Making skinny beauty: the impacts in the informercials of the slimming products on office ladies

• Main Authors: Hui-lin Lo, 羅惠鈴
• Other Authors: Ting-yu Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/01672880406069281662

碩士 === 南華大學 === 傳播管理學研究所 === 96 === 　　At present, the advertisement of various slimming products intend as programmercial: publishing from television shopping channel to drama-channel, and extending into the movie-channel, furthermore, buying up mass amount of broadcast time in the afternoon. Cable channels became the most convenient and available marketing for the slimming products. Through lengthen its broadcast hours, from 30 minutes to one hour, and repeatedly publish for 1 to2 hours; complete with story-telling the user’s experience, including the reason of losing weight, the process during using the slim product, and the beneficial result after losing weight, etc. 　　 　　In the past, the slimming commercial reminds us once in the blue moon; at present, body shaping and beauty show becomes one of the most frequent programs. Reminding us again and again the ideal woman build is to be skinny, skinnier, and even skinnier. These infomercials portrait the face, hands, chest, waist, buttock, and legs to be in a particular standard that is not only sliming, but body-shaping is needed as well. Being fat is portrait as lazy, an-willpower, no self-control, and socially un-acceptable. 　　 　　This research used past readers of infomercials of slimming product as subjects, from the views of female. Furthermore, using Foucault’s discipline and untameness to illustrate female’s self-consciousness fundamentals. The research chooses in-depth interview with office ladies to explore whether female’s usage of these infomercial products as voluntarily or under pressure, and combining「capitalism, materialism, commercialism, persuasion effects of media」critiques to deconstruct the desire for weight loss in the culture. 　　 　　The study show, the studied participants still have their own judgment: slimming has nothing to do with other people, things, and matters; it caused from their consciousness. However, some studied participants feel conflicted: readers lose their own judgment of commercial commodities; moreover, they don’t know they bent to society rule and judgment from males. Stereotype of occupation is the main indirect reason office lady wants to lose weight.