Critical media skills can be defined as the ability to view a product as a “use” rather than a “gratification.” This distinction is of value to the female reader in order to identify advertising techniques used to coerce consumerism. The first of these techniques is hegemony. Hegemony is the means by which an elite class dominates the definition of reality causing their view of the world to be accepted by other classe

Creating a response from conditioned stimuli coincides in popular culture with the triumph of the image over the word. For this reason, the way to capture a mind is to present symbols that tap the emotions -- the levels of the unconscious that make viewers feel insecure and in need of whatever advertisers can sell. It is evident that women are more emotional than men, creating an easy way for advertisers to use these emotions as feelings of neglect and insecurity; thus if not met with a critical eye and oppositional point of view, women will to continue to feed the mouths of advertisers with the products they purchase.

The second advertisement I chose was for Skintimate Shaving Gel. The image is one of a fruit pear, and also a pair of women’s legs. Interestingly enough, the legs are bare skinned, with the women standing up on her toes. This does two things; first it draws length in the legs, and secondly it creates flexed legs, both of which add appeal to the advertisement. Furthermore, the picture of the legs end, right as the upper thighs are shown, leaving room for the imagination to take over. This is where the pear becomes prominent, creatively acting at the buttocks of the women, showing the relationship of the perfect female figure. The photomontage present is exceptional, creating a completely different image by placing the pear next to the legs. Also, the contrasting background colors, green and ivory, direct the focus to the contrast between the legs and pear. The hegemony is obvious, using sexual appeal as a means for promoting a new scent of shaving gel. The slogan of Skintimate is catchy in itself, “get skinimate with your legs,” suggesting an intimacy on its own. The print in the advertisement reads, “Quite a pear.” This is cleverly understood with three separate meanings; the first of which refers to the green fruit pear pictured in the image, the second depicting the pair of legs, while the third meaning uses the word as a metaphor correlating the legs with the pear shaving gel, suggesting the two are “quite a pair.”

Even when viewing advertising through oppositional eyes, what one must remember is the fact that advertising agencies never seem to be looking out for better good of the public, but rather advertisers, like all businesses, are looking to maximize profits. "Advertising has in its dynamics no motivation to seek the improvement of the individual or to impart qualities of social usefulness, unless conformity to material values can be so characterized” (Sterntahal 136). Consumer friendly organizations have been created

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