Marc Jacobs is a Mysogynist
What other explanation is there for a company that continues to create ad campaigns that depict women as 1. disposable 2. victims, sometimes disposable victims.
If you saw the ad round-up posted recently, you have seen the patterns, image after image reinforcing narrow and limiting themes of women in advertising. To see the images lined up next to one another takes on a remarkable quality and produces a powerful impact. I know it did for me when I saw all of the ads put together, even after 15 years of conscious and critical analysis.
With that said, I’ve seen scores and scores of ads as a consumer and even more through the lens of a media critic and, unsurprisingly, in that process I have become a bit desensitized. Oh, another super skinny model, another model posed passively, and on it goes. I’ve seen such awful ads that many have become less shocking because there are others that are so much worse.
Marc Jacobs continues to strike me with the blatant devaluing of women and the often brutal or degrading circumstances in which they are depicted. The two below are no expection.
Top: Marc Jacobs ad from the March 2010 issue of Harper’s Bazaar (Kate Moss is on the cover)
Bottom: Marc Jacobs ad from the March 2010 issue of W (Megan Fox on the cover).
They’re both disturbing (and entirely unnecessary to sell whatever they’re trying to sell: the bag? the shoes?) but the bottom is one is what really made me cringe. Do we need to draw on rape scenes of women assaulted in back alleys? It reminds me of the Marc Jacobs ad campaign circa 2005 when shoes were being sold by placing them on models whose feet would be attached to a lifeless body on the ground, legs poking out from behind a bush. Yup, more images of disposabe, victimized women. I’ll be rummaging through my collection of ads to post them if you’re in the least bit skeptical or doubt me.
So, not much has changed in 5 years. In fact, not much has changed in over 30 years. Check out the vintage ad for shoes from 1974 that Ms.Blog posted yesterday. The fact that these images have not changed drastically in several decades solidifies my commitment to remaining vigilant and using my media literacy skills to call out the misogynistic companies that use victimized, brutalized and disposable women as ways to make a profit. Shame on you.
Good points! I never know what he is selling because (a) the ads have no true marketing focus(b) I am always distracted by the bizarre situations/poses the models are always put in.
Comment by Kerith — April 15, 2010 @ 10:19 pm
Those ads are disgusting. It’s like the Duncann Quinn ad — with a woman in lingerie on the hood of a car with a necktie tied around her neck and her head resting in a pool of blood- how and why is that acceptable for companies to use in order to sell expensive clothes? The message is clear and it has nothing to do with clothing.
Comment by Marley — April 15, 2010 @ 11:31 pm
He’s disgusting
Comment by Krista — April 16, 2010 @ 7:17 am
thank you for posting this. his ad campaigns are particularly foul and i think one of the saddest parts of it all is, we as a society have become so accustomed to being inundated with this sort of imagery, we hardly notice anymore. well, some of us notice, but not as many as i would like.
you’re right on all accounts.
Comment by Sarit — April 16, 2010 @ 8:23 am
[...] mindset that, for just one example, continues to believe that employing images of gruesome violence against women is the most effective way to sell clothes, shoes, cars, reality show episodes, and [...]
Pingback by WIMN’s Voices » “Advertising hasn’t changed” since “Mad Men” –Hank Wasiak at #140Conf — April 20, 2010 @ 1:00 pm
Please explain why the above images of women are found in women’s fashion magazines? The consumers of these magazines are predominanatly women
Comment by Paul — October 18, 2010 @ 9:02 pm
Marc Jacobs’s advertisements are very confusing. I can never tell what he is trying to sell or promote in his advertisements. As a society as a whole we have been accustomed to advertisements like this and many others and we never realize what is being shown and stop to really look at whats going on.
Comment by Joshua. S — October 21, 2010 @ 9:33 pm
It is beyond me that these advertisements actually WORK. Why would women buy from these brands while they portray women in such a disposable, degrading manner? Boycott!!
