The advertisement I have chosen is for Duncan Quinn, who is seen as a high-end tailoring company. I chose to analyse this image as I found it to be the most shocking and degrading out of the two adverts. When first looking at the image you can see a well-dressed man with a smug look on his face. You can also see a woman dressed only in her lingerie lying on a car bonnet, being pulled with what looks to be a tie around her neck like a dog on a lead. I was initially disgusted by this as the woman has been portrayed as submissive under the control of the man. The way the woman is lying on the car suggests she is perhaps unconscious as her body looks limp and lacks any sort of life. The way she is positioned on the car also suggests that she has no control of her actions and is being controlled by the male. The woman wearing only her underwear creates the impression she is a sex slave and is inferior to the male who looks as if he is somewhat proud of what he is doing judging by his expression. The contrast in how the man and woman are dressed could also show how superior the male is as he is in an expensive suit which suggests money and wealth. As well as how the two are dressed, the way in which the man is standing above the woman gives the impression of class and social status and that he has the power to control the female. I the image, the three focal points are the male, female and car which creates a mysterious feel to the advertisement. The fact that the background or rest of the car is not visible makes the whole thing a lot more unsettling as it is unknown where they are and the addition of the black and white filter creates a sinister feeling for the viewer.
As Duncan Quinn is a high-end brand, you would expect their advertisements to be more sophisticated and send out a positive image as more people would see them. However, it comes across as if brands are creating more controversial ad campaigns to put them ‘squarely in the limelight, for better or worse’. Other brands such as American Apparel have also been scrutinised for their portrayal of women in advertisements as they have often depicted ‘young women in suggestive, sometimes vulgar poses’ which has resulted in complaints. However, on the other hand, these images have been used to raise ‘public awareness of important social issues’, as well as bringing the attention of other ethical issues. In John Berger’s book ‘Ways of Seeing’, he comments about how the ‘social presence of a woman is different in kind from that of a man’ (Berger, 1972) which highlights the problem of how different men and women are perceived in society. Later on in the book, the author suggests that ‘women watch themselves being looked at’ (Berger, 1972), indicating that women are seen as an object to be admired and that they have brought this upon themselves.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
[1] WWD (2014) Where Has It Gone? Available from:
http://wwd.com/business-news/marketing-promotion/controversy-where-has-it-gone-7813542/
[Accessed 27th November 2017]
[2] Berger, J (1972) Ways of Seeing, London: Penguin Classics