The latest incarnation of a celebrity fragrance promotes the
idea that female sex objectification is the key to becoming successful and famous!
This advert depicts miniature men crawling over the naked
body of a woman (Lady Gaga). Whilst it is said to be inspired by 'Gulliver's
Travels' I find it offensive in that it implies the woman is a sex object to be
explored by men.
It suggests she is not a person and is willingly allowing
numerous men to use her body. It also implies that women who use this fragrance
are open, and submissive for sexual use. It implies to women that they will
have men crawling all over them if they use the fragrance, and to men that any woman
wearing the fragrance is sexually available, not just to them, but to multiple
of men. It also suggests a submissive woman is a sex toy and enjoys being used
accordingly, taking great pleasure from it.
The imagery and its message will be seen by her many female
teenage fans, many of whom are aged 10 to 15. Once again, pop culture is being
used to sexualise children.
Further, this ad will encourage young girls to believe that
such behaviour is the way they should be if they are to be liked by boys.
Equally, young boys are being fed imagery that suggests to them that girls are
mere sex objects, and that their sole purpose is to provide sexual pleasure to
them and that they actually enjoy this role.
The ad breaks the ASA guidelines in respect of adverts
should not suggest sexual prowess or availability as a result of use of the
product being advertised. This advert not only suggests this, but it relies on
this message to sell the product. Once again as is common, sexual objectification
of women is being used to sell and promote a culture which is offensive and
demeaning to women.
It shows once again how girls growing up are being
conditioned into believing they are mere sex objects and that using their
sexuality is the only way forward for a woman to be successful.
In the pop world, the basis of promoting female artists is
to sexualise and objectify them; ensuring they conform to a specific and given
body type. Further, the currency of pop culture is soft porn, and is embedded
within song lyrics and the imagery of pop videos and advertising to promote the
product.
Whilst Lady Gaga herself may feel she is, and like Madonna
did do, a strong woman in control of her own product and destiny; she is merely
conforming to the stereotypical behaviour enforced upon her by a misogynistic
world as a result of insipid conditioning aimed at all of us, and within which
we develop from children to adults.
Arguments against this view, which point out the success of
both artists, merely confirm the above opinion as far as I am concerned.
The reality is that without using her body in a sexual
manner in all promotion avenues, very few female artists actually get anywhere
and certainly are not held up as being a role model for young girls and women.
The sexualisation of children and conditioning of both
genders into seeing the female gender as the sum total of body parts, limited
by and exploited accordingly; continues unchallenged by the majority of people
in this country.
Our capitalist system objectifies the female gender and
conditions both male and female into accepting this as the appropriate basis of
a culture which holds money and sex as its gods.
