Image Essay We are living in the era of image. We wake up in the morning, and we see every kinds of image until we fall asleep. Even sometimes, we see an image in our dreams too. Why is image so important in our life? Why does companies use images to advertise their products? The answer is quite easy, because image is ‘powerful’. Image creates what is called culture, and it gradually affects our opinion. Company uses people’s hidden desire. That is why we see a lot of skinny, beautiful models in ads. By showing people perfect looking models, the company attracts customers. It is like they whisper in peoples ear, saying ‘you can be just like this.’ In this LANCOME mascara ad, the company is trying to say that ‘you can change into Julia Roberts, only if you use this!’ Targeting women in teens, twenties and thirties. The ad is creating a false image of beauty. Julia Roberts, who usually can be defined by these words; white, blond, and skinny, is the model of this ad. However, just because you are a skinny, white girl who has a blond hair, does that mean you are naturally ‘beautiful’? What if you have different eye shape or skin color? Does that mean you are not beautiful? Everyone has different definition of beauty. For someone it could be something about appearance, but for someone else it could be the things that we cannot see. In this ad, they are creating an image that only skinny, white blond girl can be a beautiful woman. Unlike other advertisements, this ad didn’t use red lipstick on Julia’s lips. Most of the times company likely to use ‘sex appeal’ to sell their products, because it is human’s a basic instinct. However, in this case, they used a baby pink instead of using red lips, because using a pale color lipstick helps customers pay more attention to her eyes, not her lips. Also, her fair skin, well-shaped eyebrows, and a little bit of highlighting on her nose make her eyelashes more stand out. Moreover, LANCOME additionally advertises their other products too, such as eyebrow kit, foundation and lipstick. We all know that the ad has already been touched up but customers would think she is perfect, because she uses the mascara; which the company is exactly aiming for. Even though we all know that the only perfect thing is the picture itself. In this perfect picture, they use this text. “The most beautiful eyes have a secret.” This text has two controversial points. One is the fact that Julia Roberts has ‘the most’ beautiful eyes in the world. Who defines the most beautiful eyes? Also, is it possible for anyone to have Julia Roberts’s eyes just by changing mascara? It sounds like changing a mascara can change your whole face, too. Secondly, it is the word that they used; a ‘secret’. What is the definition of a secret? A secret is something that is kept unknown. However, the company is trying to say that ‘LAMCOME’ mascara is the ‘secret’ to have unforgettable eyes like Julia Roberts’s. They are trying to tell everyone the secret, but this is no longer a secret. Text is the combination of letters so customers can easily figure out what they are trying to say, but there are something more than text that creates a whole atmosphere of the ad. The lighting of this ad, they highlighted mascara. There is a strong lighting, right behind of the mascara. It does not look like it got spotlighted. It looks more like a clear cloud of smoke rises up. It looks like she is dreaming of this mascara. They are trying to convince that this mascara is what you have been looking for, like a fantasy. So, except Julia Roberts and mascara