The Self Chapter 5

1. The Self Chapter 5

2. Perspectives on the Self • Does the Self Exist? • 1980’s called the “Me Decade” • March 7th designated “Self Day” by Self magazine • Western societies emphasize uniqueness of self. • Collective self: Eastern culture’s belief that a person’s identity is derived from his or her social group. • Mien-Tzu (face): Confucian belief that reputation is achieved through success and ostentation

3. Self-Concept • The beliefs a person holds about his/her own attributes, and how he/she evaluates these qualities • Very complex structure of attributes • Attribute dimensions: content, positivity, intensity, stability over time, and accuracy

4. Self-Esteem • Self-esteem: • Refers to the positivity of a person’s self-concept. • Social Comparison: • A process by which consumers evaluate themselves by comparing themselves with others (particularly comparisons with idealized images of people in advertising) • Self-esteem Advertising: • Attempts to change product attitudes by stimulating positive feelings about the self.

5. Discussion • Self-esteem advertising: products provide remedy to low self-esteem • Think about/locate examples of self-esteem advertising. • Evaluate the probable effectiveness of these appeals. Is it true that “flattery gets you everywhere?”

6. Real and Idealized Selves • Ideal Self: • A person’s conception of how he or she would like to be • Partially molded by elements of a consumer’s culture • Actual Self: • A person’s realistic appraisal of the qualities he or she does and does not possess • Fantasy: Bridging the Gap between the Selves: • Fantasy: A self-induced shift in consciousness • Fantasy appeals: Marketing communications aimed at individuals with a large discrepancy between their real and ideal selves

7. Fantasy Appeals

8. Multiple Selves • Role Identities: • Different components of the self • Symbolic Interactionism: • Stresses that relationships with other people play a large part in forming the self • Self-fulfilling prophecy: By acting the way we assume others expect us to act, we wind up confirming these perceptions • The Looking-Glass Self: • The process of imagining the reactions of others toward us

9. Self-Consciousness • Self-Consciousness: • A painful awareness of oneself magnified by the belief that others are intently watching. • Public Self-Consciousness: • A heightened concern about the nature of one’s public “image” • Results in more concern about the appropriateness of products and consumption activities • Self Monitoring: • Awareness of how one presents oneself in a social environment

10. The Extended Self • Extended Self: • External objects that consumers consider a part of themselves • Four Levels of the Extended Self: • (1) Individual Level: Personal possessions • (2) Family Level: Residence and furnishings • (3) Community Level: Neighborhood or town one is from • (4) Group Level: Social groups • A consumer may also feel that landmarks, monuments, or sports teams are part of the extended self.

11. Advertisements Extending the Self • This Italian ad demonstrates that our favorite products are part of the extended self.

12. Sex Roles • Sex Identity: • An important component of a consumer’s self concept • Gender Differences in Socialization: • Agentic goals (Males): Stress self assertion and mastery • Communal goals (Females): Stress affiliation and fostering of harmonious relations

13. Satirical Ad of Exploitation • This French shoe ad pokes fun at ads that demean women by proclaiming: “No woman’s body was exploited in the making of this advertisement.”

14. Sex Roles (cont.) • Gender Versus Sexual Identity: • Sex-Typed Traits: Characteristics stereotypically associated with gender • Sex-Typed Products: • Many products are sex-typed (i.e., they take on masculine or feminine attributes and are associated with gender) • Androgyny: • Refers to the possession of both masculine and feminine traits • Sex-typed people: Stereotypically masculine or feminine • Androgynous people: Mixed gender characteristics

15. Culturally Bound Sex Roles • This ad for Bijan illustrates how sex-role identities are culturally bound by contrasting the expectations of how women should appear in two different countries.