Comment by Jennifer Edgerton — October 24, 2010 @ 12:12 am
I’m a fan of his collections, however, his ads show a completely different side to him. Usually when I see his pieces on the model in the ad, it doesn’t look nice and I don’t have the desire to own it until I see it at the store. His ads have always seemed bizarre to me and after reading this post and looking at the ads again, I’m disgusted.
Comment by Dalal C. — October 26, 2010 @ 12:11 am
This article brings up a lot of good points that I myself wouldn’t have come to a conclusion when flipping through a magazine and seeing these ads. Marc Jacobs and many other well known brands hint subliminal messages that not only degrade women, but make these images and ideas a part of the norms of our society.
Comment by Camellia Shahmoradi — October 29, 2010 @ 12:16 pm
Why anybody thinks these images are a good idea is totally baffling. Their completely morbid and dont even seem to have a purpose other than fulfill some sick fantasy.
Comment by Shawn S — June 1, 2011 @ 11:00 pm
Using serious and severe situations such as rape scene to sell shoes is disturbing and unfathomable for me. More disturbing is the devaluing of women these advertisements depict make it that much harder for women to demand change. Women being disposable? That just crosses the line
Comment by Tiffany Majdipour — November 12, 2011 @ 4:35 pm
Completely agree; these images are completely unnecessary and/or redundant for trying to sell whatever they are selling. In fact, I think the misogynistic images are taking away the purpose of these so-called “ads”, which is to sell. They are instead creating controversial messages about women by objectifying them. There are a million other ways to (successfully) sell a product without the use of misogynistic images.
Comment by Bridget T. — December 6, 2011 @ 10:52 am
Where does this all stop? It seems as if these image campaigns that people are running will only show women as disposable items and as victims. It’s so true you get a greater sense of what these images are all about with they are back to back. No wonder we skip over them when it’s one here and one there. We think nothing of it. I don’t get how they think this is art. You would never see a guy in the same photo doing the same pose. That’s un-heard of. Marc Jacobs is a sick man for sure. I just hope we don’t go another 30 years with this same image of women. I just wish there was a simple way to make this idea of women go away, and for these photographers to stop shooting pictures like this for magazines.
Comment by Sarah R. — February 1, 2012 @ 8:40 am
I can’t wait for the day when people stop looking at these pictures and referring to them as “art”, and the continue to use that as a justification for its content. It’s an advertisement…for shoes (or a bag? dress? gang rape?) and the content in it is VERY disturbing, and the content is something that affects all of us, because all of us have to be subjected to looking at hundreds upon hundreds of these ads on a daily basis. And it DOES affect the way we think both individually and collectively. And how we think individually and collectively is how we shape our society, and if we start thinking that a dead woman in an alley is just, OK, we are headed (heading) down a dark and twisted rabbit hole.
Comment by Nisha CM — February 1, 2012 @ 8:58 pm
These ads are definitely very disturbing and equally confusing because they don’t have anything to do with the products that they are selling! What does selling a brand name bag or shoe have to do with a woman posing as if shes dead or victimized?!? This is just another example of devaluing women. If they really want to be unique with the ads they are making, they should start making ads that show respect towards women rather than victimizing them or objectifying them with their bodies.
Comment by Rosemary A — February 2, 2012 @ 4:28 pm
These ads are confusing people. I do not know what products they are selling. I did focus on the model and the posture more than the products. In the first picture(Kate Moss), i do not know that they are selling the bag before I read the article. Pretending a dead person is not helping the companies to sell the products. However, they keep doing this for many years.
Comment by Lam Yan Yee — February 3, 2012 @ 7:19 pm
I think a main issue with these ads is that it doesn’t bother most women. I know people who have taken many women’s studies classes and will still walk around with a Marc Jacobs bag even after being shown this ad. The fact is, much like with rap music, unless women stop purchasing the products or wanting them, real change will never happen. You have to show Marc Jacobs that you don’t approve of his advertisements by not buying his products. There are so many other options out there but the fact is, for the most part people don’t care about this sort of thing.
