Aerie Man

The video I am analyzing is “Aerie Man.” It has a lot of hidden messages which helps to suggest certain things while also trying to persuade an individual into believing the message. I will describe the text I chose, identify the rhetorical appeals, discuss the message, and also describe how the text is delivered. I chose to review this video because it shows the importance of feeling good in your own skin and simply being yourself. The video shows this visually and through the dialogue.

In the visual text, the brand Aerie transforms what the“norm”is in today’s society regarding one’s image. The Arie men are shown doing normal activities in their underwear. The men are casually hanging out in their house in a relaxed manner. The video communicates a message of self-confidence, by using a variety of different men. In doing so it employs visual elements and rhetorical appeals such as pathos. Pathos is shown by connecting to the audience in an emotional way. The variety of different men allow for more people to connect to the video. This is due to the fact that usually in ads, there are photoshopped men and women in order to make them look perfect. In the industry of modeling this is important in order to show off the piece of clothing; in this case it is underwear. However, in this video it is the complete opposite. It is just normal men. By normal, I mean individuals who are not in the best shape, their hair is not groomed, and their stomach hair is not shaven. This imagery allows for its audience to feel more confident in their own skin. They are able to see individuals who are featured in an ad, look just like them. This gives them a boost in their self esteem and makes them feel better about themselves. Also, the video creates a basic look. It shows individuals in their everyday environment. Surprisingly, compared to other ads, there is no elaborate or fancy setting and absolutely nothing edited about their appearances. Some of the men sit on ordinary couches, in a basic house, which further shows that while they are models, they do nothing out of the ordinary. This ordinary way of life though, is filled with positive vibes. This is displayed through the men’s beaming smiles, and their joy for walking their pets, and taking out the trash. It gives the audience that model’s lives do not have to be glamorous, but in fact they are normal people, who function in normal ways. Aeries chose men who are comfortable in their own skin, and who are not perfect, because they want their audience to feel that it is okay to not be perfect. That overall, is the message the video is sending. The author wants the message that one does not have to have a perfect body, in order to look good in their underwear. People look good in underwear when they feel good about themselves. It is okay to be yourself and comfortable with your own body in your own skin. That is just the beginning of the message the video sends.

The exigency is brought on by what the modeling and beauty industry usually try to show. This video though shows a different perspective. In the modeling industry one’s inner self is not shown. Their appearance and their beauty is the only part of them that matters. This ad though shows that no matter how an individual looks, they should be comfortable in their own skin because they are worth more than their appearance. As the message is being said you can also visually see it. In the video you can see how happy the actors are talking and being filmed solely in underwear. They are all smiling and express how comfortable they feel. Things like that indicate that they feel free in their own skin. In the video the men and women constantly say “the real you is sexy”. This correlates with the video because they are proving one can be comfortable in their own skin and does not to have to be photoshopped to look good wearing underwear. Why act or try to be something you are not when you can just be accepted as yourself? The real you is sexy!

Overall, the video is relaying the message to be true to yourself, and do not try to be somebody else. The Aerie men want their audience to see that creating an image that is untrue to yourself, will only leave a feeling of emptiness. It uses underwear to display this idea, but the message is much greater than the underwear itself. At this point one can see the element of pathos in works by questioning the level of comfort in his or herself. Making the viewer feel the comfort in their voices and think about him or herself is a very good way of pulling the viewer in and making them consider their feelings and thoughts. In the video one man says “if you are not confident in what you wear, it will show in your character.” With that being said, if you have to dress a certain way and go out of your character for an appearance it will show. But if one wears what they want to wear, no matter if it is socially acceptable or seen as beautiful in society’s standards, they will still be beaming with beauty. In other words, those uncomfortable with him or herself will try and act a certain way to try and reflect the image they wish they had which will eventually lead them to feeling worse about themselves.

Nowadays body image is a huge factor. In a society where beauty is held to a higher standard, men and women are left feeling less confident in their body appearances or shape. There are stereotypes that individuals want to follow because they think it will bring them more self confidence. For women this tends to be tall and thin and men are expected to be big and muscular. The objective of the video is to show that it is okay to be in your own skin. Stereotypes are unrealistic and one should not expect that fulfilling them will leave them happier. That being said, there is not a single look that is correct. Everyone is different and should be allowed to express themselves how they want.

