Marc Jacobs is a misogynist v 2.0
After posting the latest disturbing images from Marc Jacobs the other day and connecting it to the larger array of images in advertising in the ad-round up, I have found a few of the images from his 2005 ad campaign. The series of images below are not complete. They are the only 3 I have found (so far) in my mammoth private collection of ads over the last decade. The image in the middle is from the January 2005 issue of Vogue. I did not accurately label the other two images but they were also found in mainstream fashion magazines from the same time period.
What’s particularly interesting and disturbing about these images is how much they resemble the work of photographer Melanie Pullen. In 2005, I went to see Pullen’s exhibit High Fashion Crime Scenes at the ACE Gallery in Beverly Hills. Pullen recreated from files obtained from the Los Angeles and New York Police Department’s and various coroner’s offices, crimes that took place at the beginning of the last century. She recreated these crime scenes by outfitting models in high-fashion clothing (Prada and Gucci) and shoes (Jimmy Choos and Marc Jacobs, ironically). Her work is coupled with an artist’s statement that indicates her intention in critically examining the glamorization of violence and the distraction of that violence through the use of beautiful women in beautiful clothes. The fashion industry barrages us with seemingly normative images of violence against women in mainstream magazines advertising everything from clothing to perfume. These instances are exactly what Pullen is attempting to examine.
The difference between Jacobs and Pullen? Pullen’s work is accompanied with an artist’s statement and takes a critical eye at this rather gruesome trend and asks that we become aware of our tendency to focus on the beauty of the images while ignoring their brutality (they are images of actual crime scenes, after all). Jacobs’ work does not come with an artist’s statement. Instead, he is on the other side of the issue.
It’s amazing how you can just flip past the images, and not think much of them, but once it’s brought to your attention, you really begin to notice. This weekend, while flipping through some old magazines I came across an ad for Louis Vuitton that showed a girl lying alone in an awkward position in what looked to be a ditch. She’s got dirt all of her face, clothes, etc. and a Louis Vuitton bag at her side. I’m just shocked that these kinds of advertisements are deemed acceptable and printed all through the pages of magazines consumed by women. And the number of people involved in them – models, photographers, the designers themselves, PR people, editors, magazine publishers, the ad team at the magazines themselves, and not one person said “No, this is disgusting, and we will not produce and print images that glamorize victimization for selling handbags and shoes.”
Comment by Rachel — April 19, 2010 @ 11:19 am
[...] the institutional 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 [...]
Pingback by WIMN’s Voices » “Advertising hasn’t changed” since “Mad Men” –Hank Wasiak at #140Conf — April 20, 2010 @ 12:59 pm
As a husband and a father adds like this are very disturbing. My daughter has not ever been allowed to purchase or subscribe to any of these mainstream teen / girl / women oriented magazines. I believe they’re horrible for her self image and don’t focus on what is truly important.
Thank you for bringing this out in the open.
Comment by Mike — April 25, 2010 @ 4:39 am
appalling,deeply offensive imagery. Makes me feel quite sick.
Comment by shirley — May 30, 2010 @ 8:46 am
I respectfully disagree with the assessment of Melanie Pullen’s photographs. Her “High Fashion Crime Scene” photographs are just as misogynist as those by Marc Jacobs. An artist’s statement can’t make-up for the message clearly represented by their images. Pullen is depicting young, beautiful, sexy women dressed in designer clothes as if they were the victims of murder or suicide. There is no critical commentary evident in the photographs. I’ve seen her work from this series and heard her present them at a photography conference. Nothing she said made me feel better about the images or made me believe she was a feminist. These photographs epitomize glamorized violence against women.
Comment by Jeanette — September 22, 2010 @ 2:16 pm
Todays society has learned to live and has gotten use to the advertisemtns for products such as clothing and accessories brands such as Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, etc… In these ads most of the time it is not even noticeable to see what they are even trying to sell.These advertisements that these brand na are putting out into the world for every one to see are distgusting.
Comment by Joshua. S — October 22, 2010 @ 8:50 am
These images are horrific. I never really took notice of Marc Jacobs in specific…Our media conscioussness has to always be turned on!
Comment by Julia L. — April 21, 2011 @ 12:53 am
Marc jacob’s ads saddens me and sends a weak portrayal of women not owning themselves. Why do we look like we are victims and that we are often stranded alone? This another great reason why we should incorporate more movies, music, art, visual performances to empower women again.