Comment by Rory O — February 4, 2012 @ 3:12 pm
I feel bad about this ad and I don’t know what the point of this ad is and I know this is fashion ads but if I see ad, I don’t want to buy these clothing.
women’s studies 10
Comment by Eun Hee Chung — February 5, 2012 @ 12:30 am
The fact that so many “high fashion” designers are using this type of advertising–objectifying and degrading wimmin by showing them as dead, lifeless, vulnerable, etc.–is really appalling. What they’re doing is glorifying that and making it “high fashion”–ultimately making it “acceptable” and desensitizing the public to the severity of the situations they’re depicting. This spans across the board into many different aspects of the media, music industry, fashion industry, etc. and even in Kanye West’s “Monster”, he goes as far to say “the best wimmin are dead” (and that’s regardless of the ridiculous video). It’s a recurring theme coming at us from every angle that needs to be smashed.
Comment by Breanna K — February 5, 2012 @ 9:10 am
It is sad to think that seeing such images in mass media has become so common that, upon viewing them, you think that it’s nothing out of the ordinary and that you have seen much worse. This sense of being accustomed to images where women appear dead and vulnerable are adequate proof that there is an underlying problem in our culture. The “cultivation,” or building and maintenance of such images, is what makes these images seem normal and not shocking to onlookers. In order to make a real change, we must completely remove these pictures of women models appearing dead and “disposable” to show that it is in fact a big deal.
Comment by Camille Yona — February 5, 2012 @ 1:17 pm
A lot of girls admire Marc Jacob’s designs. It is sad because most women don’t think deeply of how degrading modeling dead women is. If anything, those images bring Marc Jacob more customers. He portrays dead people to look so beautiful by dressing them up nicely and applying make up so perfect. By putting these ads up to advertise, it is essentially making us women look worse and not better.
Comment by Alexandria S — February 5, 2012 @ 10:59 pm
I don’t understand why Marc Jacobs would feel that these images of women would make his products look better. If anything it would make me not want to support him in any kind of way. He should put girls that look beautiful in the product. I have seen it in tv shows and many other ads. However, what is more shocking is that women approve this. They like it and don’t stand up for it. Especially the women used for the ads. This is what disappoints me the most.
Comment by Juliana C. — February 6, 2012 @ 10:50 am
It becomes one thing when you want to catch someones attention by showing a beautiful model brutalized and battered but they have come too far. People don’t see that it’s not just an ad anymore. It’s not the bag we should we worried about if it’s still available in stores. It should be about “This is wrong, look what’s being done to the model just to say this product.” She may of course hadn’t been actually harmed but the people who see has. Not physically but mentally. It becomes more and more accepted into society. The power of media is the source to what we should or shouldn’t believe. I think we all just need a reality check and go over what our morals actually become.
Comment by Crystina K — February 6, 2012 @ 11:08 am
You can’t even tell what they’re trying to sell! It’s just demeaning and degrading. So many have become desensitized to these type of images. They’re just so much, it’s become normal. That’s disturbing. A normal reaction would be to be shocked, but we see so often, we’re not even shocked anymore.
Comment by Jessica K — February 6, 2012 @ 11:09 am
Disgusting, putrid, vile: words that come to my head when I look at these pictures. To liken a woman to human waste waiting to be flushed down the toilet? To portray a rape victim post-rape seemingly at the height of her Lolita-esque beauty? The worth of human life increases but the worth of a woman is decreasing…how does that make sense? A company with this much prestige and influence should not only employ a more socially conscious means of creating advertisements, but should also print retractions for such smut that they’ve had the gall to publish.
Comment by Taja Eddahbi — February 6, 2012 @ 12:59 pm
I can’t comprehend why people continue to buy a product that is advertised in that manner. Have we lost touch with reality? Have those who continue to keep these trillionaires in business become so desensitized that they laugh at what this label portrays? I must say Melanie, you have worked hard to put this stuff out there and I appreciate it. I feel like I’ve been under a rock for years. I am becoming more aware of the disgusting world we live in. Maybe it’s because I don’t watch much T.V. or read magazines, but all in all I am appalled at what keeps people in business.