Being confident in oneself only has positive effects to an individual’s self worth. Many people say that confidence is beauty. You should want to dress like yourself, act yourself and like Aerie men demonstrate, wear the underwear you want to wear. Individuals should aim to wear clothing that they want to wear. They shouldn’t wear clothes they don’t feel comfortable in, in order to impress others. It also promotes the idea that being content in yourself, no matter what, is more beneficial than how you look. How you feel emotionally is more beneficial than how you look on the outside. However, how you feel on the outside can have an effect on how you feel on the inside. Being insecure about one’s appearance can change how the person thinks and feels about him or herself. In a culture where people are so insecure wearing underwear this will hopefully bring their inner happiness out. One should feel good inside and outside of the body.

I find it compelling how one can really sense the positive vibes the people have in the video. Every single one of the people interviewed are happy, comfortable, and relaxed. That is a good thing. It is usually easy to see whether someone feels comfortable or not and in the video the people definitely look happy. Everyone is relaxed in the video, the music creates a smooth environment for the audience to really sense how comfortable the characters are.

The design elements and the design principles have a big effect on how the message is conveyed. They use bright colors a lot in the video to capture the audience’s attention. They also used the brightness it to portray how the mood is set in the video. It is not dark or gloomy it is bright and colorful. They also use a lot of sunlight and windows. Showing the sun can make someone feel warm and is a great technique to help set this happy and energetic mood. Additionally, the placement of the people in the frame makes a difference. The directors put the characters in the center of every part of the video trying to attract the reader’s attention to what is important, and in this text it helps the character really convey the message so centering them really shows that. The actors and actresses are the main part of the video so it is smart to place them in the center. The brightness in the room really points out that as you can see the brightness on the characters. Movement in the video is also a key technique. In the video you can see how happy the men are. At one point you can see a grown man in the tub playing with bubbles. The fact that he is happy enough to play with bubbles in a tub speaks for itself but as you see that you can visually see how comfortable he is in being himself. He says, “great style to me is when anyone is comfortable in what they wear”. Meaning as long as you feel comfortable, who cares what other may think is the “style”. You should not go for what others think is the style, but rather go for what makes you feel happy. Another thing they do in the video is show people in many different settings. Some people are outside, some inside. This is a good way to connect to a wide range or viewers. Everyone can likely connect in some form to one of the actors or actresses.

The medium is also an important factor to analyze. The medium of the advertisement is a commercial. A commercial is better than other advertisement specifically because of the visual effects. If you can visually see the message you can understand it and comprehend it more. You can also see the characters and what they are doing rather than reading it and having to develop your own image of the scene. You can see the people talking and hear what they are saying rather than reading it. It is also more entertaining. For example, if it is sports related you would want to see it visually rather than just read it. This brings much more excitement. Also, you would want to see something visually to be more entertained by it. Specifically in this text if you want to be moved by the message of just being yourself, a person would want to see other individuals showing their confidence off, rather than reading it. The length of the advertisement also helps adds a positive effect to the work. If you had single picture you would probably not get the full message they are trying to say. But, it also is not too long. If it were a lot longer people would get bored and stop watching.

Overall, this video has multiple messages being relayed, but the main message they are trying to say is that it is fine being yourself. Feeling comfortable in your own skin is better than not being yourself and trying to just fit in. By using different kinds of people and in many different locations, Aerie men can reach a larger audience, and hopefully show all viewers that while they may not look like the typical model, they are still beautiful. Everyone is unique and different and there should not be a single look that people try to achieve. You should dress based on your own desires, and be confident in yourself. These ideas bring happiness to the viewers. The mood is seen in the colors used and the bright sunlight. Additionally, the central placement of each speaker draws your attention to them and the message they are trying to send. Appealing to the sense of pathos was also very powerful. This is a sensitive topic and many do not like to think about how they view themselves but this video makes people consider that. Why should we have to all look a certain way?