To continue from my last blog post, I wanted to continue to look at advertising and other negative portrayals - this time with respect to women. Women are too often portrayed as weak, inferior, and silent in the majority of fashion advertisements in a number of ways. The fragile weight of models depicts frailty, while the classic model pose (back arched out with hands on hips, elbows out) further supports the portrayal of the woman as weak (this blog post has a great take on the 'posture' topic).
Another portrayal of women that is relatively common in fashion advertising is representing them as doll-like individuals. This could offensively imply that women are meerely something to look at - they have no actions, words, and capabilities as individuals (below - Juicy Couture ad). Additionally, closed, passive body language further enhances the image of a submissive, passive woman (Dolce and Gabanna ad, below).
An ad that I saw recently and fell in love with was a Gucci ad, depicting a woman holding a child. Her posture is open and aggressive, her smile wide, which to me is a nice reprive from the slouching, sleepy ads I spoke about earlier. In addition, I like how it brings a sense of power and dignity to motherhood.