Comment by Salina G — April 4, 2012 @ 10:37 pm
I wonder what people think about these images, and how the company thinks this is acceptable to put out there. This is very disturbing to me, I can’t believe it. Seeing magazines and advertisement all round me, I know notice how women are victimized and sexualized. I never know how bad it was, and it’s very sad. Those pictures that are posted, in alley it looks like a porn shoot, or a sex slave in an alley. The so called mattress with nothing else yin the alley, it’s like women are trash. Seriously what are they trying to sell, SEX? Each image that is published now and days degrade women some how. Why? This is sad.
Comment by Natali Fernandez — April 12, 2012 @ 4:15 pm
I would honestly have to say that these are the most disturbing ads I’ve seen. I never really know what they are advertising because the actual pictures are just disturbing. I too agree that in these pictures Marc Jacobs really devalues and degrades women by posing them in the areas that he does and in the positions as well. What are these people who place these ads thinking? I guess we will never know what they are thinking, but since they are still coming out like this I guess it is working for them.
Comment by CandaceR — April 15, 2012 @ 11:07 pm
I agree with you. These images are very disturbing. These images/ads really show how women can either be disposed when not needed or victimized in a rape situation. These ads do not call my attention to buy whatever it is they are selling. I wonder if there models have any clue on the message the ad they are posing for is sending? More and more ads are just shocking when it comes to promoting a certain item. I considered buying a Marc Jacobs bag once, somehow I change my mind. Honestly, after seeing these ads I am glad I didn’t. I would not want to be part of whatever it is they are doing. It is just disturbing.
Comment by Ana B — April 18, 2012 @ 6:40 am
In most Marc Jacobs ads its often hard to tell what the designer is trying to sell. I’ve come to the conclusion that the random displays and awkwardly placed models are only trying to sell the brand. Who cares what it is, as long as it says Marc Jacobs on it, right?
I am guilty of mindlessly flipping through magazines, allowing the media and advertisements ruthlessly attack my subconscious. However, now i know better. I am aware of the negative images and messages displayed through various ads. With that said, is the point of advertisements for readers to depict their every motive? Do they even have a motive other than to sell the product? Do they really mean to show women in suggestive poses that could possibly depict rape?
Be it there motive or not, it is still wrong. And someone who notices such things should speak out, and the ads should be taken down. It saddens me to know that this is an issue that can get by. Something that has so many other effects on readers and viewers other than simply buying the product they so cleverly advertise.
Comment by Raven G — April 18, 2012 @ 11:57 pm
I don’t even understand why they would think this ad would sell the products? The woman in both pictures are displayed as trash, in a trashy room/alley and depicted as objects. This absolutely perpetuates the objectification of women.
Comment by MarenW — April 22, 2012 @ 3:47 pm
I have to agree that Marc Jacobs is a Misogynist because in majority of their ads, it portrays women as sex objects. “Maybe you will get this sexy young lady if you buy this cologne.” Sex has been used in advertisements for many companies. They believe that if you choose this lifestyle (sexy) you can be as cool as the models on the marketing. I’ve seen a couple of Marc Jacobs ads where they used the perfume bottle as an object on top of the female genitalia. Are people supposed to find this attractive? I wouldn’t want to buy a perfume that has touched another woman’s crouch. Also another popular Marc Jacobs ad is the one where a female has fallen into the shopping bag with her legs coming out, spread apart. I think this is to symbolize that women are willing to give sex for money (go shopping).
Comment by Linda Piyawadhanachai — April 24, 2012 @ 8:12 pm
Though I’m not certain, I am assuming that Marc Jacobs caters predominately to women, being that the products being displayed are purses. What is interesting is try to understand how it is possible that women purchase these products despite the fact that these advertising campaigns exhibit ‘misogynistic’ images. It appear to be that in general, the public does is not bothered by these images and in fact, condone them but subscribing to them and supporting the advertisers by purchasing the products.
