Then, using your template for "joining the conversation" (that latest green cheat sheet), use the details from the ad to respond to any of the arguments or analysis (in favor or against) made about that ad.
Your response should include:
1. at least one phrase from your template
2. and at least one detail from the ad, along with your analysis of that detail.
3. Your analysis of that detail should help support your argument about the ad.
Dolce and Gabbana Ad Pulled from Spain
Domenico Dolce y Stefano Gabbana (Dolce & Gabbana) say they don’t understand accusations from Spain that their latest advertising campaign is sexist and encourages violence against women.
According to several Spanish organisations, including a department of the Spanish Women's Institute (Observatorio de la Imagen del Instituto español de la Mujer) the advert encourages violence against women. Because of the controversy the advert has created here and the protest that has been registered in different areas of Spanish politics and society, the designers have decided to withdraw the advert, but only from Spain.On announcing their decision, the designers Dolce and Gabbana accused Spain of being "in the dark ages". They defended the advert by saying that the artistic photo was a piece of art, not an instruction manual for real life. The advertisement in question shows a woman being held down by her wrists by a man with 4 other men watching. Various other Spanish organisations have complained about the advert and requested its withdrawal. Spain has one of the most worrying records of domestic violence in Europe, and despite the attempts of this government and previous PP governments to stem the growing tide of domestic abuse, the number of crimes committed by men against women continues to rise.
Dolce and Gabbana released a statement saying that "We will withdraw that photo from the Spanish market alone, since they are behind the times. What does an artistic photo have to do with the real world?" If Spanish views held sway, they said, "you'd have to burn museums like the Louvre and all the paintings of Caravaggio."
But Spanish women objected not to the supposed sensuality or eroticism but the image's glorification of sexual violence. "The advert suggests it is acceptable to use force as a way of imposing oneself on a woman, reinforced by the passive complicity of the men looking on," the Labour Ministry said.
At present, the advert is on display in an exhibition which opened yesterday in Milan showing other photos from their new advertising campaign. The exhibition is called Secret Ceremony and shows photos of nude bodies and erotic scenes taken by the photographer Steven Klein. According to the designers, the images explore the thin line between morality and immorality. The question remains whether or not the advert withdrawn by the designers today has crossed that line.
15 comments:
I agree with the author of the article in saying that the Dolce and Gabbana ad is sexist and encourages violence towards women.
The imagery of the man standing over the woman and holding her down enhances a sense of rape. The way that the man is holding down the woman by the wrists implies force and her unwillingness to participate in the implied sexual activty.
The standard way of thinking about this ad's message is by looking at the facial expressions made by the models in this ad. The woman's facial expression doesn't protray fear or inferiority in any way. If this ad was intended to protray any form of violence, the woman's face would express fear or defeat. In this ad, it's the complete oposite;the woman's face expresses strength and confidence.
Joanna has made an interesting point. What's your response? Be sure to use the template, whether you are responding to Joanna, Jessi-poo (??), or any of the speakers in the article.
Tiffany Tsang
I think that the Spanish Organizations are misinterpreting the meaning of the ad. From what I can see from the ad is a woman with like four other man and they are all interested into her. Like Joanna said her facial expressions shows strength and confidence. Basically, the photographer wanted to show that having something from Dolce and Gabbana allows you to attract many guys and for them to want you.
I agree with Dolce and Gabbana when they said that the ad is a work of art and does not influence violence against women. Joanna made a really good point and I totally agree with her thinking.
By focusing on the idea of abuse towards women, the people of the Spanish Organizations overlook the deeper meaning of the ad and fail to see it for the work of art that it is intended to be. As Tiffany said, by wearing Dolce and Gabbana, you are suppose to grab the attention of many men and be seen as irresistible.
I have to agree with Kyle on this one as well. The public misinterprets the Dolce & Gabbana as picture that depicts the potential gang rape of a woman. I have to disagree, any person with familiarity to Dolce and Gabbana knows and understands that their ads often are provocative and highly sexual but not to the point where it is violence against women. The statement by the Spanish Organization that the ad is sexist is non-supportive due to the fact that the woman in the picture doesn't look scared and she does seem to be afraid. I believe that the Spanish Organization didn't take the time to look at the ad as a piece of art, they judged and used stereotypes to characterize the picture as negative. The woman in the picture seems to have a sense of innocence on her face. She seems to be at peace, at a serene state. Its ironic that rape is the topic of discussion here, and her legs are not even open, just thought I would point that out. What people fail to realize about the ad is that, they use these types of position to heighten illusion of extreme height, which is a key characteristic to make it in the modeling world, and to show off their garments. Also when you first see the advertisement, you instantly think of words like, sexy, hot, provocative, its because there are four men, with chest shown and a woman laying on the ground this shows the vulnerability of the women, which can be a positive thing because it shows her sexiness and ability to be able to relate. This vulnerability, makes her wearing the DG apparel seem more importance because with the DG clothes it will make you attract more men which further highlighting her sexiness.
I agree with Kyle's view that the Spanish Women's Organization focus on the situation of the advertisement does overlook the fact it is a piece of art; however I still agree with Jessi-poo's point of view that it encourages violence against women.
