MORE THAN JUST A PRODUCT: SEDUCTION AND SELF-IMAGE IN SCARLETT WHITENING ADVERTISEMENTS

This article employs Jean Baudrillard's theoretical approach, particularly the concepts of seduction and simulation, to examine Scarlett Whitening's advertising strategy. The objective is to understand how beauty products are constructed not merely as consumer goods, but as symbols of selfimage creation. In the contemporary context of consumption culture, personal identity is no longer shaped by essence, but rather by the signs and visual representations attached to commodities. Scarlett Whitening offers functional benefits, and the company has strategically employed narratives of lifestyle, purity, and certain beauty standards to encourage consumers to associate the products with their social existence and self-confidence. The present study employs a qualitative-descriptive approach, incorporating visual observation techniques to analyze Scarlett Whitening's digital advertising materials. The results of the analysis demonstrate that this product advertisement employs celebrity appeal, cinematic aesthetics, and symbolic narratives to construct a simulated ideal image. By employing seduction strategies, Scarlett not only markets skin whitening products, but also facilitates the sale of dreams, social recognition, and self-existence that are formed through symbolic consumption. The findings indicate that within a hyperreality society, beauty products function as constructions of meaning that exceed their material value.