Representation and Postmodern Advertising This presentation explored the role of postmodern advertising in today’s media landscape, particularly how brands use culture, celebrity, and identity to connect with increasingly informed audiences. Unlike modern advertising, which often presents itself as an authority, postmodern advertising positions itself as more relatable and connected to the consumer (Cortese, 2016, p. 10). Using Marc Jacobs as a case study, I analyzed campaigns featuring Lily Moss, Sabrina Carpenter, and Alex Consani to examine how the brand reflects this postmodern approach.
I also explored the concept of the Culture Industry, which refers to entertainment industries dedicated to engaging audiences during their nonworking time (Cortese, 2015, p. 7). Through Marc Jacobs campaigns featuring figures from fashion, music, and popular culture, I examined how celebrity, identity, and representation are incorporated into contemporary advertising. The project ultimately allowed me to connect advertising theory with real-world examples while considering how these campaigns challenge or reinforce established stereotypes.
Recreating the Codes of Gender
Tasked with furthering my understanding of ‘commercial realism’ and ‘codes of gender’, I first moved to collect three fashion advertisements. These three ads came from the iconic fashion house of Versace (A brand that would become my muse for many projects). Throughout all the ads, I managed to analyze the rituals of gender display. From my analysis, I was able to find heavy traces of the feminine touch, the male grip, the ritualization of subordination, licensed withdrawal, and infantilization. After finding the rituals/codes being used, I moved to recreate the images as a way to poke fun or strip away the normality of tropes and poses commonly forced upon women.
While the creation of the artifact mirrors what Goffman would call a ‘thought experiment’, the overall presentation acts as but a steppingstone in the long path that media audiences and activists have been walking. For years, they have been attempting to showcase recognizable icons of masculinity and femininity and the damaging, overtly sexual, ways they represent both sexes. From the ‘Codes of Gender,’ we know that this refers to how women are often depicted in advertising as being psychologically adrift, spaced-out, inattentive, unconscious, and unaware of their surrounding environment (Cortese, 2015, p. 40). This fact often leads to photographers aiming for a zoned-out look which to some looks cool, but to others can look like a lifeless victim, who is limp and pliable, giving in to whatever is happening around them, further fortifying a sexist belief that sees women taking a passive role to a mans more active, dominant role (Cortese, 2015, p. 40).