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Abstract
This study examines the multi-stage advertising campaign produced by MAC Cosmetics for Viva Glam, a line of products whose entire selling price is donated to the MAC AIDS Fund. The advertisements appeared between 1994 and 2010, and featured celebrity endorsers RuPaul, k.d. lang, Lil Kim, Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Shirley Manson, Pamela Anderson, Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga. Using textual analysis, the advertisements were analyzed for how desire is generated by the codes they employ. Results of this reading indicate that while the advertisements may appear subversive, they are still contained within the dominant.