You Can Shine

     The Pantene commercial I viewed in class consisting of a deaf violin player and a rival, ended with the slogan, "You Can Shine".  Our group dissected this saying and found the core reasons behind its use.  Pantene, being a shampoo product, is shown to make a person's hair shine.  The girl finishes the commercial moving violently playing the violin while her hair flies along shining.  The slogan also directly relates to the girl shining as a person.  Every person has their own way they shine, and this girl needed to break away from society.  She is criticized by others because she is deaf.  She asks a poor man who is also deaf, why she can't be like others.  She slowly realizes that she does not need to be like anybody but her own person.  By realizing her own freedom and the importance of her self, she is able to be praised and applauded at the end of the commercial.
    
     In the Pantene commercial there are other instances where shining as a theme occurs.  The protagonist meets a deaf man who plays violin as what appears to be a street performer.  He is shown with a camera circling around him to show how the entire audience watching him enjoys his performance.  It is apparent by his clothing and appearance that he is of the lower class and maybe even homeless.  He is able to teach the protagonist that despite facing hardships, you can still strive in an environment by expressing yourself.  The man is a direct opposite as the girl that bullies and makes fun of the protagonist.  Her hair is pulled up in a bun, showing she does not think freely.  This closed minded person does not see the protagonist as another person but as someone less of value because of her deafness.  In the final performance, the antagonist girl is seen playing a good piece on the piano but with little emotion.  When the protagonist plays her violin with her flare and emotions the audience is stunned and greet her with standing ovation.  The single minded piano player contrasts the man and the protagonist because of her lacking ability to shine through her feelings.

     Imagery in the Pantene commercial plays a very important role in communicating the main message.  As the protagonist progresses through the commercial she is shown shining in different ways.  While she plays music, clips of her running through fields freely are shown.  This freedom is needed for her to succeed as a musician and she is rewarded by a stunned and loving audience.  Her breaking out of a shell of self-consciousness is very similar to the butterflies that are shown with her running in the fields.  They too must break out of a cocoon and be strong to free themselves for good.  The dying of her mentor towards the end of the commercial and her ability to continuously succeed shows her total independence from even her biggest crutch.  As she out shines her rival in the final performance, she not only is then believed in by others but by herself as well, which is the most important of all.