kelly post 1

Part I

An older ad from Abercrombie & Fitch used to promote its underwear line is pictured above. This is considered rather tame for Abercrombie & Fitch advertisements. Its purpose is to “promote the sale of Abercrombie underwear,” however this image depicts much more than comfortable briefs. A clearly masculine man is standing waterside with his arms around a half-naked and clearly attractive young lady. Both are laughing while kissing and embracing. This ad promotes the idea that if you wear Abercrombie boxers or boxies (female boxers), you too will have prince charming plus one crazy tattoo or Cinderella minus a bra to cuddle with near a remote lake. This is a representation of society as Abercrombie wants teenagers to view it. Abercrombie believes that sex is a natural and fun activity intricately woven into the lives of teenagers, so they will automatically relate to this ad through either experience or desire, thus promoting sales while also causing parents to become concerned with censorship. In truth, Abercrombie is right. Their use of naked male and female models does promote their sales. I don’t believe they would be such a popular line if they actually previewed more of their clothing in their advertisements. Wearing Abercrombie underwear won’t get you laid, but it might make you feel more confident. Since confidence is lacking so greatly amongst teenagers, this ad might not be entirely negative for society. Of course, the true value of this image is that it is completely staged. That wearing the right boxers or briefs or thongs won’t enable you to meet the right person for you. Still, the teenage society falls for this advertisement and purchases the products thinking “that could be me.” I guess Abercrombie knows what they’re doing when they advertise their clothing, perfume, and underwear lines using tanned and sometimes tattooed skin.

A feminist theory book entitled Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women is adorned with a cover featuring the author naked straddling a chair. Her breasts are shadowed by the chair, but compensating for that censorship is her left hand that is half sliding through her hair and half providing us with a friendly image of her middle finger. This picture is meant to suggest that the scorned woman, the desperate girl, and the mentally unstable drug-sing tramp actually has her own feminine right to be any and all of those three things. I absorbed this simply by looking at the author’s face; she’s a bitch, she knows it, and her arching eyebrow and demure smile prove it. The picture is clearly staged, and the viewer gets the idea that the author is condoning the image, the title of the book, and its contents with full confidence and pride. She’s proud to be the bitch she writes about. In truth, the image does portray exactly what it is intended to do. Elizabeth Wurtzel considers herself a difficult woman, so she has provided a perfect example for her readers or readers intrigued by the book.

As one of the less famous photographs from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Holly Golightly is pictured here looking through the glass of Tiffany’s & Co. If one didn’t know that this picture depicted Holly looking into the jewelry store, they’d think that she was an upperclass woman carrying breakfast while extremely over dressed. With the background knowledge of this film, the viewer knows that Holly is still wearing her eveningwear from the past night, she spends all the money she has the second she gets it, and she survives off of men’s stupidity. Still, this picture captures Holly in a state of elegance that fools everyone. She’s petite, adorned in pearls, and wearing long black gloves. She is able to trick people into assuming her social class in order to get by in life. I think this picture shows a genuine division between being able to deceive others into thinking you’re wealthy and actually being wealthy. Holly is on the outside of Tiffany’s with no money and she’s hardly considering a purchase for lack of funds. She is simply a passerby; someone who enjoys the view of the wealthy world from the other side of the glass. The crystal chandeliers in the front drop also add to this depiction.

Harry Potter provided our generation with a new dream: to be a wizard. Every young girl classically wants to be a princess, kiss a frog, and meet her prince charming while every young boy wants to be a superhero. Harry Potter created a revolution and opened a door filled with brand new dreams for young boys and girls around the world. This picture shows Harry in all his glory. His wand is raised at the ready and his focused eyes suggest that he is staring down an evil adversary. In truth, the entire picture is fiction. It’s staged to provide children with a bit of fright, excitement, and to entice them to see the movie and purchase additional Harry Potter items. There is no honesty in the picture, but instead the entire image has been fabricated starting in the mind of J.K. Rowling. As a side note, Harry is often an outcast at Hogwarts. In The Chamber of Secrets, he was accussed of being Slytherin’s heir. During other times throughout the series, Harry was ousted as being a suck-up, an attention whore, and stubborn. The point is his character is relatable. Many kids don’t quite fit into social groups, having only a few friends. Harry Potter showed that it was perfectly “normal” or perhaps a better word would be acceptable to fit in where you do and accept it as it is. Throughout the series he’s never tried to be anything other than himself, and that’s provided the readers with inspiration to do the same.

The Coca-Cola Company really challenged them with this advertisement. The picture tells you what you’re response should be: temptation. Then it follows the suggestion of temptation up with a reaffirmation (isn’t it!). The exclamation point might be my favorite part of this ad. Instead of being grammatically correct and placing a question mark at the end of the statement as if the ad were asking the viewer if they were tempted, the ad instead entices the viewer by implying the temptation felt after seeing this image is plain fact instead of personal preference. It’s a strong use of advertising: making the viewer think what you want them to think by telling them to think it. The truth in this photo is clear, there aren’t any bubbles that surround coke bottles even when their in glass containers. It’s a figment of the viewer’s imagination meant to excite salivary glands and taste buds.

Part II

The Abercrombie add promotes a sex as a form of a rampant and exciting ideology.

Abercrombie & Fitch Boxers (signifier) + Heterosexual sex (signified) = Wearing Abercrombie boxers increases your chance at having sex with attractive people (sign)

The book Bitch promotes a strong feminine ideology.

A girl (signifier) + bitchy attitude (signified) = self-righteousness and independence for women (sign)

Part III

The red sculpture outside of the Orlando building can be classified as high art because it is a large, 3-D metal sculpture whose existence has been condoned and supported by a reputable college. It’s on Holt Avenue, and thus a very obvious sculpture (one not hidden from the public’s eye).

A drawing that I drew back during elementary school would be considered an example of low art because it has no specific technique or symbolism, it isn’t displayed anywhere else except for my refrigerator, and the general public wouldn’t recognize it as art if they were to view it.