Representation Analysis

Representation and diversity in the media is how people of different races, gender, sexuality, sizes, age, religion, etc. are represented in media such as television, movies, films, commercials, and literature. 

Of the ads posted, I first must mention the fever dream which was the Axe Body Spray commercial. It features fit bikini-clad women, represented as a stampede of wild animals, running towards a skinny white dude spraying Axe all over himself, seemingly having the time of his life watching the spectacle. This portrayal is non-PC for multiple reasons. Firstly, it hyper-sexualizes women in an inappropriate context while perpetuating the same unrealistic beauty standard of women which is frequently seen in fashion magazines and social media, but more importantly it represents the stereotype how women are sex-driven beings who flock toward men. It does however appeal to their target audience, straight white men aged 18-29. I will admit the ad was pretty amusing, but the lack of proper representation was glaring and it would be surely outed nowadays (at least I hope).

On the other side, the H&M ad represented a vast sphere of diversity and representation ranging from different races and sexualities to gender and cultures. The commercial advertises recycling of clothes, showing a compilation of different types of people with different types of clothing and fashion styles, saying "In fashion there are no rules... except one: recycle your clothes." Overall, this does a very good job at appealing to all audiences while representing almost every type of person.