A brand advertisement that’s having a heated discussion is Calvin Klein’s underwear campaign with the Kardashian’s. In the images we see them wearing plain white CK underwear embodying what Kim Kardashian described as Simons’s “American vision in a barn with my family.”
I think the ad is intended to be normative of “ideal female characteristics” like most lingerie advertisements by equating the ideal sexy woman as tan-skinned, skinny but with large breasts and butt. The ad created a social media plash, people were talking about Kylie’s covered belly and whether if she’s pregnant or not. Also Kim’s face and right arm were suspected for a poor photoshop job, weird shadow shape on her right arm that seems to be a failed attempt to enlarge her breasts.
I find that Kim represents a woman using her sexuality for her own gain, but her controversy and sexuality relied on males heavily. Since she got famous from the “leaked” sex tape with Ray J and married Kanye West who refers her as “number one trophy wife”in his lyrics. Like Kaiser mentioned in Fashion and Cultural Studies, “gender is not a neutral concept; power relations are involved” . “men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves.”(Kaiser,2012,128)
Because the Kardashians are considered attractive and desirable by most men, so many teenage girls are influenced by this ideal image of sexy woman, that they want to modify their bodies and dress the way Kardashians did. Most women who are objectified and praised for their beauty and sexuality are in industries run by and for men, which is part of a system of exploitation. The Kardashian family’s TV show has long been criticized for depicting female characters to be subordinate, vain and dumb.This advertisement reinforces traditional gender norms by placing women known for “famous for being famous” as the icon of beauty and fashion. Its is enforcing the gender norm by idolizing the Kardashians as new American women’s model.