This is not say that these advertisements are not misogynistic, because they are. Portraying women as victims of, what i presume to be, rape in an alley way, and a women in a toilet and if she was some sort of waste is just not a logical way of to advertise their products. It is a bit depressing that not enough people care about the issue to eliminate it and that the victims (women) are, themselves, supporting it.
Comment by Elvis Rosales — April 26, 2012 @ 11:58 am
It is so sad to see how we are in 2012 and these types of misogynistic images are still being created. The way Marc Jacobs depicts woman is horrible. Why does he have to depict woman this way if his purpose it to advertise clothes. This image shows that we are clearly not making progress when it comes to the depiction of woman. He is not the only one who is creating these advertisements that depict women in a negative way. There are advertisements just if not worse that have horrific images that involve degrading woman. If woman are continued to be depicted in this way the cycle will never stop. There are woman who can be very sensitive to these images and Marc Jacobs thinks that he is being creative with his advertisement. It is just wrong and these images need to stop.
Comment by LilianaC — April 26, 2012 @ 4:50 pm
These ads are very sexist and victimize women. Both of which are horrible. Why would I want to buy anything that a woman is holding who is posed like that or in a back dirty alley? I do not find this appealing and don’t want to buy anything from Marc Jacobs if this is how he thinks things will sell. The picture with the woman’s legs open is extremely disturbing and unattractive. It does not make me want to buy whatever that ad is trying to sell.
Comment by Jessica Serrano — April 26, 2012 @ 7:06 pm
These ads are just weird. I’ve never really critically looked at the different advertisements and media messages that I see when looking through magazines or driving around town. When you actually sit and think about the different images that are presented to young women in these ads, it’s sad. According to Marc Jacobs, women are disposable. It’s as simple as that. Women are no better than the disposable articles of clothing that they are trying to sell and he proves it constantly through his ads. And not only are women disposable, but they are also disposable sexual objects. No wonder women constantly struggle with the feeling that they aren’t worthy of any happiness or love in their lives; look at these images where they are tossed around like rag dolls enough times and you might start to think that you are no better than that either. Especially since these Marc Jacobs models are so respected and well paid in our society (nearly every women wants to be a model sometime when their growing up, and this is what they want?) Seeing women advertised in this way makes no sense. Does it really even help sell his clothes?
Comment by Adrienne S — April 27, 2012 @ 12:14 am
Marc Jacobs’ ads have always stood out to me, definitely not because of the product, but because of the graphic depictions of women. The ad is all about the shock factor, the actual product is never the focal point of the advertisement. Most of the ads feature women’s naked body parts and they are in awkward positions that make them appear broken. Marc Jacobs calls it artistic and edgy, but when does it cross the line and just become a promotion of violence towards women? Besides his mangled women ads, he also features ads with girls who don’t even look 18 or have very childlike features. They are posed seductively, with their young age also supposed to a shock factor in the ad. When it is accepted in our society for ads to featured sexualized little girls and misogynistic images, it validates all the crime and violence against women. Not only do his ads show women in this way, but also the location like a back alley reinforces the rape culture and fear for women to be out at night. His ads truly disgust me and I would never want to support his products, even if I could afford his over-priced fashion. As he continues to run these ads and everyday magazines print them, it normalizes the idea of a mangled, battered woman. His ads are not even about the item he’s selling, it is just a dangerous and negative image to continue to reproduce.
