Calvin Klein selling jeans? Or sex?
Context-This image is probably in magazines, but i found it online searching Calvin Klein on google. The image is advertising clothing/jeans, since Calvin Klein is a designer.
Content-The image is gendered in the way that the man is on top and the woman is helplessly laying under him. The story of sexuality that is being told is that heterosexual sex is good especially with the white man dominating. The narratives the image is relying on is that white heterosexual men are the desires of all women. White straight men know how to give it good.
Form-The wardrobe the two models are wearing is all black. The background is all black. The platform they are laying/kneeling on is black. This is in contrast to the light skin of the models, making their body (parts) stick out more against all the black. The lighting is hard I guess to show the "nastiness" of the image; sex is supposed to be rought and tough, not soft and sweet. The position of the male is in between the legs of the woman who is laying on the floor. He is dominating the woman and showing his power by being on top. The woman has one hand grabbing her hair and the other resting, almost grasping her breast to show that she is almost at the breaking point; barely able to handle the pleasure she is receiving. The lighting is set up so the part of the image that the eyes are drawn to the womans thighs and neck, two very sexualized parts of a womans body. There is no color or props, making this image very simple, meaning there is not much going on except two people about to get it on.
Reading-For me, this image is saying that womens desires, ecstacy, satisfaction are in the hands of straight white men. We NEED them in order to feel fulfilled sexually, there is NO other way. Women shoud like it when the men are dominating and in control, thats the way we like it, right? Buying some Calvin Klein jeans equals having some really good sex. Maybe if you buy the jeans, you will find someone to have sex with...there are many things this ad is saying to me, but the main idea is that women can't be satisfied unless a straight white male is involved, even when it is something as simple as picking out a pair of jeans.
Comments
you r pathetic you took the time to rant and rave about something that is not a big deal. most women love men in control, its just hotter that way. do the world a favor and never post anything again
Posted by: veronica | December 13, 2007 05:49 PM
you gotta be kidding me!. Who ever you are you oviously have alot of time on your hands. I agree with veronica most women prefer men in control it just hotter that way. who care if they are black or white that shouldnt matter. our society hasnt come even close yet to accept two men in the position that they are in or vive versa, two women. Personally i think its hott and you cant deny it and we should see more of these messages. i would love to be the guy in this photo. Get a job!!
Posted by: conor | December 29, 2007 09:12 PM
I agree with the other too the pictures hot who cares it still sell sex n sex is beta rough n tough it to hard to go soft n sweet.
Instead of complainin bout the picute go out n get laid or sumthing.
Posted by: Kim | December 31, 2007 09:22 PM
I agree with you. Another way the clothing an beauty industry crosses the line.
Posted by: cheyenne | January 18, 2008 11:21 AM
I agree- i study advertising and not any of your points are valid.
the fundamental purpose of the explicit add is to provoke controversy, therefore creating more marketing material-free of charge.
ps- this article is SO badly written. get back to school.
Posted by: Student | February 14, 2008 09:49 AM
I think you may have gone a lil too far with your article. But on the other hand, it is true that nowadays companies have stopped selling the actual product and became selling other things related to people's desires or wishes. I think this is what this ad reflects, CK jeans make you desirable if you happen to be a man, and if you' re a woman then you get to be just as hot as the model and you will find sex wheneer you want it. If you insist on relating the white guy on top, well I guess that as this ad's main target is american society, then the white guy image might just be realted to that fact. An ad always tries to create controversy or to be eye-catching cos we live in the image age, to be effective it's got to strike sensitive chords in people, and sex is one og the main ones. You can see that everything now has been sexualized, even a pair of jeans.
The idea that sex must be tough and rough might be lying down there somewhere, but it may just be related to the age of the potential customers, this ad goes to young, cool, people, pretty people, with attitude. that's all CK is trying to sell. The idea that if you get a pair of their jeans, you will have just all that, youth, beauty and what always comes with that: sex.
I would like you to answer me, to my email adress.
:)
Posted by: anyta | March 1, 2008 07:54 AM
All you people dissing this poor person get a life. Not the best article i've ever read... but it still has some good points in there amongst the abstract ones.
I still feel that it isn't right to use sex to sell products and no matter how they intended it, this ad still seems derogitory to me. Why not sell the product by saying how good the quality is or how nice the jeans look on?
if the products were really that good then you would think they would be able to sell them without trying to make them sexual symbols.
Posted by: Cleo | March 9, 2008 11:48 PM
All of you who have dissed this lady, GET A LIFE!! if you didn't like then you shouldn't read it! Ya'll are a bunch of bitches, let her speak her mind!
Posted by: Whitney | April 1, 2008 08:41 PM
All of you who have dissed this lady, GET A LIFE!! if you didn't like then you shouldn't read it! Ya'll are a bunch of bitches, let her speak her mind!
Posted by: Whitney | April 1, 2008 08:41 PM
I disagree - to me it looks like the man is awed by the woman's ecstasy - he is excited by her pleasure. But perhaps we all see what we want to see ;)
Posted by: tata | April 14, 2008 04:15 PM
I think this ad is pretty hot and sexy. The guy is hot and he is in control, and thats what women want. These feminists can go chant elsewhere.
Posted by: Courtney | April 21, 2008 01:45 PM
I think this ad is pretty hot and sexy. The guy is hot and he is in control, and thats what women want. These feminists can go chant elsewhere.
Posted by: Courtney | April 21, 2008 01:45 PM
Get over yourself. You seek faults and seek to be offended or find a justification to be offended. It's a bloody jeans ad. It's supposed to be hot, gritty and sexy. Have you ever been to Abercrombie and Fitch? Most of their ads look like gay men about to have sex. Does that mean that apparently people who wear A&F can only be gay or somehow get gay sex if they wear it? Thanks for making most women look bad.
Posted by: Christine | April 21, 2008 09:03 PM
absolutely Lets face it.. thats where women belong anyway, On their backs taking what men give them, I only have one question.. How come she isn't making him dinner while they are at it?
Posted by: HA | April 22, 2008 09:47 AM
i agree with you. it's pathetic how people are responding negatively towards your article. That's a huge reason ads are nothing but sexual portrayals. thanks for trying to point that out to the ignorant!
one person can make a difference.
more power to ya.
Posted by: Sasha | April 27, 2008 03:58 PM
I think this add is more about selling sex than anything (sex sells). Beyond that, the only thing I really see on it is that the man is the only one who is able to be in control giving pleasure even almost before touching her. (Have you ever seen an add with the roles changed?)
I don't think the designers of the picture thought "white is better" but it's just the way it is: Everything must be white in order to succed. Also, in order to put the background black the models would have to be white so that there'd be more contrast.
Posted by: Mac | April 30, 2008 02:15 PM
I think this ad is pretty hot. The guy is hot and he is in control, and thats what women want.But very attractive...
Posted by: techno-rave.net | June 19, 2008 11:12 PM