Venus,
Goddess of Beauty in Modern
Advertising
Research and Presentation:
Zaharopoulou Mariza
Katsarou Zinovia
Teacher: Kyriakidou E.
Venus:
Goddess of Beauty and Love
Venus was originally
the protector or
gardens and flowers
and punished people
who defied her power
by turning them into
rocks. Not a bad party
trick! She took on the
myths and qualities of
the Greek God
Aphrodite, the
goddess of fertility,
love, and beauty.
Venus:
Great source of inspiration
Her beauty is
beyond
comparison. So,
it’s no wonder that
artists all over the
world and
throughout time
have been greatly
inspired by her…
Venus: Source of Inspiration in
modern advertising,too.
Venus was later adopted
by Gillette in a clever
marketing campaign that
attempted to convince all
women that they too could
be Goddesses.
Gillette’s Venus is in fact a
shaver! Oh yes, it’s a 15cm
long, clear blue (now also
available in pink!) plastic
shaving tool with grooved
rubber ridges for easy grip.
“A disposable razor fit for a
goddess”
This plastic saver
for women claims
to help you “reveal
the woman in
you”…or even
better: the
GODDESS in you!!
Venus and DKNY Be Delicious!!
What’s the connection?
DKNY Be Delicious is a modern
feast for the senses. It is
served in a sleek metal and glass
apple bottle, this juicy
fragrance combines the scent
of apple with a sophisticated
blend of exotic flowers and
sensual woods. Many women buy
this perfume, but few of them
know that the apple-shaped
bottle is in fact inspired from
the symbol of the ancient Greek
goddess Aphrodite!!
Aphrodite has many symbols:
the pomegranates, the swan, the
dolphin and ..... the APPLE!!
Aphrodite was allegedly given
the apple (Το μήλο της Έριδος)
in a kind of beauty contest....
“Το Μήλον της Έριδος” in Modern
Advertising
Here’s the myth underlying the
apple-shaped DKNY bottle:
The immortal Zeus fell in love with
one of the daughters of the Old
Man of the Sea, Proteus. The
daughter's name was Thetis, and
it was foretold to [Zeus] that this
woman would bear a son greater
than he. Zeus remembered his
own history, how he was once the
son of Cronus and was able to
overthrow him and destroy him.
Zeus did not want to risk this
happening to him; therefore, he
bestowed the lovely Thetis upon a
mortal king named Peleus.
Everyone was invited to this great
marriage, everyone except Eris,
the goddess of strife.
Peleus and Thetis did not invite
Eris because they did not want
the goddess of strife present at
their festivities. Deeply offended,
Eris still managed to cause strife
for the wedding feasters. She cast
a golden apple down among
them, inscribed with the phrase,
"for the fairest." Immediately the
three supreme Olympian
goddesses, Athena, Hera, and
Aphrodite began to bicker over
the apple.
“Το Μήλον της Έριδος” below as a
museum exhibit.
The three goddesses eventually
appealed to Zeus to decide which
of them was the most beautiful.
However, Zeus knew that if he
were forced to choose one
woman, the other two goddesses
would make his life eternally
miserable. So Zeus, with great
cunning, took the three
goddesses to Mount Ida, near
Troy. Tending his flocks in the
fields was King Priam's son Paris
[Alexander], one of the most
beautiful mortals ever to walk the
earth. Zeus assigned Paris the
task of deciding which goddess
was the most beautiful. The three
goddesses campaigned and
lobbyed Paris; he chose
Aphrodite, after she promised to
him as his bribe the most beautiful
woman on earth.
So, what DKNY
cunningly suggests is
that if you buy this
perfume it is as if
“buying” Aphrodite’s
APPLE, the symbol of
beauty and superiority
among other women!!!
Consequently, next
time you see this
apple-shaped bottle,
please remember
Aphrodite’s myth....