Comment by Samantha H — April 29, 2012 @ 12:58 pm
These degrading ads of women are terrible ways to show its buyers that these shoes, hats, bags, dresses, etc. are what they need. When I saw the ads I would have ever guess what they are trying to sell. I wonder what makes these CEOs think these types of ads will make them the most money. I assume its working for them, they are making a lot of money and these companies are pretty famous, so that also tells you, the consumers like what they see. I wonder if these consumers really think that those shoes or bags will make them look as hot or seductive, just like the models. These ads reinforces the idea that women are powerless, worthless, and its all about the sex and look, “SEX SELLS”. These ads also teach its consumers and buyers that they need to be skinny, have perfect hair and be flawless, in order to turn heads, attract men, and be successful. Like mentioned before, these ads seem to not focus on the product at all, mostly on the women. IT seems like when the price of the product goes up, the less attention the actual product gets. Like Old Navy, their ads actually light up the product, show women using the product while being happy and in a positive vibe. Then like the ads above, they are 100x more expensive, you can tell what is being sold, and the women are portrayed as lifeless or powerless, in a bad light. So I guess sex and money is the most important thing for named brand companies.
Comment by Wesley L. — April 29, 2012 @ 1:01 pm
High fashion has definitely made women disposable and lifeless being to sell what ever it is the images are trying to sell. Not only do I not understand what the products being sold are but I have noticed that women tend to be victimized and constantly shown as objects for the male gaze. There have been many images selling shoes or a purse where the image is of a woman about to be raped by one or many men. To normalize such acts speaks volumes of the society we live in. We have come to accept images of degrading women and putting them below men that most of us are not shocked by what we see. However, as a society we have to be conscious of what we are saying to not only our female viewers but our male viewers as well. We have to teach them healthy ways to view women.
Comment by Nancy Rodriguez — April 29, 2012 @ 2:26 pm
I have never personally noticed these marc Jacob ads probably because I avoid magazine ads and have no interest in marc Jacobs designs. These ads are so ridiculous I don’t even know where to start. First of all if a consumer glanced at these ads they would have no idea what exactly the advertisement is selling. The sexist and irrelevant scene does nothing to draw attention to the specific item being sold which means that it does nothing to boost the sale of said product, so why even do it? This is simply another company guilty of desensitizing society to misogynist and violent images. I find it funny that Marc Jacobs would not show women in a better light when brainstorming ad campaigns considering the fact that it is women more so than men that keep them in business in the first place.
Comment by Ajalah T. — April 29, 2012 @ 11:41 pm
I honestly feel that we need more people to be using their media literacy skills to bring attention to the ads that are making women seem like rag dolls. I have been so used to seeing women in a passive way or seeing them in very sexual cloths and are as big as my right thigh that I guess when I look through a magazine now I just skip right over it because I am used to seeing it. None of these images shown have I seen. I don’t like it and I really want to bring attention to the dismissal of women and our integrity. I would like to say that I just want to be mad at the photographer and designers, but I also find myself mad at the models as well. They willingly lay in these positions and let people Photograph them. I would like them to realize how they are being portrayed and what it is doing to our young girls and growing adolescents.
Comment by Candice G. — April 30, 2012 @ 5:20 pm
If i saw these advertisements in a magazine I wouldn’t think much of it and probably keep flipping the pages. Once you are aware of what the message is being depicted in these advertisements, it is very eye opening and you start to pull apart every piece of media that comes your way. I think this is where the problem is, so many people don’t even think twice of what the message is thats being sent out. Even if they are slightly aware, they don’t believe it will affect them. These Marc Jacobs advertisements are showing women AND men that women are disposable and also sexually disposable. You can even tell what the product is, so what is the point of the ad. We need to be more mindful when looking at these ads and buying the products these ads are selling. Im sure women wouldn’t like the fact that someone is saying they are disposable. So why support that person by buying their products. This is so frustrating because I never even thought twice about any ‘ad but now that im aware, I feel like I have been controlled by the media. Its an unsettling feeling.
Comment by Heather S. — April 30, 2012 @ 7:29 pm
I am guilty of owning a marc jacobs purse but after readign this article and seeing these disturbing ads in a way i feel ashamed of wearing a label that degraded women in such a negative way. Its so shammeful to see how these marc jacbs ads show women being victimized as somebody you can just get rid of like disposable bowel movements in the toilet as we were crap. And the worst victimizing women as if she has just being raped is so horrible to make it seem that is something considered normal and right when its absolutely not. It is just sad to see that this label makes so much money out making women look weak and treating women with no respect and showing these young girls teaching that is ok to be treated this way.
