In modern fashion various fashion brands, big and small, hire models to market their products on a variety of platforms. In most cases these advertisements either follow or subvert the traditional gender norms constructed by our world and society, but times are fast-changing and slowly, so are our advertisements. I chose two very different advertisements to highlight this.
The first chosen advertisement (left) is an image of a Bold Impression fashion advertisement featuring a couple of models, modelling in Los Angeles Southern California. These models are dressed in a variety of tightly worn mini-dresses, in purple, black and red. These dresses are designed by Bold Impressions Fashion (zarzarmodels.com, 2018). This advertisement in specific most definitely reinforces the traditional gender norms, or “assumed norms” as Susan Kaiser calls them in Fashion and Cultural Studies (Kaiser 37).
Nowadays, the fashion industry has most definitely changed and is including more variety in their images. The first advertisement that immediately pops to mind, would be Jaden Smith’s 2016 Louis Vuitton campaign in which he wears a skirt (right). The idea of gender is slowly, and more publicly, becoming less black and white and we are all being “more challenged to consider alternative ways of experiencing everyday life,” as Kaiser explains it (Kaiser 37). In this advertisement, the models very clearly portray and maintain the utmost traditional-sense of feminine norms… The norms that state that women (and only women) should always wear dresses or skirts and wear high heels to exhibit sexiness, alongside their femininity and beauty. The model in the advert reinforces the traditional belief that women should dress a certain way in order to attract certain things, as well as dressing this way in order to exude “femininity” in the way our world has so limitedly tried to define it. An effort to subvert the norm, would involve designing and marketing of women dressed in more “manly” clothes, or even men dressed in more “feminine” clothing. This brings me straight back to Jaden Smith’s advertisement, which does just. I so clearly remember this campaign causing such an uproar and response.
It’s also interesting to view things in a different light. For example, one could view the first advertisement (left) as successfully subverting the ancient norms against women’s roles and ability in entrepreneurship and modern business. It could be seen as portraying women as more influential, and as driving a brand towards success in marketing, this is in full contrast to more olden-day norms in which women would stay at home… Now, they are key factors in changing the dynamics in the clothing and fashion industry.
References
ZarZar Modeling Agency (2018). How to Become A Macy’s model and how to become a Macy’s model for Macy’s advertisements and becoming a Macy’s model for Macy’s Ads. Retrieved from http://fashion.zarzarmodels.com/how-to-become-a-macys-model-and-how-to-become-a-macys-model-for-macys-advertisements-and-becoming-a-macys-model-for-macys-ads/
http://www.instyle.co.uk/celebrity/news/jaden-smith-louis-vuitton-campaign
