On December 17, my social justice group and I went to the advertising center of L’Oreal to meet with a creative director for their advertising who is also an LREI parent. Getting there was by simple, despite the snow, and the subway ride was quick. Being in the center was amazing. Martha showed us a multitude of different print ads they had put up around the walls, and gave us a quick walk through of the categories L’Oreal sold products in. She also created a sheet that showed a view different time periods in history, and how women have been portrayed throughout it. The sheet was really interesting because it showed how much the ideas of women have differed, but how many ideas have stayed the same.

Martha also talked to us about what it was like to be in a business for beauty products, but at the same time, try to keep the idea that women and girls don’t have to be like a supermodel, and don’t have to wear makeup, or try to become prettier for someone else. She talked about the phrase that L’Oreal uses in many of their ads, “because I’m worth it,” or, “because your worth it.” She said the phrase started as L’Oreal was beginning their sales, and was competing against the biggest hair product brand around, Clairol. Clairol’s ads were based on the idea that women should look good for men, and not because they just want to. When L’Oreal came out, they brought with them a new idea, that women should look good for themselves, because they deserve it. This idea was pretty out there, considering how big Clairol was, but because of the message they gave, L’Oreal started gaining the popularity of the public. This was a huge impact on our society because it showed women that at least certain parts in our  society didn’t want them to feel trapped by men, but I believe it still left the trail of the idea that women want to be beautiful, and need products to become so.

One other thing she talked about was some new lawsuits that have been coming out because ad companies have been photoshopping their models after they take the photos and videos. This leads back to the idea that although companies like L’Oreal are trying their best to promote women’s self esteem, they are still using women that are being photoshop, partly defeating the message of deserving that they are putting out.

This is a photo of a hair product from L’Oreal called Feria

Here is a link to a L’Oreal ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJZzdYeQTGk

Here is a link to the L’Oreal website: http://www.loreal.com/