After last Wednesday’s class discussion, I couldn’t help but think more on the topic of the Clairol girl versus the L’Oreal girl. This is such an interesting concept because the overall product, home hair-coloring, is the exact same but they focus on two different types of women. However, this is not completely noticeable after just watching a commercial of each brand. It is only after watching commercials through the decades of each do you realize how their target markets are slightly different. While Clairol focuses more on a woman’s dependence on her husband or “the man” and family (pictures with her children), the L’Oreal brand leaves the commercial to the women only. Also mentioned in all the L’Oreal advertisements is their tag line of “Because I’m Worth It!”… which I love. This solely exemplifies that these women want the best for themselves not because of their husband or to impress others but because they believe they deserve the best.
The best analogy to go with Miss Clairol compared to Miss L’Oreal is Charlotte and Samantha from Sex & the City. Charlotte is the perfect Miss Clairol in many ways. For example, Charlotte is always concerned with the man in her life, maintaining a good image, and is very naïve. This is the description of Miss Clairol, whose tag line was, “Does she or doesn’t she? Only her hairdresser knows!” Miss Clairol was concerned with her image in society but also wanted to please her husband. This was very controversial in the 1950’s but over the decades this has certainly changed. Now for the L’Oreal woman, Samantha is the perfect replica of Ilan Sprecht. She is confident, independent, and sexy, but most of all she doesn’t care what other people think as long as she is happy. L’Oreal commercials do not show any men or have men speaking about the product, unlike Clairol. These advertisements focus on the woman and her desires which is why their tag line is, “Because I’m Worth It!” So which one is your mom or grandmother or sister choosing? Is she Miss Clairol or a L’Oreal lady?
This weekend when I was talking to my mom on the phone I couldn’t help but think of this discussion in the back of my head. So I had to ask her, “Mom, do you use Clairol or L’Oreal?” Her answer, “I’ve always used Clairol since I first started coloring my hair, after I had you.” This means my mom has only been coloring her hair since she was 33 and had been married to my dad for over 10 years. This makes complete sense, my mom is very similar to Charlotte, always relying on my father and very conservative. Later that night, I called my grandmother to wish her a Happy Birthday. While I was on the phone I thought I would ask her, “Mom-Mom, what hair coloring brand do you use, Clairol or L’Oreal?” Her response, “Oh I never use anything but L’Oreal!” This explains my grandmother perfectly. She has spunk and independence and liveliness like no other 87 year old you will ever meet. If this L’Oreal lady was as vivacious in the 60’s as she is now, I can only imagine what people thought of her. She is someone who told herself while buying the L’Oreal hair coloring product, “Because I’m definitely worth it!” Luckily, I haven’t had to start coloring my hair quite yet, although I’m afraid it will be only a few more years. I still have time to decide if I will be like my mom, Miss Clairol, or my grandmother, a L’Oreal lady. As of now, I think I’m leaning towards a L’Oreal lady!
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Brooke - I obviously love that article, so I'm happy to hear that you liked it as well. That's so funny about your mother and grandmother (and neat that you thought to ask them). I enjoyed reading your post. It's a little light, in terms of content - might like to see you go a little deeper and the conversation feels a little repetitive to the conversation we had in class. Careful on the length too as this is edging on shorter than the minimum guideline. Fun to read.
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