Being Rich is Hot. So Hot We Don't Bother Putting on Clothes.
CONTEXT: This image is taken from the Victoria & David Beckham photo shoot that appeared in W magazine’s August 2007 issue by photographer Steven Klein, released by Conde Nast Publications. . This was a result of the media frenzy this summer pertaining to Posh and Becks coming to America to live.
CONTENT: Although both genders are represented here, it is clear which one is more dominant than the other. Becks is standing on the side of a car, topless, with hands on his side. His intense stare pierces the camera lens. Posh isn’t even looking at the camera. Her eyes are closed as she lays sexualized on the hood of the car, legs agape, for her husband. Her body isn’t even turned toward us. Its as if she is writhing on the car as a sexual slave, while her dominant master stands next to her, being allowed to look at the camera like “That’s right, she is mine.� This is particularly conveyed because her legs are open towards him, not the audience, therefore emulating that what is “there� is “his�. It is very obvious that Posh & Becks are first class, rich, Caucasian Europeans. They both look gorgeous, and this photo shoot doesn’t shy away from showing it. They are frequently titled as the best looking couple by the media, and hey, I’m not disagreeing. They are both fabulous. Becks reeks a persona of a masculine athlete who loves being a dad and being a snappy dresser. While Posh has her roots in music, it isn’t quite prominent today (although the Reunion tour is coming up, that will probably change). She is the ultimate fashionista. A mother of three, she still manages to fit into her size 00 couture. This specific image is conveying a strict heterosexual tone. They are in fact married, so that provides a definite reasoning for my statement. The position of Posh’s body, legs open, towards her husband is basically a command for sexual intercourse. Although Becks doesn’t seem to be phased by his wife’s positioning, his facial expression can be interpreted that he is about to scour her private parts.
FORM: As I mentioned earlier, the positioning of Posh and Becks conveys the Dominance/Submissiveness paradigm. Becks takes the role of the dominant force, standing with hands on waist, making eye contact with the camera. This leaves Posh to take the submissive role, as she writhes on the hood of the car, eyes closed, clutching her thigh, with her back facing the camera. In the magazine, this photograph spanned across two pages In case you were wondering, the coloring of all the pictures in their spread were very similar. They were either black and white, or had a low tonal, 70s-esque, minimal coloring palate. It was aesthetically pleasing. The lighting of this photo leads us to believe it was taken at night, although I watched videos about the shoot online and on Style channel and the shoot was done during the day. It’s safe to say the costumes here are not the focus of out attention. Becks is wearing a low rise pair of shots, and a silver necklace. Posh is wearing a fierce pair of Alexander McQueen boots, and a bodysuit. She is obviously dressed as this sexual prowess for him (high-heeled boots and a swim/body suit? Not typical daywear ladies!), while he doesn’t exactly reciprocate (although I cant argue with his lack of clothing). The only props here are the old car that Posh is laying on (which is used a couple times through their photo spread) and the desert backdrop. It is more about them, not so much the surroundings.
READING: This is supposed to be W Magazine’s spread for them that says to us, “Welcome to America!� In fact, in the bylines of the interview it says, “Meet your new neighbors.� Well, I don’t have neighbors that look like them, although I wish I did. Although they are married, it doesn’t take away from the sexualized position Posh has taken in the photograph and the dominant, masculinized stance that Becks has taken. Posh is basically saying, “I’m a sexualized object for my husband, I willingly let him have his way with me while I dress in fierce boots and a bodysuit.� Becks is basically saying, “My lack of clothing is exuding my hot, athletic figure. I am the one looking at the camera because my wife usually gets all the attention, but now it’s my time to because we are moving here because of my career.