Evolution of women’s image in perfumes communication

Advertising consists on bringing a product to the attention of potential and current customers.

In the case of fragrances communication, it always has been linked to images and today we are going to specifically study images of women in perfumes advertising.

For any type of products, women usually play a key role in advertising : illustration of the product, association with the product, story telling around the product... women are the main character ! And we can highlight a clear evolution of this character, the image of women being adapted to the contemporary time.

In the case of perfumes communication, women usually embody the perfume, telling a story about what the fragrance represents and about the woman who wears it.

It is probably for this reason that the early “stages” of women image are not represented.

Indeed with the emergence of adverts women took the role of the mother, for example in the ads of Blédine or Cadum picturing her with a baby. Later on, women were also depicted as the housewife, getting all excited to get a new Moulinex for Christmas !

Excluding the two stages above, we are going to analyse how the women’s image evolved in the perfumes communication :

• The socialite

After the World War II, perfumes are popularized and become accessible to a larger part of the population. Adverts use the theme of joy, of enjoying life after this difficult time and the adverts usually depict the woman as a socialite : ready to go out, wearing cocktail dresses and fur, the perfume is a sign of sophistication.

• The independent

With the revolution of the sixties and the seventies, women emancipate and this is showed by the appereance of the “femme fatale” who is also very independent and free in the choices she makes. An example of this evolution is the ad released in 1979 by Chanel. The beautiful Catherine Deneuve explains that “The best part of success is the independance”. Wearing perfume and choosing one is a strong choice that a woman can do for herlsef.

• The “tomboy” 
The end of the 10 first years of the 21^srt century were marked by the use of the tomboy woman in the fragrance industry. With this trend, they describe a woman with character, a strong will and independence. Women express their desires and are at ease with their femininity and personality.

• The femme fatale

Of course, the perfume industry also uses the woman for its sensuality and feminine appeal. This stage cannot really be linked to a particular period of time as it as been used and is still used today for different perfumes. Numerous adverts use the image of the femme fatale : beautiful, magnetic and also sexy, various actresses and models embody the scent of seduction.

Today, women in fragrances are a very complete character. Communication tends to get denser with the painting of a complex woman who is not only beautiful or independent but many things at a time. A really good example of this trend is the new ad campaign for N°5 of Chanel : Gisèle Bündchen is a woman, a mother, a working woman, a sporty and a lover... 

[For more information about this communication campaign, please read the article about CHANEL N°5 of Neal ! ]

Article posted by Marie Lou Van der Houwen