In both these advertisements for Abercrombie & Fitch only one thing is clear: sex sells. Each of the highly sexualized images features a perfectly sculpted male figure at the center of a group of people. In the first advertisement the male is facing away from the camera displaying solely his back side, while in the second advertisement the male's face is cut off showing only his chiseled abs and 'package'. Without faces these men become solely sexual objects, with their perfect bodies on display for the entertainment of the group surrounding them. In the first spread there is not even Abercrombie clothing in the picture and they are clearly not selling yellow towels, thus concluding that the sole purpose of the advertisement is to sell sex.
Now that it is established that Abercrombie is selling sex to interpellate their viewers, the question becomes what kind of sex are they selling? The first image features 'All-American' men in a locker room where one of them is being forced to strip. Generally, the locker room is a symbol of hegemonic masculinity's associated with athletes; however, this ad questions whether all the locker horseplay could have homoerotic undertones. Furthermore, in the second advertisement there are guys stripping a guy, but there is also two girls stripping the guy. Abercrombie uses what Alexander Doty suggests as a "conventional heterosexual(izing) narrative device of using a woman to mediate and diffuse male-male erotics". Therefore, Abercrombie does not fully commit to the gay community in their advertising by keeping their advertisements sexually ambiguous and allowing the viewers to decide the meaning for themselves.
Michel Russell , Winchester, England
ReplyDeleteI think it is up to the individual to transfer what is actually going on in the shower. If you want it to be homoerotic then that is your choice. Young men having fun! You decide whether it's for real or just play acting?
Rodolfo (Rudolph) Vides , Antiguo Cuscatla'n, La Libertad, El salvador
ReplyDeleteI would love if they could be without those towels. But then there would be no question about if it's gay or not. I think that it is NOT a thing about sexuality; it is about what's beautiful and what's not and our appreciation of it without any shame. Anyone can say if another person is beautiful or not, regardless of sexual attraction. Everybody is confused about what is what.
Farraro Sutton , Lafayette, LA
Personally, I don't see what's so gay about this picture. Athough it's a great picture, what exactly is the ad about? What's being marketed here?
About the Second Ad:
ReplyDeleteSadiq Sheraze , Waco, TX
This is by far one of the sexiest pictures that I have ever layed eyes on. Not becasue it consists of a gorgeous Greek-god like body, but becuase it captures the temptation and curiosity of both men and women.
Chuck Turner , Corpus Christi, TX
Great ad, but geared solely to 25ish crowd. I think it'd work with equally hunky 45ish models!
Christopher Lee , St. Petersburg, FL
There is a purity in this ad. Whether it is drunk guys streaking or the drunk girl flashing the guys or the drunk guy stripping: for the consumer of Abercrombie & Fitch, these experiences are not unfamiliar. I went to a school that had a huge frat row and when you went into a bar you saw this type of behavior. It was beer-fueled good-natured fun. I think this picture takes good times and makes them beautiful.
Daniel , Murfreesboro, TN
I love the way it seems to show all the guys faces while only showing 1 of the 2 girls in the entire picture. Makes you wonder about how it's supposed to be portrayed. With all that said, the two guys who do A&F's photography are wonderful!
Tim , Seattle
This looks like a typical frat-guy party, say, after a big football game that their team won. And it's obviously the same central model in both shots, but the crowd looks different, as if it was done in separate poses instead of all at once.
I also find it very appealing and erotic. Makes me wonder if the guys are just having drunken fun, or if some might have ulterior motives for this behavior?
Farraro Sutton , Lafayette, LA
Fun and whimsical at the same time. Great ad