Rare Beauty Advertisement Analysis

Elisabeth A.
VISA 1500
24 September 2020

This ad was made to promote Selena Gomez’ new cosmetics company and makeup line, “Rare Beauty.” The makeup line seems to be selling exclusively through the company’s website and in Sephora stores, where the ad was placed, and it uses Gomez’ name and face to promote the product.

Gomez’ face is the central focus, taking up the upper two thirds of the frame, tilted diagonally to lead our eyes from the brand name and down to the text at the bottom that promotes self acceptance and claims exclusive rights to selling the product. Gomez is sharply in focus while the background is blurred and cooler in colour, vaguely suggesting a beach atmosphere when paired with the warm lighting on Gomez’ face. She looks directly at the viewer and smiles as she rests her head on her hand, so it is perhaps meant to feel candid or vulnerable. What is interesting to note is that on the Rare Beauty website the same photo is used, but Gomez’ semicolon tattoo – a tattoo meant to show solidarity with people with mental health issues and struggle with suicide – is visible on her wrist; it has been cropped out for the Sephora ad.

The target audience of Sephora is largely teenage girls, so using the face of a recognizable celebrity known for being outspoken about her mental health is an effective way to sell a “socially aware” makeup line, particularly by highlighting Gomez as the founder and model. I do not like the ad, as I feel that makeup is a tool largely meant to create self consciousness in girls and young women, so no matter how much the ad claims the makeup makes you “feel good” and doesn’t “hide what makes you unique”, it still tells you that you need to be wearing makeup in order to exist in society.

The ad was hung in the glass storefront of Sephora in the mall, one on either side of the door and framed in black, which makes them impossible to miss. The store is also directly across from Claire’s and Ardene, two stores that cater specifically to tween/teenage girls, which makes it a very strategic position to sell an idea to the target audience. Sephora consistently uses this brand of advertisement; images of airbrushed women in “natural” makeup while the ad claims to encourage self-love.

Rare Beauty is a new company, and seems to be promoting itself off Gomez’ face and reputation as someone who is outspoken about mental health; it has a goal of removing the stigma surrounding discussions of mental health, which feels oxymoronic for a company trying to sell products that rely on promoting a level of anxiety and self consciousness in its consumers to continue selling its product. To its credit, Rare Beauty has made a commitment to environmental sustainability, using majority reusable and recyclable packaging for its products, which is particularly interesting when one considers the focus on single-use products in the beauty industry. (Cheng)

Works Cited

Cheng, Andrea. “This Is the Cost of Your Beauty Routine.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Jan. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/01/15/style/skin-care-sustainability-this-is-the-cost-of-your-beauty-routine.html
Accessed 23 September 2020.