Gender Dominance in Advertising

Kilbourne: "The poses and postures of advertising are often borrowed from pornography... such as bondage... (456)"

Me: "Looking at this advertisement, this point makes a lot of sense. Not only is this woman on top of the man in an explicit pose, but she also has him bound by the neck with a belt as if she is trying to choke him. The shape of her eyebrows, the way she looks up, and how she sets her mouth give the impression that she is dangerous and is probably about to do something violent with him. The man is grasping on to her legs, almost in a clawing manner, and looking at her face, as if pleading with her for more action. This advertisement is also set in a desert, which gives off the element of isolation. They probably want to be isolated so they can do whatever they want or there just might be something really kinky about doing the act in a desert."

Kilbourne: "...there is a world of difference between the objectification of men and that of women. The most important difference is that there is no danger for most men, whereas objectified women are always at risk (464)."

Me: "I agree with what you are saying. This Gucci advertisement is considered acceptable because it is the woman who is the 'violently dominant' one. We know everything is okay and if the woman really was a danger to him, he could defend himself. If the roles were reversed, and it was the woman who was being bound on the neck by the man on top, then the advertisement would look like a rape scene. The element of isolation in the desert would add to the discomfort of the viewer because nobody is around to help the woman as she is probably being choked to death. Men are physically stronger than women, so they should be able to avoid physical abuse and rape, but that also gives a male predator advantage when he attacks a woman. Women like me are constantly worried about predators watching us and attacking us, so we go around carrying knives and other forms of defense and avoid going anywhere alone after dark. If the advertisement had a role reversal, it would just be another reminder of why we are always wary."

Kilbourne, Jean. "Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt: Advertising and Violence." p.455-475.