other competitors which want to have domination in the cosmetics market of China, these are American companies (ESTEE LAUDER, CLINIQUE, SK‐II, and ELIZABETH ARDEN), Japanese (SHISEIDO), French (DIOR, CHANEL and BIOTHERM. The researchers of Chinese skincare market managed to experience 13% growth in China market and they are sure that his growth has become possible with the gene‐repair positioning (Lee 2012).
Anti-aging is one of the most popular series in skincare cosmetics. Women are afraid of looking old, therefore, they are able to pay thousands of dollars to look young and attractive. Anti-age companies managed to increase their sales on 22 % in the first quarter of 2010. At the second quarter this activity reached 53 % (Tianyu 2010). Despite the growth in cosmetics sales in 2010, the researches managed to see the reduced rates of growth.
Thus, in 2009, the nominal; growth in the sphere of the skincare industry was 16.9%, while in 2010 this growth was just 16.3%. The increased demand on the skincare products encouraged some companied to increase their prices and it has not affected the industry sales which remained at the high level (China’s cosmetics market 2010 2011).
The attractiveness of skincare industry in China cannot be overestimated as more and more people want to have a good look. Ecology, genetically modified food and other particular aspects which harmfully affect human skin are the main factors which predetermine the development and growth in the skincare industry. The growth of the harmful effect on skin encourages the growth of the skincare industry in cosmetics.
Reference List
‘China’s cosmetics market, 2010’, 2011, Li & Fung Research Centre. Web.
Lee, A 2012, ‘Lancome in China”, in Stepping Forward Strategically in China’s Markets, Alvin Lee, Wenge Fu and Jinchao Yang, 335-349, Cengage, Singapore.
