Suitsupply
Suitsupply, a men’s fashion brand in Amsterdam released a series of ads portraying females as sexual objects. The men are portrayed as figurines in front of the female models. Many users accused the ads of being sexist while the CEO, Fokke de Jong stated that the ads showed that females had more power and control. To me, this ad portrays females as being objects rather than having “the upper hand.” The women in the images seem more like “trophy wives” rather than strong working women. This ad reinforces the traditional gender norms of female roles. According to Kaiser, “Gender is socially constructed and culturally created and represented. Gender is something that people do.” (Kaiser, Susan. Fashion and Cultural Studies, 2012) The gender in this image is constructed through the type of clothing that the male and female wear in the ads and also the composition and the scale of the images. Although the female is portrayed bigger than the male, the female is portrayed wearing a revealing swimsuit, making the female look more like a sexual object rather than a strong independent woman. “Gender is something that people do” can be used to justify the sexist aspect of the ad. The compositions of the ads portray the man in sexualized situations in front of the blown up females. The men in suits reminds me of the traditional gender norms of men working and having women as housewives and how women has to dress somewhat revealing and men having to “cover up.”