16. Sex Roles (conc.) • Female Sex Roles: • Female sex roles are still evolving • Male Sex Roles: • Masculinism: The study of the male image and the cultural meanings of masculinity • Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Consumers: • GLBT population is an attractive segment to marketers • The 1990’s saw big corporations actively court this market segment

17. STANDYOURGROUND.COM Male Sex Roles • Masculinism • Three models of masculinity: • Breadwinner • Rebel • Man-of-action hero • Misandry

18. Male Sex Roles (Cont’d) • Grooming products for men • Metrosexual • David Beckham • Queer Eye for the Straight Guy • Prosumers/urban influentials

19. Reinforcing Gender Stereotypes • This ad rebels somewhat against “political correctness” by reinforcing gender stereotypes.

20. Discussion • The “metrosexual” is a big buzzword in marketing, but is it real or just media hype? • Do you see men in your age group changing their ideas about acceptable interests for males (e.g., home design, cooking, etc.)?

21. GLBT Consumers • ~4%-8% of U.S. population • Equivalent to Asian American market • Spends $250-$350 billion a year • Simmons study: compared to heterosexual markets, readers of gay publications are more likely to… • Hold professional jobs • Own a vacation home • Own a notebook computer

22. Body Image • Body Image: • Refers to a consumer’s subjective evaluation of his or her physical self • Body Cathexis: • A person’s feelings about his or her body • Ideal of Beauty: • A particular model, or exemplar, of appearance

23. The Western Ideal • Skin color & eye shape = status, sophistication, and social desirability • Less powerful cultures adopt standards of beauty in dominant cultures • Plastic surgery to obtain… • …big round eyes, tiny waists, large breasts, blond hair, and blue eyes

24. Discussion • How prevalent is the Western ideal of beauty among your peers? • How do you see this ideal evolving now (if at all)?

25. Ideals of Beauty Over Time • Specific “looks”/ideals of beauty • Early 1800s: delicate/”looking ill” appearance, 18-inch waistline (use of corsets) • 1890s: voluptuous, lusty woman • Bad economy: mature features vs. good economy: babyish features • 1990s: “waif” look • Modern women: high heels, body waxing, eyelifts, liposuction

26. Beauty Ideals in the 1950’s • This 1951 bathing beauty exemplified an ideal of American femininity at that time.

27. Ideals of Beauty Over Time (Cont’d) • Media & marketing communicate standards of beauty • Barbie dolls: unnatural ideal of thinness • Plus-sized apparel market • Strongly masculine, muscled body for men

28. Working on the Body • Fattism: • Our society is obsessed with weight • Body Image Distortions: • Women’s ideal figure is much thinner than their actual figure • Anorexia: Starving oneself in a quest for thinness • Bulimia: Binge eating followed by purging (vomiting, laxatives, fasting, or over-exercising) • Body dysmorphic disorder: An obsession with perceived flaws in appearance

29. Unrealistic Body Shape Expectations • This ad for an online weight-loss site drives home the idea that the media often communicate unrealistic expectations about body shape.

30. Body Image Distortions • To some, body quality reflects self-worth (particularly among women) • Distorted body image is linked to eating disorders among females • Body dysmorphic disorder & males • Steroid scandals • GI Joe/Batman action figures

31. Distorted Body Image

32. Discussion Question • In this advertisement, it is insinuated that this model’s physique was achieved partially through drinking milk. (Notice that the model is so thin you can see her ribs.) • Is her physique really ideal? What kind of distorted message is this sending to young girls about body image?

33. Working on the Body (cont.) • Cosmetic Surgery: • Consumers are increasing electing to have cosmetic surgery to change a poor body image or enhance appearance. • Men are increasingly having cosmetic surgery too. • Breast Augmentation: • Our culture tends to equate breast size with sex appeal. • Some women have breast augmentation procedures because they feel larger breasts will increase their allure.

34. Body Decoration & Mutilation • Decorating the self… • Separates group members from nonmembers • Places the individual in the social organization • Provides a sense of security • Tattoos & body piercing • Historically associated with social outcasts • Now a fashion statement