Sunday, April 09, 2006
By LaMont Jones, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Sex still sells -- and it can still shock, too.
In the U.S. fashion and beauty industry, sexual imagery in advertising seems to be going in two different directions: toward a more subtle sexiness that emphasizes the product, but also toward the more brazen and provocative.
Sex has been used to sell fashion for decades, with brands such as Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch and Guess among the earliest and most relentless envelope pushers. More recently, trend-setting designer Tom Ford influenced a more homoerotic approach during his tenure at Gucci and Yves St. Laurent.
In current ad campaigns, a few brands are testing boundaries of taste and decency like never before.
These images are bolder than similar but more subtle homoerotic images of female models in ads by Emporio Armani, BCBG Max Azria and Gucci. And they're being noticed and talked about.
"The more skin you show, the better, sometimes. It's about being edgy, and it's absolutely acceptable in fashion. It's creative people's attempts at getting your attention, and it's getting harder and harder to get people's attention."
Still, there is "hyper-eroticism and objectification of women" in fashion advertising, Ms. White said, and it's influenced by the music industry. Take, for instance, Diddy's music background prior to his foray into fashion, and a similar road taken by Baby Phat creative director Kimora Lee Simmons, estranged wife of hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.
"It's part of the sexualization of women to sell, to move product," said Ms. White. "We all want to be sexy, let's face it. But we don't want to be objectified. And that's what a lot of these ads do. That's what music videos do to women. If strips you of dignity, of humanity. You become this object."
But does sex-selling really work?
"Prada has never sexually objectified men or women and is the top fashion brand in the world," she said. "Generally, there is a more toned-own, subtle sexuality that is a lot more respectful of women. These are the people who are leading fashion."
The reality is that "target audiences are much more widely accepting" of risque ads, Mr. Gatti said, which is why magazines are not rejecting them -- or the revenue they bring.
"It all depends on who's reading the magazines," he said. Advertisers know who's buying, and that you're trying to emulate that whole attitude. Your grandmother isn't gonna buy GQ. She might be with her grandson or granddaughter in Abercrombie and pick it up and be shocked by it. But people know their audiences, which is why Abercrombie hasn't gone away."
First published on April 9, 2006 at 12:00 am
Post-Gazette fashion editor LaMont Jones can be reached at ljones@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1469.
No comments:
Post a Comment