Even though the woman in the picture does have expression of apathy of her face, I believe it still doesn't mean that she was afraid. People can feel many things and just not express them properly through the face. I do think that the advertisement is a piece of artwork also because from the expressions given by the two men on the left, they seem entirely apathetic to the situation. My first impression of this advertisement wasn't 'sexy' or 'provocative' like Robert said, it was primarily seeing the situation as negative because of the position of the woman in the picture. Even if does give off that 'sexy' or 'provocative' impression, then that still leads to the road of rape and intercourse does it not? I think if you isolated the situation meaning take out the rest of males in the picture, leaving only the male holding down the female and the female itself AND with a different facial expression, it would then give off that impression of 'attraction' and 'sexy' with more of a positive connotation.
I don't exactly agree with Nina in that if you change the the expression that if would change the idea of rape, I still don't believe in the idea of rape, but I don't think changing the image will help or hurt it. For me, if you took the males out of the picture then it would still create the same effect, sexy and provocative. Only if the woman and the man were in the picture, it would create more of a scene of private sexual tension between the two.
I disagree with the Spanish Organizations decision to pull the ad in Spain and the assumption that in encourages violence against women. At first glance I do admit the first thought that popped into my mind was gang rape. Yet, after carefully looking over the ad I noticed that, I was wrong in my assumption. Clearly you can see in the ad that the woman is positioned on an angle away from the man above her and her legs are closed together. The men in the background seem to be looking on her in admiration, perhaps attracted to her beauty. I agree with Robert on this in that it highlights her sexiness. I also agree with Joanna that her face doesn't portray fear. Typically (or as I have noticed in life) your facial expression is one of the key things that show how you feel about a certain situation or idea. If this ad was one depicting violence against women, the men would look more aggressive and the woman would show fear or anxiety; none of which is present.
I disagree with the Spanish Organizations' view that the work of art encourages sexual violence because I think that is taking it to an extreme. I feel it is more along the lines of showing disrespect for women.
So since everyone wants to focus on the face I might as well follow suit.
Okay first of all will everyone from above please take a close look at the picture. So tell me, Joanna, Tiffany, and Kyle. How the hell do you look at the woman's face and say that it radiates strength and confidence. I mean... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! You can barely see her face because the picture isn't all that great but even so, she looks like she is just neutral. Her face is NOT radiating strength or confidence. She's on her friggen back with four guys staring at her. She isn't looking in the man's eyes (the one on top of her), her face is turned to the side almost as to avoid it. OH YEAH THAT'S DEFINITELY STRENGTH AND CONFIDENCE.....NOT!!!!
While we're at it, look at all the other faces. Each one of those men are looking down at her as if she is some sort of object. There is not an ounce of respect to women in this "work of art." Why are there four guys and one woman? If you were walking around and you saw this actual seen, would you say..."that lady is strong and confident." NO YOU WOULDN'T BECAUSE THAT ISN'T THE CASE!
So conclusively, this doesn't exactly encourage sexual violence, but it sure as hell doesn't show confident strong loving sex either. This ad is DISRESPECTFUL to women and it should be taken down. Thank you :D
It has become common today for advertisements to contain sexual images. I agree with the Spanish Organization’s view that the photograph encourages sexual violence towards woman. I also view this photograph encourages the idea of male dominance over woman. I agree with Ted on how the face is barely seen to have any judgment on it. However, you could see that the woman’s face shows fear, not neutrality, strength or confidence. As for the faces on the males, the reason why they are looking down on her is because she is on the floor is because she is restrained by a male, which further reinforces male dominance in this ad.
I disagree with the views of Jessica and those organizations that believe that this add encourages violence against women.
Obviously people are taking this too literally. As the designers mentioned, it is art not an instruction manual for real life.
The girl may have her wrists held down but she does not seem to be struggling. She seems a bit intrigued but mostly neutral as Ted mentioned.
I can't explain the other guys except maybe it is a way to show the attention the product attracts.
Jamie Chan
Wow, I think I can go blind from trying to figure out what expression the woman is making. So I decided to look a little closer to her face. I would have to disagree about the neutral nor powerful look in her face. I feel a sense of hatred the way she is looking at the man that is pinning her down. Also the fact that the man is pinning her down i can see why they would see this as a gang rape. There is no reason for there to be 4 men exhibiting one woman like that.
On the other hand if you want to be creative. This ad reminds me of one of those secret agent movies where they are trying to force the truth out of someone. xD
and might i add that her mouth is formed as if she is snarling.
I agree with the statement that this Dolce and Gabbana ad advocates sexual violence against women.
In the ad, all the men are focused on the woman's body as though she was a piece of meat. I agree with Ted that her expression is not strong or confident. Her eyes don't meet with any of the other men which is often found in rape cases where the woman is so shamed she can not even look at her attacker. The woman's expression is absent minded as though she has given up and is subsiding to the crime. There is a fine line in art that this ad obviously crosses because it is difficult to look at this ad and not think of a date rape scenerio.
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