It was a lazy Friday afternoon, and I was enthusiastically flipping through my fresh-from-the-mailbox issue of Seventeen magazine. After reading a column about scoring bargains on celebrity styles, I flipped the page. Suddenly (but not so willingly) my eyes met an image of a scantily clad Jennifer Lopez. I glanced at the ad (at first barely noticing the bottle of perfume it was advertising) and pondered how typical a representation it was: nearly nude woman, provocative pose, wind swept hair. Definitely an image filled with the characteristic visual stimuli included when men are the ones doing the looking.
Wait. Let's rewind. This perfume is a women’s product. This ad is in a women’s magazine. Why would advertisers utilize female objectification when the audience is female? Obviously, the method works on us, so what do we as young women see appealing about these images that lead us to buying the products depicted?
To answer this question, we must initially identify aspects of this image that make it appeal to the male gaze. According to Andi Ziesler in her book Feminism and Pop
Culture, the male gaze is “the idea that when we look at images in art or on screen, we’re seeing themas a man might—even if we are women—because those images are constructed to be seen by men” (Zeisler 7). In this advertisement, Jennifer Lopez’s pose and expression exude the vulnerability associated with women (and prized by men). Her body is recoiled and turned away from the viewer and her feet hang off the hammock. This pose likens her to a little girl, linking her powerlessness to childishness. Further emphasizing the actress’s naiveté is the fact she is sitting in a hammock, since the image of swinging evokes a mood of lightheartedness and playfulness. In addition, Lopez’s eyes glance up toward us, rather than directly forward or down. This feature emphasizes that she is small and subordinate to the implied male viewer. Her messy hair swoops over her eyes and partially covers her half-open mouth, elements that connotes a childlike oral fixation and even the idea that her inferior role makes it acceptable for her face to be somewhat blocked. Jennifer Lopez is depicted as defenseless, unable stand on her own two feet (both literally and figuratively), and in yearning for someone to care for her.
Interestingly, many elements that invoke childishness and defenselessness in Lopez bring about sexual connotations. A significant feature that contributes is the wild tropical forest background of the scene, implying that the woman is presented as her instinctive,
sexually driven self. The setting, combined with the model’s bare, glowing (and obviously photo shopped) arms and legs coming out toward the viewer, display Lopez as sexually available. The moment the photo depicts is a utilization of voyeurism, or spying on private behaviors (here, laying nearly unclothed), to invoke a sense of curiosity and stimulation within the viewer (Metzl). Finally, the description and photo of the perfume are strategically placed directly under the Lopez’ rear. A piece of the model is utilized to psychologically draw a male viewer toward the product.
Now, let’s return to our original question: what is it about marketing a product through the male lens that brings positive attention from a female audience? Above the image of the perfume are the words “let desire lead you.” Considering that we young women are the viewers, the desire is not to obtain, but rather to BE the woman depicted. This advertisement counter-utilizes the male gaze to make us girls think, “if I use this product I will be as desirable as the subject.” Exterior beauty means everything—at least under media’s mandate—so girls are conditioned to feel that fulfillment comes from being physically attractive. Pop culture has swayed us young females in the direction of the male gaze, to such a great extent that simply placing a female “object” who has nothing to do with the product in an advertisement can lead us to purchase the product.
Let’s end this analysis with an analogy. Consider nineteenth-century artist Jean Fragonard’s painting, The Swing, which was among the earliest pieces of the Western world to blatantly depict a woman as a sex object. The content is not as risqué as that of the perfume advertisement, yet it contains many parallels to the modern image. The setting is outdoors, and the subject is a swinging woman opening her legs and kicking off her shoes, with a man looking up her dress. In spite of three giant waves of feminism since Fragonard’s time, attitudes toward females in culture have only degraded (Perfume). This situation is quite ironic. While the modern age deems it unacceptable to discriminate against females intellectually, such as in universities, the workplace, and politics, it is becoming more and more normal for women to be put on display physically in a variety of pop culture sources.
According to English novelist John Berger, “Men act and women appear…This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women themselves” (Zeisler 7). As the young women who such advertisements target, it is our responsibility to defy this pitiful fact about society. Do we want a racy photo of J.Lo be what twenty-first century women are remembered by one hundred years from now?
References:
Metzl, Jonathan M. "Voyeur Nation? Changing Definitions of Voyeurism, 1950–2004." Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4 (2000): 127. Hawaii.edu. University of Hawaii. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.
"The Perfume Ad Formula." Web log post. Visual Culture Blog. WordPress. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
Zeisler, Andi. "Pop and Circumstance." Feminism and Pop Culture. Berkeley, CA: Seal, 2008. 7. Print.
Links to Photos:
- http://www.google.com/imgres?q=jennifer+lopez+deseo&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1280&bih=604&tbm=isch&tbnid=wMz6ZgiD4rjRkM:&imgrefurl=http://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Jennifer-Lopez/Deseo-1719.html&docid=caJZa7vHliIELM&imgurl=http://www.punmiris.com/images/secundar/o.564.jpg&w=472&h=588&ei=KMSXTui-CNOftgeMo_D0Aw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=209&sig=117959630915773829808&page=1&tbnh=126&tbnw=101&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=100&ty=106
- http://www.google.com/imgres?q=fragonard+the+swing&hl=en&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&biw=1280&bih=604&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=RdW5heR25bX8kM:&imgrefurl=http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/anc_frag_swing.html&docid=xabKeyDlFkg4cM&imgurl=http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/resources/frag_swing.jpg&w=611&h=700&ei=2sSXTt-RIYuEtgemuoDvAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=414&vpy=82&dur=871&hovh=240&hovw=210&tx=95&ty=125&sig=117959630915773829808&page=1&tbnh=117&tbnw=110&start=0&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0
No comments:
Post a Comment