The American Paradox Essay Example

commercials is to project the great American culture in which every American citizen can identify with. A recent Chanel Number 5 perfume commercial, for example, provides the audience with a sense of the accomplishment of the American dream. The commercial first starts with a profound classical background music with the city as a backdrop. A beautiful woman is seen dressed in a designer grown as she rushes down the city street filled with paparazzi and their cameras.

The audience assumes that this woman has great fame which correlates to great uccess yet she seems as a lost soul. As this woman was running away, she entered into a taxi cab where she sits with a man who seems to lack any extraordinary quality. They instantly fall in what seems to be a perfect love affair. The male frees this woman by showing her the beauty of the city. This particular love affair has not last for every long for she presumably return to her high profiled lifestyle while he return to normal life.

This romantic “short movie” ends with the man’s reminisce of the women for he will always remember “her smile, her kiss and her perfume. This particular commercial has beautifully fit to meet both criteria in the paradox of the American dream. There lies a western atmosphere to this commercial. First, the setting takes place in a major city, preassembly in the city of New York.

Many Americans can relate to the city for many can identify with the chaotic commotion of the taxi cabs and other vehicles. Also, the man represents an everyday American for he reprensent the working class citizen; he

is dressed in a suite with a pair of glasses.The audience is able to identify that man as the common-folk because he supply in income in some manner which majority American has to. When viewing this commercial, Americans can have a sense of belonging for they see a certain aspect of their lifestyle in this particular advertisment.

Of course, there is a high number of Americans who are not involved in the city lifestyle for many live in suburbs and small towns. In this commercial, the city has the man familiar surrounding and it provided him with a sense of beauty in which he is able to call his own.Because his home is such a fulfillment, he is capable of sharing this with the women. As for many American citizens, their area in which they live in significant to them for it is part of who they are.

There is quiet the paradox in the particular advertisement as well. This particular commercial has fine classical music as its choice of background music that is played throughout the whole commercial. The woman character in this commercial possesses such a high level of success because the audience can definitely infer that she reached a great length of fame.The woman is a form of celebrity because the paparazzi constantly want to take her picture. With such a height of fame, it is quiet obvious that she is very successful and there lies a hint of high social status. The advertisers have reached an extreme form of social success for celebrities receive exclusive opportunities that no ordinary citizens can pursue.

The celebrity lifestyle is an exclusive one; therefore, the

advertisers of this perfume have exploited that high social class brilliantly.Overall, this commercial portrays this woman a high level of class because she has an extreme form of wealth and power; therefore, the advertisers want to classify their perfume as an extreme; this is a rare product with such a substantial amount of elegance. Advertising today is designed to sell a product to the mass media and these advertisers have used the people’s desires to establish a connection with the products and the American citizens. The contradiction in the advertisements is created because of the paradox that lies within the human psychology.As humans, we want to feel as if we are part of the community; therefore we are allowed to feel connected with that.

On the other hand, we secretly to become strive to the better than others for it is viewed as competition. As advertisers, they provided each commercial with class to sell the idea that their product will make us better than our competition. At the same time, the advertisers must make the consumers feel welcomed and at home because the consumers do not want to feel a loss of their identity when using their products. Overall, advertisements represent the American culture and the classic American upbringing.