Clean and Dirty
Context:
I found this image on a Google search by typing in "women ads." It is an ad for Candies Fragrances for Men and Women. This particular ad can be found in Maxxum Magazine, targeted at adult men and women. I also found a "cleaned-up" version if this add, which can be found in a magazine for pre-teen and young teen girls. The "cleaned-up" version if this add has removed Mark Mcgrath's plumber crack and covered it with the towel, and the condoms are no longer on the counter.
Candies Fragrances sells perfume and cologne for men and women, Candies also sells shoes. From this ad, the fragrances are directly correlated with sex.
Content
The image portrays a dominant male because you can see his face in the picture through the mirror as well as his "I can have anything I want" attitude. He looks very frisky, dominant, and ready for whatever happens next. The female looks like an object for the male, maybe even part of the sink. You can not see her face or what she looks like, so the message is saying that it doesn't even matter what she looks like. The position of her legs is highly sexual and the position of her arm is highly suggestive. She is there for his pleasure and he is there to receive pleasure.
Form:
The obvious color is blue here. I think blue symbolizes a very cool tone. The fact that you can see the males face in the mirror says it all, his face and attitude sets the tone for the entire ad. The wardrobe is very little, he has only a towel on and it looks as though it is about to fall off. From what we can see of her, she has a little blue tank top on, maybe even a dress, and some blue Candies high heels. There are a few bottles of perfume on the counter along with some condoms. Both of their body positions tell us what is about to happen next.
My Reading:
I can tell that this is a very sexual and gendered image. They are supposedly selling fragrances, and shoes, but they are selling sex. I think it is very apolling about the "cleaned-up" image that is being portrayed to young girls. It is telling them that casual sex is alright between young people.