Liberal Arts Symposium: Megan White

A Feminist Critique of Juicy Couture in Teen Vogue, Feb. 2007

How did you choose your topic? Was it a thesis? A project for a class?

I choose my advertisement after Sarah Worley had shown us it in my Message Analysis class. After seeing it, I had to analyze it because there was just so much going on in the ad and I couldn’t let it go. I ended up using it for Media Analysis, where I used three different approaches to analyze each part of the ad.

What was the hardest part of the project?

The hardest part of the analysis was the Aristotelian approach. I had to figure out the ethos, pathos and logos of the ad, and because there was so much going on, it was difficult to put the critique into words and to organize my argument correctly.

What was the easiest part?

The easiest part was the feminist critique because I knew a lot about it. I am also incredibly passionate about the way in which women are presented in the media. It was really easy presenting this in front of people too, because objectifying women in the media is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Who was the professor/advisor who guided you through the process? Were they helpful?

Donna Weimer is the most amazing professor in the world. She wants everyone to do well and gives everybody the opportunity to do so. She will meet with you as many times as you need to fix your paper and develop your argument. She helped me get through the Aristotelian approach and it turned out to be a good paper. Even after that, she helped me with the fantasy themes and the feminist critique.

What is the most valuable thing you’ll take away from this experience?

The most valuable thing I’ve taken from this is really looking at what women see and how we judge ourselves accordingly. Ads tell society that these women are the norm, and no one asks questions about it. I know that from now on, I will always ask questions about what I’m seeing.

Adam Stanley, ’08 Juniata online journalist