Power and Privilege: The Written Task 2

• Chosen Question:  “Which social groups are marginalized, excluded or silenced within the text?” from the Power and Privilege section.
• Text Title: An Advertisement for Pear’s Soap from the 1920s.
• Part 2, language and mass communication.
• In this task I’ll be focusing on:   

-        The marginalization of blacks in the Pear’s advert

-        How this is supported by the imagery and theme of the advertisement

-        How the choice to marginalize this particular social group is reflective of issues at the time

The advert:

Written Task 2

Within this British advertisement for Pear’s soap from the 1920s, we see the black social group being marginalized. This is seen in a number of ways, but mainly through the stylistic characteristics of the two main images used in the text.

Firstly, the presentation of the black child as a caricature excludes people of dark skin by making them seem ‘abnormal’ compared to whites (as seen in the ‘normalcy’ of the white child). The black toddler has huge, bulging eyes and thick, red lips that are greatly exaggerated while also being visibly amazed at soap and water. The child is used for comedic effect, and because he differs the greatest from the white child in his skin colour, we see how he is being ridiculed based on his race. By disregarding his dignity, this advert objectifies the black child.

The exclusion of the black child is especially obvious due to the inclusion of a white child in the advert.  By depicting both races, the children become representative of their races – not just individual examples. As a result, the earlier mockery of the black child is even starker, as it is made to apply to everyone with dark skin by making them look savage and inadequate compared to people with light skin. The blacks are marginalized by comparison.

Another way this is seen is in the positioning of the children in relation to each other. The white toddler stands over the black toddler in his bathtub, taking the role of caretaker or teacher. This implies the white child having a greater intelligence to a black child. He is also nicely dressed, while the black toddler is naked and in the vulnerable position of taking a bath. This again emphasizes the power the whites had over the blacks.

Of course, Pear’s uses all this imagery of white being superior to black to their advantage by associating themselves with being white. The white child is the one holding the Pear’s soap, symbolizing that being ‘white’ is synonymous with cleanliness. The advert also mentions twice that Pear’s soap is ‘for the complexion’, reiterating that Pear’s makes you whiter and therefore cleaner. The choice of the Prince of Wales to give them Ethos is also very significant – since the idea of nobility is usually attached to being ‘pure-blooded’ and again makes Pear’s seem clean and pure.

The plot of the advert, where the white child cleans the black child and he emerges white and grateful at the end, also supports the marginalization of blacks. It seems almost as if the fair skinned people see themselves as being charitable, and are giving help to those ‘worse off’ because of their skin colour. The reaction of the black child suggests the white people wanted the blacks to feel grateful for what they had done for them.

The choice of this particular message of white superiority (that dark skinned people should accept help given to them) is especially significant during the 1920s. Around this time, Gandhi began preaching mass civil disobedience against the British rule in India, where the authorities sentenced him to six years in prison. This advert may have been a reflection of white opinion at the time – which held that dark skinned people should just be grateful for the rule they were under (like the baby in the ad), and stop trying to revolt.

In conclusion, the community of dark skinned people is marginalized in this advert by being insulted and made to be ‘lesser’ than fair skinned people. By emphasizing that being white is pure and being black/dark is the opposite, Pears excludes an entire social group, as they’re made into objects to represent dirt.