Blog Seven
The Kenwood chef ad demonstrates the patriarchal system in which we live. The advertising slogan “The Chef does everything but cook- that’s what wives are for! reinforces the idea that a man’s wife exists to serve him. The man provides for the woman and in return she must do his bidding. The posture of the couple indicates this also, with the woman pressing herself against the man, her posture and expression indicates gratitude and happiness, and she just wants to be close to him. Her chef hat clearly shows her role is to cook while her perfect make up, nails, and hair show that her job is also to look beautiful for her husband. He, on the other hand, has his back towards her indicating that he does not feel the same about her, his facial expression a smile that does not look genuine or actually happy. The ad also reinforces the idea that white, middleclass, heterosexual couples are the successful ones, and if a couple fits into this category and have a Kenwood Chef then they can be truly happy.
The Moschino ad reinforces popular social conceptions of black women as exotic and wild. She is dressed in animal print clothing to reinforce the idea that she is an animal. Her posture is unnatural, her face tilted upwards with closed eyes that combine to make her seem like an object instead of a person. She is attached to the feminine, pink wall behind her, suggesting she must be tied down to make her safe, as she is a wild animal. The slogan “Cheap and Chic� suggests that the woman in the ad is for sale, objectifying her, and that this object is something easily attained, indicating that black women are of lower rank. All in all, the ad greatly objectifies black women, portraying them as animals that cannot be controlled.