College advertisements are directed toward upcoming students; they are meant to appear welcoming and homey. Lenoir-Rhyne University takes a similar approach in their advertisement, published in Our State magazine. The advertisement, titled “With Sophistication, Style, and Southern Charm LRU welcomes you,” depicts well-dressed students mingling on the university’s beautiful sunny campus. This advertisement seems to have all the right details, but it may actually discourage prospective students from applying to or attending this university.

Lenoir-Rhyne flaunts the idea of having an appealing, admirable community, from their students to their studies. The ad claims that the “students at Lenoir-Rhyne University bring a sense of style as polished as our programs of study” (1). The photo shows two groups of students chatting outside on a nice clear day. Three females appear in this photo, all donned in pale blue dresses cut just above the knee and beige heel or wedge shoes. The males wear blue shirts and tan shoes. Lenoir-Rhyne hopes to promote class and sophistication by styling the students in such a fashion or manner, however; these appearances may discourage students who cannot personally relate to this ad. The sophistication of the clothes these young people are wearing invites a wealthy, haughty perspective of the school. Most college students today are looking for an easy-going, laid back environment where they can be accepted for their true personality. In fact, a lot of teenagers go to college to escape the strict, firm hand and high expectations of their parent’s households. So, while this ad may appear pleasantly intriguing to highschool students’ parents or grandparents it depicts quite the opposite of what many students are actually looking for in a college.

In further hopes of portraying a welcoming environment Lenoir-Rhyne strategically places the student models to create the idea of “a close knit community” (1). The students appear to be deep in thought and conversation with one another. However, a viewer cannot help but notice the failed attempt to portray diversity in the community. Out of the five students in the photo, four are Caucasian while the single African-American appears strategically placed in the center of the photo, as to catch the viewer’s eye. This may seem like enough diversity to a few average Caucasians, but there needs to be a lot more diversity before this advertisement can appeal to everyone. There needs to be a representation for multiple, or even better, all, races, not just two. It is truly astonishing that there are five official races and only two are pictured in this advertisement.

So, while this advertisement may seem innocently inviting at first glance, it portrays a long ingrained idea of superiority of rich and white privilege, especially in the south. The idea of “southern charm” may sound appealing to some, the south has a pernicious history toward anyone of color or of low class. This advertisement plays right along with that prejudice, thus discouraging many prospective students. The creator of this advertisement should consider including more diversity and try to appeal to people of all social statuses.

Works Cited

Lenoir-Rhyne U. Advertisement. Our State, Aug. 2015, p. 1.