A Unique Idea

When deciding what to name our blog, we came across “Unique, Just Like Us.” I feel that this strongly states the attitude we face today as a society when we look at ads. We are surrounded by ads that display perfection, which is a common tool in selling products in recent years. In the ad that I have chosen, we see an image of a woman who may, to some, look unique. That is because she underwent plastic surgery to look “unique.” However, the surgery did not turn out right because she did not go to the doctor who helped her originally. This is not the main focus, though. After looking closely, I realized that this is an ad for Cheverolet. The ad is stating that if you do not take your vehicle to the place where it was made, your vehicle will not work properly. Everyone in society wants to be unique but do not consider the consequences before they go through an operation or a quick fix. The consequences are not talked about in the ads, as long as you are perfect and the product sells. This will be the basis of my argument.
We all want to look different, yet be treated the same. We want to be unique. People will spend thousands of dollars to create their idea of a unique look. However, it does not turn out all the time, the way you wanted. Take this recent add by Chevrolet as an example. The woman in the ad may have wanted a unique look. The ad states, “If it’s not fixed by the one who made it, it probably won’t work.” This refers to the fact that the woman had a previous procedure and went to a different doctor. Since she did not use the same doctor, as before, there was a consequence that came with her actions, as this ad represents.

It is obvious that the woman did not like the way her eyebrows, nose, and lips looked. She thought that she looked plain and wanted a unique look to make her appearance stand out. What she got in return was a unique look in general but unfortunately, people who become obsessive with plastic surgery tend to go too far. They end up looking the same as others because doctors are limited in what they can do. Since Chevrolet came up with this idea as a basis for showing what it would be like to use a different choice, even though it makes automobiles, it shows the impact plastic surgery is having on today’s society. Even an unrelated topic is using this as an example of what not do! The company was creative in coming up with this concept. It draws in the attention of the spectator through its imagery of the woman whose plastic surgery did not work out. We strive to be perfect but there are times we need to stick to the “owner’s manual” of life. In addition, they use some scare tactics to sell their products. They tell people to not do something or they will face problems.
The phenomenon of having plastic surgery and the use of unique imagery in ads is further exemplified in this ad from 2006.


This ad was produced by an ad agency in Canada named DDB Canada. They wanted to take part in the growing phenomenon of plastic surgery, while incorporating unique imagery. They thought of the unique idea of putting different facial features, such as teeth and a nose, in corresponding locations on the cup. For example, they would put the teeth on the bottom of the cup and the nose on the side of the cup. This is to give an idea what that particular person would look like with a new facial feature. However, as one might point out, this concept only works if the person is holding the cup the right way.
The same holds true with plastic surgery. If you do not take the proper steps, you will have a flaw in the end. By having the cup in your hand, you are admitting that either you have thought about surgery or you had surgery done. The cup makes that perfectly visible to the public, just like the previous ad. You may want to hide that “secret” but people will eventually figure it out.
I think this ad has a deeper meaning. Yes, the person wants to have plastic surgery but the question remains as to why. The viewers of the ad might ask themselves why the person wants to have surgery. The person in the ad might think that they are perfect, while others think differently. One would even question the mental health of the person who is holding the cup. Since they are already beautiful, why would they want plastic surgery? The answer is quite simple. We live in a society that thrives on perfection. Some people may not be able to afford the surgery, so they want to mimic the concept in any way they can, even if it means holding a cup that resembles facial features. It all has to do with how we perceive ourselves.
We tend to try to look a certain way, with the idea of perfect beauty, that we end up looking the same and not unique. Yet, there are outcomes that make a person look different but the fact that they went through with the surgery, make them the same as everyone else. People will go to great lengths to achieve perfection and others will simply buy a cup to mimic surgery. That is the way our society thinks today and the images of “perfection” will not go away and will be here for decades to come. It is how we look at these ads and respond to them that are important. Will we actually be “unique” individually or will we be “unique, just like everyone else?”


Erik Wagner
T.A. Steve Wetzel