Analysis of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos in the Speeches
The speakers in “Slim hopes: Advertising & the obsession with thinness” and “Plus-size? More like my size” videos effectively use ethos, logos, and pathos to deliver the message and disclose their attitudes toward women’s weight and fashion. Ethos underlines credibility; logos refers to reasoning; pathos shares emotional appeals (Communication in the Real World, 2016).
Kilbourne mentions a lot of statistics to reveal the trustworthiness of her words (ethos), effectively uses supporting images and real-life stories (logos), and asks rhetorical questions to demonstrate her emotions about the chosen topic (pathos) (ChallengingMedia, 2006). Graham follows similar powerful methods in ethos and pathos by relying on the Dove global report and commonly applied plus-size statistics. Still, her attention to personal experience, education, and interpersonal relationships strengthens her pathos (TEDx Talks, 2015). The speakers use images and data to persuade the audience so people can see how crucial and subjective media impact was several years ago and continues to be today.
Kairos and Audience Reception: Then vs. Now
Modern viewers might respond differently to Kilbourne’s message about kairos and context because today, nicotine is no longer in fashion as it was more than 20 years ago. Kilbourne was concerned that advertisers used tobacco smoking as a way for young women to be slim, which is, in fact, unhealthy and even unethical today. With her modern voice, Graham supports the work by Kilbourne by proving that it is high time to break the standards of slimness and consider beauty not as a balance between thick and thin but as a more meaningful concept in the fashion industry and everyday life.
Personal Reaction and Reflection on Persuasiveness
Both videos play an essential role in developing the right attitudes toward fashion and human weight as a part of the body acceptance movement. There is no need to judge people according to their physical appearance, meaning their weight. Many other qualities make people great or poor, and I relate to this topic because I have many friends and relatives who still suffer from biased judgments.
Despite the difference in years, both speeches are persuasive because their message is to understand the ambiguity of the fashion industry and the reasons why it might be painful. Kilbourne’s outdated facts and images do not seriously affect my receptiveness to the image because, regarding the history, her themes and approaches were correct. Her main idea is clear, and it does not take much effort to realize that she succeeded as a speaker in the chosen context.
References
ChallengingMedia. (2006). Slim hopes: Advertising & the obsession with thinness [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Communication in the real world. (2016). Minnesota Libraries Publishing.
TEDx Talks. (2015). Plus-size? More like my size/ Ashley Graham/ TEDxBerkleeValencia [Video]. YouTube. Web.