As a young woman and a feminist I am very torn by this image advertising American Apparel. The image depicts Sasha Grey, who can be no more than 20 years old (as I cannot find what year the image was taken I am unsure of her age at the time) lying on a bed, topless and having just pulled her tights and underwear, if she was indeed wearing any, down to her knees. Initially, I am taken aback by the photograph in disbelief that this was an advert for a clothes shop and not a soft-core pornographic film, however, once you start to analyse the photo and American Apparel’s advertising history, the feelings only worsen.

The photograph is taken from above the model, looking down on her, which suggests a position of power and dominance, in turn making her pose seem much more forced and subservient, like she is doing what she is told. This is an example of female objectification that we are all too familiar with in advertising, although not normally this blatant or explicit. These types of images only strengthen the false notion that women belong to men, are the submissive sex and their bodies are only objects to be used for men’s sexual gratification, while “creating a climate in which the marketing of women’s bodies – the sexual sell and dismemberment… is seen as acceptable.” (Kilbourne, 2011)

This is also extremely confusing for me, as from personal experience I can estimate that the average age of the customer for American Apparel is between 14 and 18. When I was around this age it was extremely fashionable to wear American Apparel and now, at age 20, I do not know a single person (either personally or on social media) who is my age and still shops there. This troubles me greatly as either American Apparel do not know who their customers actually are, or they are consciously advertising to young girls and boys in this way, and I do not know which is worse. Kilbourne states that:

“Adolescents are particularly vulnerable because they are new and inexperienced
consumers and are the prime targets of many advertisements. They are in the process of
learning their values and roles and developing their self-concepts. Most teenagers are
sensitive to peer pressure and find it difficult to resist or even question the dominant
cultural messages perpetuated and reinforced by the media. Mass communication has
made possible a kind of national peer pressure that erodes private and individual values
and standards. But what do people, especially teenagers, learn from the advertising messages? On the most obvious level they learn the stereotypes.” (Kilbourne, 2011)

The reason I am torn by this image, is that I believe there is nothing inherently sexual about the female body. There is nothing inherently sexual about breasts, whose sole purpose is to feed our young, with buttocks, whose purpose is to aid with sitting and walking, or with the female genitals for that matter. Yes, they are involved in sexual intercourse, but there is no essence to an amalgamation of skin, nerves and cells that is inherently sexual. So why is it that men can share a “kind of casual togetherness” (Steinem, 1982: 4) in terms of nudity where women rarely, if ever, can? When we see this image of a mostly naked young woman, we should not be shocked or outraged, because it is simply a body.

I understand that the majority of the general public do not share this view, however, I am yet to meet anybody who does not agree with me at least on a theoretical level. I also understand that by advertising in this way, brands are furthering the sexualisation of the female body as they are fully intending for the image to come across as sexual, rather than just as a scientific depiction of the human anatomy.

While I have these conflicting thoughts regarding this image, I ultimately do understand that regardless of how I view the female body, and regardless of whether or not Sasha Grey chose to be photographed in that way or not, the use of this kind of image in advertising, especially when the actual market for the brand may be much younger than they intended, can be extremely harmful to young people everywhere. Not only does it reinforce ancient sexist and misogynistic views that my generation are so desperate to get rid of, but it is also teaching these views to a fresh set of eyes every time they bring out a new advert or a young person hears of the brand for the first time.

Bibliography

Kilbourne, J. (2011). Beauty… and the Beast of Advertising. Centre of Media Literature, pp. Accessed via: http://medialit.org/reading-room/beautyand-beast-advertising.

Steinem, G. (1982). In Praise of Women’s Bodies. Page 4, e-book