Donna Karan. 2000. Digital Image. Vanity Fair.
In Donna Karen’s advertisement issued in April, 2000, the brand photographed the famous actress Milla Jovovich and another actor Jeremy Irons. In this ad, standing with his right arm akimbo, Irons is in a black suit, and his eyes are closed. Jovovich is leaning toward him, with one hand on his chest, and wearing a yellow low-back dress.
The distinction between masculine and feminine in this advertisement is relatively clear. Irons’ pose is suggesting the dominance of him. By comparison, Jovovich’s leaning pose and gesture embody the softness of women, which makes her more like an attachment to the male subject in this image. The color of Irons’ suit reinforces the stereotype of men’s power, since black is alway chosen by older and more powerful men. Therefore, Irons is portrayed as a mature and intelligent man in this ad. The color of Jovovich’s dress is more vibrant. On the first sight, the viewers’ attention might be drawn by that. After a while, it might shift to Irons, because of Jovovich’s pose and gesture. They are creating a flow in this image and guiding viewers to finally look at Irons.
In Fashion and Cultural Studies, Susan Kaiser discussed the relationship between women and advertisements, “advertising dehumanizes and demeans women turning them into sexualized objects and proffering unattainable images of beauty” (1). In this case, although I am not sure if the photographer did it intentionally or not, Jovovich severs as the “sexualized objects”. Her dress emphasizes the curves and other feminine elements.
It is interesting to see the female subject is looking at the camera while the male is looking away. Kaiser also talked about the male gaze, the “gender system of looking, in which ‘men act and women appear,’” and the “feminist gaze theory; she is the passive object of the masculine gaze,” (2). I wondering if this would suggest a different way to interpret this advertisement — Jovovich is the dominant figure in this scene.
- Kaiser, Susan B. Fashion and Cultural Studies. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2018. Page.174.
- Kaiser, Susan B. Fashion and Cultural Studies. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2018. Page.173.