Comment by Denisse Teutla — April 30, 2012 @ 10:57 pm
I hate to say it but for some reason the first picture didn’t really catch me off guard. Yes, its incredibly bizarre, but I feel like most “art” especially “fashion” is! The second image however, is so weird and disgusting to me. My first questions is, why? This does not make me want to buy anything of his, thats for sure. It is pathetic how we have to treat women this way to sell something, and even more pathetic the women posed like this.
Comment by Jennifer — May 4, 2012 @ 7:36 pm
To be quite honest, these images don’t really move me or spark anger (or should I say they USED to not get to me). It is evident that I am desensitized to these misogynistic images. I see SO many of these “modeling/advertising” ads that portray women as disposable/worthless, that I truly have been desensitized. Of course it is different with a media literate eye. Now I can point out these sick images of rape, disposal, and violence, but what about the men and women out there who aren’t media literate? The illiterate (media) see such images and think violence and misogyny is OK, when it isn’t.
Comment by Holly A. — May 8, 2012 @ 11:41 am
First off, these pictures are weird, grungy, and bizarre. I can’t even bypass how weird the pictures are to see what product is being sold. That alone would make me not want to buy the products. I know that fashion is an expression, but the expression of exposing women to sell a product is taking it too far. I agree that fashion should be creative, but I think the pictures were too outside the box. I am a little familiar with who Marc Jacobs is, but I never knew that he had these types of ads. Is Marc Jacobs a misogynist? Possibly…however, I can’t confirm it for sure because I do not personally know him. Nevertheless I will say this, for anyone that depicts women in that matter, I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that there is some type of ill feeling towards that sex.
Comment by Chynnassa E — May 8, 2012 @ 4:26 pm
I have never paid much attention to Marc Jacobs’ magazine ads, however it is apparent that he or the individuals who work for him are misogynists. Do a quick Google search on Marc Jacobs magazine ads and you will see that there is a strong consistency with these degrading images of women. There are ads showing a woman’s legs hanging out of a Marc Jacobs shopping bag as if she’s dead, then there’s multiple ads where the bodies of the female models are being controlled by the male models. These images suggest that women are inferior to men; this is the message that I’m getting from these images and i’m sure that i’m not the only one.
Comment by Britjette M. — May 8, 2012 @ 8:36 pm
Marc Jacobs, repeat after me: “I do not need to have my model pose like she has just been raped to sell my products.” In fact, are these ads even trying to sell clothes to women? A little less clothing and this would be considered really sick porn. There’s always the excuse of making ads “shocking” in order to attract more customers, but if Marc Jacobs really wanted to shock people into buying his products, he should just put an overweight or unattractive model in an ad. That’ll do it.
Comment by Lauren B — May 9, 2012 @ 11:24 am
I very rarely see ads for high fashion items directed at women that aren’t either violent or sexually suggestive. I think this is interesting because the products being sold are never products sold to men. Men aren’t going to be carrying around purses or high heels, so why is it that the ads seem to be targeted more to their demographic? I’ve always been fascinated by the way high fashion treats women and the costs of these trends, both in terms of femininity and economy. These items not only take away a woman’s individuality, but they also take a chunk out of their ironically expensive money carrying accessories. I think this is another aspect of patriarchy few examine. Not only are the ads hurting women in content, but they are asking women to pay to continue to humiliate and demean them.
