Duncan Quinn Advert
‘As such, advertising is also an important mode of social communication ( Leiss et al. 2005), and for this reason proponents frequently need to publically defend various practices from criticisms of being deceptive, manipulative, or otherwise implicated in adverse alterations to human culture and consciousness (McLaughlin 1996).’ McAllister M P and West E (2015). The Routledge Companion to Advertising and Promotional Culture, United States of America; Edwards Brothers Malloy.
Duncan Quinn sells men’s suits and in this image where they are advertising men’s suits by having a fully dressed man and a half naked woman laying on a bonnet of a car.
It is not ethical to degrade and exploit women for any purpose. In this image the woman is half naked in lingerie when the man is fully dressed in a suit. This portrays the woman as a sex symbol. She does not need to be half naked to sell a man’s suit. The main costumer here is men. It should be the suit being sold so a half-naked woman is to attract a man’s eye which confirms the theory of women being sex objects for men.
The fact that the woman is laying down on the car while the man stands over her shows the man’s dominance over this woman. She could be standing up with him or both of them laying down but in the image her laying down makes it appear that woman should be or is submissive to the man thus showing the man is powerful.
With the men’s tie, tied around her neck as the man holds onto the other end of the tie is not ethical in a way that it depicts a sense that the woman being a mere object. The man looks straight at the camera while the woman’s head is tilted while her whole half naked body is fully exhibited showing that it is just her body that is more important than the person behind it but this is not the same for the man. Women are more than just beautiful bodies, there are people with identities but this image does not show that.
The tie round the woman’s neck is disturbing since it depicts a sense of violence towards woman by man and the fact that it is being used in a public image gives off the message that this is acceptable or should be accepted in our society. The younger generation of boys might grow up believing that this is alright but it is not. ‘This is an industry which famously seeks out the young –’ Mitchell, David, Sexism in advertising is a problem, but hardly the worst on, The Guardian, 23 July 2017. The tie could have been put anywhere else but not around her neck to make it look like she’s being strangled.
The facial expression on the man’s face is equally obscene in a way that he seems to be taking pleasure from the whole situation of strangling the woman. The grin on his face shows he is in control and therefore powerful.
Bibliography
The Routledge Companion to Advertising and Promotional Culture, United States of America; Edwards Brothers Malloy.
http://newsactivist.com/en/articles/gendered-world-views-fall-2016-section-17/strangler-ad