Your analysis should evidence an understanding of the concept of 'othering' and also show some acknowledgement of how much the security of our own fragile subjectivities or identities depend on this process.
In response to this task I chose to look at a Du Maurier cigarettes print ad, as in one image, the ad is able to imply association with a higher social class, to go alongside the catch phrase, 'for people with a taste of something better'.
This image exudes a sense of class that comes with smoking these cigarettes and has 'othered' the people who do not live this lifestyle. In doing so it has led people to believe that smoking du Maurier cigarettes will include or associate you with high class apartments with breathtaking views and expensive sound systems.
In understanding how the concept of 'otherness' fits into this image, it is vital to first see what the image implies, so I looked at it's composition. Not only are the two companions situated in what appears to be a luxurious apartment, the cigarettes are right in the foreground, and the clearest part of the image as a result. On top of this the cigarettes emerging from the pack are suggestively pointing towards the couple and the image of a certain lifestyle that emulates around them.
By showing this lifestyle as something to strive towards, as I'm sure many average citizens would, it shows them a potential identity they could embody. The brand as a whole is representative of this identity and in associating themselves with that, so do the viewers, thinking that the consumption of this product will get them a step closer to living this lifestyle.
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