http://www.google.com/imgres?q=anti+drug+campaign&hl=en&biw=1241&bih=620&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=-K-EBDBNsqT_QM:&imgrefurl=http://hafizrasip.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/anti-drug-campaign-poster/&docid=9PvCtyo5zMnRvM&imgurl=http://hafizrasip.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/amber-heard-face-142.jpg&w=1279&h=1050&ei=QvedT74k4t_RAcTQ9e4O&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=111&vpy=120&dur=213&hovh=203&hovw=248&tx=142&ty=134&sig=104836339161508849930&page=1&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&start=0&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0,i:154
I found this picture very interesting and shocking. Notice the details about the girl's face. What exactly do you think this photo is trying to say. Also what about the mood of the photo and the coloring make it effective. What exactly do you think that the use of the word beauty implies/ how is the photo using this word to talk about the effects of drugs? How do you think the distortion of her face impacts the audience and how is this used to convey a message?
Prompt 6: The creator of the image seems to be claiming that drugs are ugly or can make you ugly. This idea is somewhat controversial as to the image of what beauty is. It appears in the picture that the left side of the woman's face is supposed to represent something beautiful, while the scarred, right side of her face is supposed to represent something ugly. The text to the right of the face paired with the scarred right side of the face is supposed to show that drugs caused the woman to be less beautiful. Here, they make a general statement about what beauty is, assuming more people believe it to be the flawless skin on the left. However, some people may find more beauty in the scarred side on the right. Despite this controversy, it is apparent that the author means to show how drugs can change someone for the worse, damaging not only someone's external appearance, but perhaps their internal self as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree that a lot depends on what the audience thinks is beautiful. The audience may or may not think that both side of the woman's face is beautiful which would be detrimental to the overall message of the ad.
DeleteI also do agree that the author is trying to show the harsh side effects of doing drugs. The majority of people realize that the disfigurement on the woman's face could plausibly have come from drug use. Most people, I would assume, would never want to look like that and therefore never use drugs based on the understanding of this picture.
Prompt 1) I think that the commercial tries to convey a sense of shock. Juxtaposition is a theme common in many disciplines to make something else clear. The use of this juxtaposition, of smooth skin put right next to skin that can be described as disgusting, creates a strong feeling in the reader. This, connected with the idea of drugs, causes the reader associate drugs with that feeling.
ReplyDeletePrompt 1: I think that the ad really wants to reach out to women and horrify them with the image of a beautiful woman on one half and horrific woman on the other. It wants to scare them with cosmetic fears of how the use of drugs can ruin one's appearance. The look on the woman's face also adds to that element because she does not look happy. They make the letters of "drugs" really large and completely white. The intention maybe be to hope that even if someone doesn't read what the add says, his/her eyes will catch the word "DRUGS" and the woman. I do think though that the ad isn't very strong because the horrifying side of the woman looks rather fake. It doesn't make me as scared because I wouldn't believe that it could ever get so bad that one's skin looks like a zombie or rotting corpse.
ReplyDeletePrompt 1: I agree with what people have said earlier. This ad seems to appeal mostly to women through the use of the contrast between the normal, healthy looking woman and the near zombie-like part on the other side. While the shock may be enough to keep some from using drugs, others might be put off by the exaggeration that this ad presents.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the ad is using the right side to scare people. I've seen a lot of videos where it shows people before and after using a drug for an extended period of time and how it deteriorates them along with their internal health. The left side looks normal and healthy and pretty making it seem like you will be if you don't do drugs.
ReplyDeleteI found it really interesting that Chris discussed juxtaposition to describe the effect that the add has on the viewer. Do you think that this has a stronger impact on a viewer than simply two pictures placed next to each other? Does that fact that the person in the image a woman mean that women are necessarily effected more so than men?
ReplyDelete