THE BODY IN PORTUGUESE ADVERTISING Jorge Veríssimo, Escola Superior de Comunicação Social, Portugal Francisco Pereira, Escola Superior de Comunicação Social, Portugal ABSTRACT Our research was aimed at understanding the different types of bodies used in Portuguese ads, verifying in which way ads, by transmitting certain images of the human body, convey notions of youth, beauty and seduction, which are normally idealised as having an erotic charge, especially the female body, whose social and effective appeal are essentially of a symbolic nature. So, we studied the different body types; social marks; body expressions and postures; type of scenarios; arguments and appeals in the ads; and the social values inherent to them. INTRODUCTION Since the beginning ads have always used specific physical and body attributes that may be considered ideal, as well as positive codes such as beauty, health, richness and happiness in under to conquer new consumers. It is in this context that certain body parts, nudity and even sexuality emerge as elements that are either provoking or seductive. Their persuasive power and their strong impact on the receiver contributes to the fame of certain brands. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND The association of the ads to the brands they advertise, which are made to be persuasive, and the fact they are omnipresent in the media, legitimises the repetitive use of body images, shown up to the point that their contents and representations might became trivial due to the frequency of their repetition. This influences the receiver to adopt the behaviours he/she sees in the image (Gresy, 2002). This leads to a cycle: an individual that is looking for an “ideal” body and then is confronted with one that was published looks at that image not only as an ideal body, but also a path in the incessant search for his/her own ideal model, which leads to the consumption of the products that are advertised, many of them not directly linked to physical aspects; this can lead to dieting, ingestion of drugs and even cosmetic surgery (Meyers 1995). The individual is looking for an ideal body image. The ideal body image is associated with the building of an identity, thus having a very important role in the life of the individual, such so that it can even condition his/her relationship with others. First impressions given through physical attraction influence the way others perceive a variety of issues. The question that remains is how that individual is going to relate with his/her macro and micro environment that will inherently mark his/her self, as he/she establish personal interactions (Pereira e Veríssimo, 2005). Method Object of analysis Advertising in Portugal media (press, television and outdoors) use beauty and images of a known person/character whose body is used in an attempt to interest the general public in the