America Underclass

It is believed that there is a tension between social classes in America. Typically, people of lower classes choose to imitate those of higher social status. As a result, advertisers have a tendency to take advantage of this tension in order to profit from people of the lower and middle classes. In “The American Upper Class,” G. William Domhoff says that “exhibiting high social status… is a way of exercising power” (Domhoff p.34),” which is something important to all social classes. According to Judi Puritz Cook, author of “Consumer Culture…Sales Discourse,” advertisements in print as well as in visual media seem to create “the promise of status mobility through consumption (Cook p.373).” In the article, Puritz explains how television programs on channels such as the Home Shopping Network are examples of how the media exploits the anxiety caused by social standing.

It is believed that American people in the lower and middle classes have needs for status mobility. For example, when browsing through a fashion magazine, one can find numerous sections that are dedicated to creating ways to look like the featured model or actress for half the price. The intention of the article, in most cases, is to give others the impression that you are of high social status. In addition, advertisers often use people in the entertainment business to model their products so that the viewer may purchase the product. For example, when mimicking the purchases of hotel heiress, Paris Hilton one may believe, “If I buy this, I’ll look cool just like Paris Hilton!” The fact that this method is usually successful is a product of the anxiety felt by lower and middle class families. For those reasons, it is likely that Domhoff’s statement that the upper class “creates respect, envy, and deference in others,” is true. It seems that many of America’s lower and middle class families would like to create those same feelings of respect and envy in others.

When flipping through Vogue, a well-known high fashion magazine, one can see that almost all the advertisement scream wealth and status. The magazine’s beautiful models as well as its expensive brands are major characteristics of the famous magazine. Members of the middle class skim through the magazine thinking, “Wow, if only I could look like this!” In Gregory Mantsios’ article “Class in America,” he says, “We are, on occasion, presented with glimpses of the upper class…In the media, these presentations are designed to satisfy some real or imagined voyeuristic need of ‘the ordinary person’ (Mantsios p.34).” The women and men of the ads demonstrate such style and elegance. It seems that the models are on top of the world, which is a feeling that advertisers believe appeals to everyone.

In February’s issue of Vogue, an ad for designer Alexander McQueen’s collection at Saks Fifth Avenue shows a well-dressed woman and her pampered dog seated at a classy restaurant. The waiter seems to be pouring expensive champagne for the dog. The caption for the ad reads, “Saks loves rare breeds.” Readers see this as ad and picture themselves looking like a “rare breed” by shopping at Saks or even wearing a designer like McQueen. Obviously, the one thing preventing readers from the lower and middle classes from exhibiting the same amount of elegance as the models in the advertisements is money. Advertisers use these techniques to convince the audience that with this specific product, you can look just as good as the wealthy. In this case, the intention is to make members of all social as well as economic classes desire to be envied by others.

Another example of an advertisement that supports Domhoff’s theory that the upper class creates envy in others is an ad for Brioni, a designer brand. The picture shows a woman dressed in a tailor made gown spinning in what seems like an image of paradise. The caption on the bottom of the page reads, “To be one of a kind.” The addressees of the ad are expected to believe that the feel like “one of a kind” is close to a feeling of ecstasy. When viewing the ad one may reason that the feeling of bliss felt by the model is a result of her upscale lifestyle. A person living a middle class lifestyle would be attracted to the feelings presented by the advertiser. Mantsios supports this theory by saying, “As curiosities, the ground-level view of street life and the inside look at the rich and the famous serve as unique models,