Learning Portfolio Post #2

I select an advertisement of Eddie Peng – a famous actor from Taiwan – for Lee for analyzing. Born in 1982, Eddie Peng’s face is appealing for females from all ranges of the age. Even he is approaching to 40 years old, viewers can see a sense of youth among his facial features, while they also feel maturity and virility from his eyes and expressions. The advertisement concentrates on sportswear, and the clothes are extremely minimalist and sporty. The brightest part of the clothing is the orange coat,
matching with hoodies in anchor grey, and shoes and jeans in navy blue. The orange coat represents a tolerant side of a young boy, while the clothes in dark color demonstrate the steady side of a mature man. Peng’s characteristic and temperament enable these two conflicting elements to exist and cooperate properly, which few males can accomplish. Another factor which is also worth mentioning is the background. Peng is riding a bike with his legs spreading fat apart (which may be considered as a
sexual indication), and there are two sightseeing buses departing from a train station. It is obvious that the main theme is about freedom and travelling, and freedom is usually considered as something young men aspire to. In Susan Kaiser’s Fashion and Cultural Studies, male-identified bodies are in a context that is more flexible and free than female-identified bodies (p136). The advertisement is relative to Kaiser’s opinion.
This advertisement reinforces traditional gender norms. Even though the advertisement is related to men’s wear, there is no doubt that females are attracted by Peng’s masculinity in the way he is portrayed.

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