Marjorie Ferguson identified four main poses on women's facial features in advertising:
Chocolate Box: the women's smile is either a full smile or half, with her lips slightly parted or together, teeth barely visible. The face should be mainly facing the camera.This communicates a mood of bland perfection - the features are flawless and yet devoid of mood or character.
Invitational: the head might be cocked to one side with an invitational look in the eyes and a closed mouth, or only a hint of a smile. This communicates enigma or mischief, and only hints of sexual contact rather than promises it.
Super-smiler: the model's face is full-on smiling at the camera, with hair possibly wind-blown, the mouth wide open and toothy. This is similar to the chocolate box except is demanding and more attention-seeking with a 'look-at-me' attitude; the hard sell.
Romantic or Sexual: a more general type which includes the viewer as a potential parter, the 'twosome', focuses on the overtly sensual or sexual, with the model typically in a position of dominance. This communicates a mood of availability from the model.
Trevor Millum also offered his opinions on female expressions, he believed they copuld be split into these categories:
Seductive: self-sufficient and confident, obtrusive hair, often blonde, with full lips parted or straight. They usually look the viewer in the eye, maybe as she looks at herself in the mirror.
Carefree: by creating an outdoor kind of look for the model, for example having long flowing hair, with a smile. This gives an atmosphere of an active or healthy feeling to the photograph.
Practical: concentrating, engaged on the business in hand, mouth closed, eyes object-directed, sometimes a slight frown; hair often short or tied back.
Comic: deliberately ridiculous, exaggerated, acting the fool, pulling faces for the benefit of a real or imaginary audience, sometimes close to a sort of archness.
Catalogue: a neutral look as of a dummy, artificial, waxlike; features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile, but the look remains vacant and empty; personality has been removed. (Millum 1975, 97-8)
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
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