Introduction
The image chosen for the rhetorical analysis is a fragment of an advertisement for a cosmetic product for the hair of the American company TRESemmé. It is a collage of four separate pictures referring to the different subspecies of conditioner-straightener for shaping and caring for hair (BBC News). The audience is South Africans interested in buying such a product, and the genres of each of the parts depicted are the same, demonstrating the standard grouping for this kind of product.
Visual Composition and Rhetorical Strategies
Each of the four parts depicts a model whose face is not fully in the frame because the focus is on her hair. At the same time, each of the four images has a different type of hair, and there is a brief description of its condition, which was largely the cause of the discontent of the activists and the scandal that took place in Johannesburg in 2020. The most obvious interpretation of the image is precisely in its direct purpose – to identify a specific care product for each hair type, without racism or purposeful discrimination.
Based on the absence of extraneous details in the description of these models, it is necessary to explain the main reason that provoked the boycott of the company and the subsequent elimination of these products. The products in question depict black models for curly, dull, dry, and damaged hair (BBC News). At the same time, the products for normal, smooth, and flat hair care show the women’s skin color in the pictures as white. In addition, the purposefulness of the advertising is obvious, and racism was not the target of the creators of the products. The specific effect the designers were trying to achieve is standard for cosmetic products, and the contrast of hair, health, and condition is centralized to attract the attention of customers with similar qualities and needs.
Appeals to Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
The particular purpose of images placed on paints, shampoos, or gels is to attract attention. In this situation, Ethos concentrates on attracting attention with a bright design and highlighting the company’s name, which emphasizes its credibility and adds to the purchaseability of the product. It is especially true of manufacturers known in their niches, of which TRESemmé (Grant) is one.
Pathos, in the case of the image in question, should focus on recognition and a sympathetic effect when people concerned about the health of their hair recognize similar visual signs and are attracted to the product. Logos, conversely, is conditioned by the explanatory caption on the label, designed to explain the depicted type and intended for those who prefer to read the designations. This part of the rhetorical meaning of the image is the most direct, clear, and logical.
For a more detailed understanding of the reasons for the misinterpretation of the essence of advertising, we can give examples of other products of various companies – the models depicted have different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, but this is not what cosmetics firms demonstrate. Certainly, diversification in design formation and hiring is welcome. However, each model understands what type of hair or skin she will display and agrees when she signs the contract.
The coincidence seen in Johannesburg, which developed into protests with partial consequences in pogroms, one fire, and thefts, cannot be considered discriminatory (Grant). It is evident not only because of the common use of boilerplate advertising by the producing firm but also because of the notion of profitability. Even leaving aside a genuine commitment to ethics and rules, which not all modern corporations adhere to, a failed product and a negative reputation are of no interest to commercial organizations.
Connection to the Source Article
Thus, to deepen the analysis, it is necessary to consider the original article of the image and its point of view. Thus, by assembling four different images from different packaging and advertisements into one collage, BBC News could be considered to have committed a much more disrespectful and discriminatory act than the company that placed them on different products. Undoubtedly, in the case of such images being made available to the public in parallel and together by the production company, it could be suspected of a threat to equality and racism. Nevertheless, in the promotional article and elsewhere, these photos were not provided as comparisons but as illustrations of different hair types in different themes and products.
South Africa has a fair amount of cultural mixing, and people of different ethnic backgrounds are strongly represented. The vision of discrimination against nothing is refuted by one of the locals and journalists, Grant. He says even many of those who would find such advertising offensive “may find it difficult to explain why” (Grant).
The author also points out that the desire to straighten hair or, conversely, to make it curly and voluminous has nothing to do with a person’s nationality or skin color. The hair of one of the white models is also shown negatively, which emphasizes the independence of the model’s ethnicity and the meaninglessness of the misinterpretation of images. However, given the legacy of apartheid policies in the target market and cross-national tensions, the production company should have been more careful when approving such sketches.
Conclusion
Thus, it should be noted that the obvious interpretation of the drawings is precisely in their direct purpose – to describe the type of hair to determine a particular care product. Combined and outside of the original context, they can certainly raise several questions, but the presence of racism or discrimination cannot be confirmed. Moreover, if we look at other global brands of cosmetic products and their descriptions of specific problems to advertise their solutions, we can find many models of very different nationalities. In conclusion, these images’ original purpose was not to provoke discontent and social unrest.
Works Cited
BBC News. “TRESemmé: South African Shops Pull Products after ‘Racist’ Hair Adverts.” BBC, Web.
Grant, Terence. “What’s Wrong with the TRESemmé Advert?” The Mail & Guardian, Web.