Comment by Aleksey R. — May 9, 2012 @ 7:17 pm
It is interesting to read about how March Jacobs ads further degrade women. Many designers create these superficial images where women are almost invisibly skinny. I had personally hot taken the time to really stop and look at the ads. Many times as I am skimming through magazines I just pass the ads. Perhaps because many of the high end designers items are out of my price point. However I have recently become aware how women are sold on the idea that carrying designer items will add value them. The latest trend I have heard of women cutting off their small toe in order to be able to fit into designer shoes. As I am becoming more aware of how women are continuously objectified. It makes me sad that the fight that was fought for women int he 1970′s still has a long way to go. In order for us to progress to being treated less as objects we need to boycott designers like March Jacobs. That thrive on objectifying women.
Comment by Esmeralda Martinez — May 10, 2012 @ 10:21 am
A company such as Marc Jacobs that spends millions of dollars every year in advertising campaigns to create and reinforce images of women as “disposable” and “toy-like,” must make us stop and think. What is the impact of these images? Do women identify with them? How about men? What does constructing feminity and characterizing women in this way does to the psyche of millions of young men and women? Most importantly, what makes these conspicuously harmful images seem harmless and even fictional even though they contradict our everyday reality? Kerith’s comment is right to the point: placing women in “bizarre situations and poses” makes one wonder what is behind Jacobs’ marketing strategies. Is the company selling clothes, or is it perpetuating the image of women as victims by dressing them like seductive corpses?
Klein’s point about how these images “have not changed drastically in several decades” made me think about the 60’s and 70’s when women appeared in the covers of fashion magazines looking fashionable but within “safe” boundaries. But wait: during the 60’s the same thing was true but meeting a different patriarchal agenda. Using outstanding photography and doll-like looks, skinny female models populated fashion magazines posing passively, although this time as dressed-up housewives. As it was done then it continues to be done now; only the message is different. Today, women pose with twisted half-naked bodies; insatiable facial expressions; crawl over naked male bodies that hold weapons, or step out of toilets. The female stereotype of 60’s is considered passé now. Misogynistic companies are growing stronger by continuing to use and abuse women for their own purposes.
Comment by M. R. Salvat — May 11, 2012 @ 2:45 pm
Most people who belittle others and are self centered do so because they are insecure. It makes you wonder how insecure Marc Jacobs is to have to demoralize, objectify, and lower women in his adds. Does it make Marc Jacobs feel better as a man, bigger as a man, to victimize and brutalize his models? Did he have a bad mother growing up? I suppose none of this matters so much as it matters that he is doing it but shouldn’t be. As a man, I tend to skip over the pictures in magazines that have women selling products. I can’t lie, so I would admit to stopping on the sexy adds, but in general, I ignore them. But seeing adds like the ones above makes me curious as to how that sells anything? When you buy shoes, don’t you walk into a store and see them on the shelf? Why do we need to see them on a fake rape victim or on a dead body in a bush?
Comment by Mohit Sharma — May 11, 2012 @ 3:08 pm
Very baffled by this images used by designer Marc Jacobs who to me does a very poor job of selling whatever items the campaign is trying to sell because after seeing the images I don’t recollect the items but rather recollect the positions in which the skinny women were portrayed in. the imaged that impact me the most was the one which has the appearance of the model being portrayed in a back alley with her legs open and shoes falling of giving it an appearance of the women being raped and in a vulnerable appearance. This images were very impacting and should not be used in ads to sell women products. Women need to start seeing ads more critically in perspective of how they are portrayed. There is need of more regulation in ads and media.
Comment by Tania L — May 13, 2012 @ 7:36 pm
It is sad that I have become so immune to these advertisements. As I flip through magazines I don’t even notice the underlying dehumanizing, objectifying way that women are portrayed in the ads. What I don’t understand is why the advertisers portray women in this dehumanizing way. I thought advertisers were meant to capture the attention of their intended audience by stimulating their interests, to encourage consumers to buy the products. In what way does depicting women as disposable and victims stimulate a women’s interest to buy a purse or shoes? The ad has absolutely nothing to do with the product, and it saddens me to think that I don’t even notice how bad the ads are when I look through the magazines.
Comment by Talia Y — May 15, 2012 @ 4:26 pm