Week 4 EOC #2: Role of Women in Contemporary Advertisements

To understand the brand Curls Unleashed you have to know their history. Namaste Laboratories L.L.C. was founded in 1996 by Gary Gardner. This company was founded to address the health-conscious, multi-cultural consumer market. They created their first line of olive oil products called Organic Root Stimulator and in 2012 they changed their name to ORS, and expanded product offering to include its first natural hair styling line, Curls Unleashed. In 2016 “#NoSterotypes Campaign Launches as an empowerment movement to encourage woman of color to embrace who they are, and share unapologetically with the world. We believe Beautiful Hair Comes in All Types. Not Sterotypes.” (http://curlsunleashed.com/).

Dating back all the way to the 60s black women have been advertised that they should perm their hair and “free themselves” from their high standing afro. The reason I believe this is a great example of women in contemporary advertisements is because it is empowering African American woman to free themselves from chemical hair products because “nature got it right the first time”. This ad was a national campaign to launch the new ORS line and spread a natural beauty image of African American women. Watch the inspiring ad below. 

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This Under Armour ad features ballet dancer Misty Copeland. She is the inspiration behind the empowerment of the advertisement. “Born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in San Pedro, California, Misty Copeland began her ballet studies at the late age of thirteen. At fifteen, she won first place in the Music Center Spotlight Awards. She studied at the San Francisco Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive on full scholarship and was declared ABT’s National Coca-Cola Scholar in 2000. Misty joined ABT’s Studio Company in September 2000, joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2001, and in August 2007 became the company’s second African American female Soloist and the first in two decades. In June 2015, Misty was promoted to principal dancer, making her the first African American woman to ever be promoted to the position in the company’s 75-year history” (http://mistycopeland.com/about/). She is an inspiration to African American girls /women from all walks of life because of her determination to break the glass ceiling. Under Armour has recently released their third season of Misty Copeland clothing. View the advertisement from 2015 below.