Jennifer SmithWST 3015
2/8/10
Jeannina Perez
In 2007, Dolce and Gabbana released this ad, making me wonder, what on earth were they thinking? This ad, intended to sell men’s clothing (which surprises me, since half the men are barely wearing any clothes), is so blatantly sexist, I’m not shocked the public’s reaction to the ad caused Dolce and Gabbana to pull it shortly after its release.
The only person in this ad who is portrayed as passive is the woman, who is positioned on her back, being held down. The other people in this ad are men who have all been given active positions. One of them is holding down the only woman, while the others stand around and watch. The ad, in my opinion, shows the same image someone might see if looking in on a gang rape. I find it very disturbing and question how far the women’s movement has really come, if the media finds it all right to advertise this picture in today’s society.
If a woman looks at this ad, she’ll see that the only woman in this ad is skinny, white, beautiful, and weak. “This beauty standard is backed by a multibillion-dollar beauty industry that sees women’s bodies as a series of problems in need of correction” (Kirk 208). Women, at any age, have body and self-esteem issues, and seeing ads like this one on billboards and in magazines sends them the message that this “image” of women is what they should strive for. People, mostly young girls, go to crazy lengths to achieve the “look” society finds “ideal.” From crash diets to starvation, eating disorders have woven their way into the fabric of our society (Chernik 602) all in the hope of being ‘beautiful.” Some women might start to question the way men treat them and think they should be treated as inferiors if they want a “good-looking” guy to like them.
Women aren’t the only ones who are affected by this kind of ad. If a man sees this ad or one like it, he might think he should have a toned, muscular body like the men that are shown, and that for a woman to be beautiful, she needs to look like the model in this ad. An ad like this promotes violence against women. Men have ads resembling this one around all the time and start to think it’s acceptable to treat women like the men in this ad do, overpowering and dominating.
In my opinion, this ad is a very negative representation of women. The only woman in the ad is being held down in a submissive position, while all the men around her are standing and looking down at her. The ad implies that women are the weaker sex and can be easily dominated without much of a fight. I don’t think this ad is realistic. I know that I, or any of my friends, look like the woman in this ad and that none of us feel like we are the weaker sex and should be inferior to men or any other person.
Look at the woman in this ad. She isn’t smiling at all, doesn’t seem to have any kind of expression on her face. She almost seems defeated. I don’t think anyone should ever have this expression, or lack thereof, on his or her face, in real life or in an ad. The media needs to take responsibility for what they put out in the world for people to see and society needs to start rejecting these images of women. As long as society accepts the physical and sexual abuse of women, popular culture will prefer women who resemble little girls (Chernik 601).
The only person in this ad who is portrayed as passive is the woman, who is positioned on her back, being held down. The other people in this ad are men who have all been given active positions. One of them is holding down the only woman, while the others stand around and watch. The ad, in my opinion, shows the same image someone might see if looking in on a gang rape. I find it very disturbing and question how far the women’s movement has really come, if the media finds it all right to advertise this picture in today’s society.
If a woman looks at this ad, she’ll see that the only woman in this ad is skinny, white, beautiful, and weak. “This beauty standard is backed by a multibillion-dollar beauty industry that sees women’s bodies as a series of problems in need of correction” (Kirk 208). Women, at any age, have body and self-esteem issues, and seeing ads like this one on billboards and in magazines sends them the message that this “image” of women is what they should strive for. People, mostly young girls, go to crazy lengths to achieve the “look” society finds “ideal.” From crash diets to starvation, eating disorders have woven their way into the fabric of our society (Chernik 602) all in the hope of being ‘beautiful.” Some women might start to question the way men treat them and think they should be treated as inferiors if they want a “good-looking” guy to like them.
Women aren’t the only ones who are affected by this kind of ad. If a man sees this ad or one like it, he might think he should have a toned, muscular body like the men that are shown, and that for a woman to be beautiful, she needs to look like the model in this ad. An ad like this promotes violence against women. Men have ads resembling this one around all the time and start to think it’s acceptable to treat women like the men in this ad do, overpowering and dominating.
In my opinion, this ad is a very negative representation of women. The only woman in the ad is being held down in a submissive position, while all the men around her are standing and looking down at her. The ad implies that women are the weaker sex and can be easily dominated without much of a fight. I don’t think this ad is realistic. I know that I, or any of my friends, look like the woman in this ad and that none of us feel like we are the weaker sex and should be inferior to men or any other person.
Look at the woman in this ad. She isn’t smiling at all, doesn’t seem to have any kind of expression on her face. She almost seems defeated. I don’t think anyone should ever have this expression, or lack thereof, on his or her face, in real life or in an ad. The media needs to take responsibility for what they put out in the world for people to see and society needs to start rejecting these images of women. As long as society accepts the physical and sexual abuse of women, popular culture will prefer women who resemble little girls (Chernik 601).
Citations:
Chernik, Abra Fortune. "The Body Politic." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Ed. Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 68-76. Print
Chernik, Abra Fortune. "The Body Politic." Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Ed. Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 68-76. Print
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Health.” Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Ed. Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 207-224.
Picture from:
"GWSS 3102 Fall 2008: Blog #5 Archives." UThink: Blogs at the University of Minnesota. Web. 08 Feb. 2010.
I too saw this ad when searching for my own image. I was deeply offended by the sight of the man holding the girl down in an apparent unwanted position. Like you said, It looks just like a gang rape. I absolutely love the fact that you presented the idea that the media should take responsibility for the types of ads that they promote. I completely agree that there should be some form of repercussions for institutionalizing these ridiculous beauty standards.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I find that I disagree with you is that you question the advancement of the woman's movement. The fact that we are questioning ads like this and reject them as the norm prove that we are beyond any doubt making an impact on the world.