Jules Cheret, a French graphi artist, changed the way women are view and the role they play in advertisements. I feel as though someone was on the right track about Cheret when they dubbed him “the father of women’s liberation. Before, women were seen as either the traditional homemaker who took care of the children and kept the house running. Cheret featured women in a very positive light. He featured “self-assured, happy women who enjoyed life to the fullest,” which was a very approachable and relatable image that most women could identify with. Without even realizing it, this gave women a way of expressing themselves without saying anything. They were able to express themselves through the cloths they chose to wear, the way they positioned their bodies in the photos and the expression presented on their faces. This allowed women to be appreciated for not only the stereotypical roles they fell into, but for the natural beauty they possessed.
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| Cheret's |
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| From 1952 |
Being the Jules Cheret is from France, I decided to take one of his posters, a Moulin Rouge poster that he did and see how his original has evolved to a poster created in 1952 and a recent one from 2001. Cheret’s initial intention to use women who are happy and enjoying life is still seen throughout all three posters.The one from 1952 seems resemble Cheret’s ideas about the women he puts on his posters, happy, confident in low cut dresses dancing. The 2001 version seems to be a more modern way that shows how women are happy when they have a man to call their own.
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| From 2001 |
It is sad to say, that what Jules Cheret started in the Nineteenth century has now turned into a competitive industry that does not always portray women who are self- assured and happy. Most of the models we see now a days on the front of magazines are airbrushed to “perfection”, portraying an unrealistic image for others striving to be their best. But what is exciting is that recently different people are trying to bring things back to the way Cheret saw things. The Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty is a nationwide ad that is trying to reinstall the idea to be comfortable in your own skin.
Another example popped up in the news this week. Texas teenagers are starting their own campaign called “Redefining Beauty.” The girls have decided to go make up free each Tuesday because they are sick and tired of the way the media portrays women and instead want to celebrate natural beauty. People are starting to become fed up with the recent way women are being shown in the media and hopefully we can go back to the way Cheret did it, portraying self-assured happy women.
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