Fantasy? or Reality?

Modern media is a powerful means of spreading information to the American public that may not be ignored. Globally, media has been used to expose and perpetuate key topics, ideas, propaganda and stereotypes. As a female in today’s society, I both witness and attest to the influence media holds in affecting the perceptions that we hold of ourselves and of our female sex in general. For example, the following advertisement from Dolce and Gabbana not only portrays a female as the object of mans possession, but desensitizes female brutality through an image of group sex, or rape. It strengthens the idea of male dominance over women.



I guess you could say that I am a realtively fashion-conscious person, and therefore Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana often pique my interest, but not because of their clothes! Their advertisements are unfailingly sleek, well-composed and eye-catching. The initial implication of this image is that of a man forcefully seducing a weak woman. He seems to have taken control over the situation and uses his might to intimidate his female counterpart. As it appears, there might have been a long time struggle between the two until the man eventually overpowered the lady. Her facial expression is that of a person in desperate need for help, and one pleading for mercy. Her body size creates the implication that there are few chances of winning over the battle. She appears weak. This notion of woman as passive objects for men to possess is all too common within today’s media and raises the question of media brutality.

Additionally, the group of men within the ad appears to be a well organized gang out to terrorize women. They are operating under unsuspecting conditions. To the immediate left of the “main characters” is a man keeping close guard, and who has established a scaring eye contact with the woman. His glare is one meant to scare her against any attempts to scream out for assistance. He does not seem surprised by the turn of events since he was perhaps informed prior to their occurrence. Furthermore, this particular character has unbuttoned his jacket, an indication that he will follow his colleague in the ordeal. He does not seem shaken, worried or surprised.

For the individuals within this advertisement, the line between fantasy and reality has been blurred. Such confusion is made even more evident by those who are the consumers of such ads. Young girls, for example, especially those who may perhaps have self confidence issues, see this ad and think “why can’t I be like that?” They desire to one day have the attention of as many men as the women in the ad does and are willing to stop at nothing to achieve it. However, what these girls are not realizing is that this ad only furthers a pornographic image of female objectivity, rather than of female desire. The idea of an embrace is far outweighed by the power of an attack. My initial thoughts, though not envious of the ads leading lady, had nothing to do with the clothes being featured. In other words, the idea of women as objects is so evident that it overpowers the main point of the ad (i.e. selling clothes) to begin with. Dolce and Gabbana’s advertisement is focused on clothes but targeted towards men’s sexuality.