Duncan Quinn is a bespoke tailoring company formed in 2003 in New York city. This photo was the brands first advertisement poster, presented to the world in 2008 and the New York magazine awarded it ‘the most disturbing ad found in 2008 fashion magazines’.
The photo shows a smug and smirking man in a well-tailored suit holding a tie loosely positioned around a seemingly dead woman. The woman looks like she has blood coming from her head and is in her underwear on top of a car in the open. At first glance this picture is disturbing, at second glance its sinister.
This shows the gross, inappropriate, sexual objectification of women in the fashion and advertisement industry; it is utterly sexist and not appropriate for anyone to see. The male is seen to be in complete control and dominating the woman in every way. The woman being in lingerie suggests that this was also a sexual act of dominating. He’s standing, looming over her, like she is an object at his disposal. He’s completely dressed and covered whilst she is near naked in the open for anyone to see, as if she’s not just for his amusement but for others as well, like a show pony. Him using his tie as some sort of leash suggests how little he cares for this other human, treating her as if she were a submissive dog. Even more the woman’s face is not shown, de-humanising her. It’s disgusting. What makes the photo that more alarming is that the woman is shown to be lifeless, suggesting this is an ad condoning rape or necrophilia. There’s some sort of disturbing sexual fantasy being displayed here that involves death and pain.
This advert shows that although the world has improved in the last 80 or so years on the treatment of women, sexism is still present and still objectifying woman in many industries. It is suggesting that if you buy our suits you will also achieve total dominance over women. ‘Women are put on display like pieces of commodities or merchandise…The more nudity or sexual reference depicted, the greater the sales generated in an exploitative and profit-driven media industry’ (Le Mauricien: 2013) this quote explains the derogative depiction of women in the media and what is still being taught to younger generations: that women are objects to be used at a man’s disposal in any way they want. What’s worse is the women who are used in this way are made to ‘feel guilty, inferior, or somehow less than’ (Cortese 75) abused and used.
In conclusion, this ad is promoting that wearing good suits will enable you to dominate and have control over women. For this day and age this is unacceptable, uncomfortable and incredibly alarming.
- Winn S. (2008), Trendhunter, Duncan Quinn Suit Campaign Depicts Strangled Woman, available from: https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/duncan-quinn-suit-ad-depicting-strangled-woman, accessed 6th December 2017
- Oonarizah Peerbux B, (2013), Le Mauricien: Women as sex objects, available from: http://www.lemauricien.com/article/women-sex-objects, accessed 6th December 2017
- Cortese, A, (2008), Provocateur: Images of Women and Minorities in Advertising, available from: https://studiidegen.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/c8_cortese_constructed-bodies-deconstructing-ads.pdf, accessed 6th December 2017