Duncan Quinn 2008 Ad

This is an aggressive and sexualising image of a woman sprawled out of a car in lingerie, with a tie wrapped round her neck and a man pulling it and it was being used as advertising for a clothing suit collection. I believe this image is ethically wrong because of many reasons; including it implies that women are submissive and men are in control. It implies this by the way that the man is leading her and has taken charge. This could be compared to a man leading a dog. Therefore, comparing women to dogs. The fact that the man is dominating the woman is sexist. It is ethically wrong because in this day and age, we have a wide knowledge about sexism in our society and it is wrong to promote it in advertising.

Another reason why the image is ethically wrong is because it is sexualising women. This is also sexist, especially because women have been seen as a sex object for decades. The English language itself is considered sexist. For example, the word ‘Tart’, in the “Collins dictionary says that this is a 19th-century contraction of “sweetheart”, a term of endearment, particularly to women. From 1887, however, it is attested as meaning “a female of immoral character; a prostitute”.” (David Shariatmadari, 2016). This is the same for many words. Words that are considered as a compliment in modern society are usually derived from words that describe women as sexual objects. The word ‘tart’, is also a food, which is insulting as well because it is comparing women to edible objects. The fact that the image is representing the woman as a sexual object, degrades the women and dehumanizes her.

There is a contrast in the way the man and woman are dressed. The man is almost fully dressed, wearing what looks like expensive clothing. In comparison, the woman only has underwear on. This portrays the sexes as unequal. His clothing style is also old fashioned, as well as the car the woman is lying on. This makes him look like he is not from our time. Women had less rights in the past, compared to what they do now. It is wrong to promote these times in this way. Feminists have tried for many years to change sexism, and over time we have managed to change perceptions. People are now ashamed of how we treated women as the second-class sex. This image is very ethically wrong because it is promoting what we should hate about those times.

Finally, I wanted to point out that the woman does not look like she is enjoying it, let alone has a say in what is happening. This is wrong because society pushes advertising about always giving consent to sex hugely in this decade. This links to the fact that this advertising looks like it was produced in another time as well, when women were seen as to do whatever a man asked, even if they were not okay with it.

References:

Shariatmadari, D (2016) Eight Words To Reveal The Sexism At The Heart Of The English Language. The Guardian, 27 January

Duncan Quin (2014) About. Available from:  http://duncanquinn.com/about/ [Accessed 1 December 2017]