Comment by melani dg — May 16, 2011 @ 3:15 pm
I am naturally uncomfortable and outraged when I see images of women in disturbing, violent situations. It’s even more upsetting when those images aren’t real, like in the case of the Marc Jacobs ads. By appearing in the mainstream media without any explanation, such images legitimize violent crimes against women. I was really disturbed by the recent billboards for American Horror Story in which a pregnant woman, clothed in a revealing red dress is doing a backbend while some guy in black latex body suit descends upon her. The image was alarming and subliminally suggested that it’s okay to victimize and prey on women. The fact that she was pregnant was even more disturbing to me. These Marc Jacobs images bring up the same disturbance I had when seeing the American Horror Story billboards.
Comment by Nilu V. — November 6, 2011 @ 1:24 pm
the images themselves are quite horrific, but the fact that they are in teen/women magazines and are being seen as normative is even more disturbing. Marc Jacobs is not the only one who portrays women like this, in fact there are a lot more who do and it saddens me that their depiction of violence against women is being glamorized and being profited of.
Comment by Jorge Garcia — November 22, 2011 @ 1:30 pm
These images are disturbing on so many levels. Marc Jacobs obviously felt it was acceptable to have ad campaigns such as these due to the mass media’s glamorization of violence against women. He took it to another level though by creating pictorials designed to shock so his product would sell … and it’s working because unfortunately he is quite successful. But who on earth is buying his products and have they seen his gruesome pictorials? I myself have not seen images such as these in any of the magazines I’ve had occasion to flip through, but if I had, I certainly would steer clear of anything Marc Jacobs. But Marc Jacobs does not stand alone – there are so many people just like him who will do anything necessary to make money. It should be a crime that this type of brutal depiction of violence against women is so casually allowed to taint the pages of mainstream magazines.
Comment by Willemina v. — January 30, 2012 @ 2:33 pm
Interesting, these pictures reminded me of the ongoing reality of sexual harassment of women. When I first opened this website, I thought that is a page reporting stolen girls, and dead buddies found. Just by looking at the pictures, one can argue that these are misogynistic pictures or artistic pictures. I once heard that there is a form of art that uses part of women’s body and degrade the rest of her body in the picture. Even if they are artistic pictures, they are not made to be published on magazines or for teens.
The pictures give a scary message to people. That yes, it is ok and it’s an art to do so.
Comment by MATAN P. — January 30, 2012 @ 4:16 pm
Marc Jacob’s ads are always interesting to me. It could be an art, and sexy but for me, it looks horrific ads.
Comment by Eun Hee Chung — February 4, 2012 @ 11:46 pm
Why is it that this guy is so fascinated with women being submissive, or seeing them hurt. I do not see how it can be artistic, there are other ways to portray women. Why doesn’t he start by putting women in strong positions showing women to be strong, and not being hung, or tied up. Is he sexist?
Comment by Payne T — February 5, 2012 @ 3:09 pm
After reading the prior article in which Marc Jacobs’ distasteful advertising was first revealed to me, I was outraged and disturbed at how the media and the public allow this to continue without much intervention or even a second thought. More people should be informed of the ways in which Marc Jacobs and his advertising are portraying women as objects and props to support the violent themes prevalent in these images, and he should be reprimanded for his work. If more women were aware of this, I’m sure they would have a problem with buying his clothes and, in turn, supporting his company and his work. On the other hand, Pullen’s work is very creative and insightful, creating a spin on the subject and further exposing the disgusting and disturbing aura left by Marc Jacob’s advertising.
Comment by Camille Yona — February 5, 2012 @ 7:13 pm
I don’t know if Pullen feels that because it is artist it shouldn’t be judged. However, to me it is still not acceptable that they put women violence as a part of ads or art work. I feel that it is really disturbing to hear that they use LA and NY Police Department Files for this pictures. No one wants to feel like they are looking at someone past incidents. Violence towards anyone is rather hurtful and I think its really disrespectful to feel like its okay to show it because it was reality to someone. They don’t want to re-live this events. And women in the present that are being abused also don’t want to look at them. It can make them feel like one day that can be themselves being seen in the picture/art work/ads.
Comment by Juliana C. — February 6, 2012 @ 1:00 pm
The continual glorification of crime against women and the victimization of women is not only indicative of the hypermasculine society we live in, but also indicative how desensitized corporations who make products for women are about the issues women have themselves. How does one rationalize selling a dress or a pair a shoes by displaying it on a bound and blindfolded female or on the lifeless limbs of women? “The dress was so fabulous that she felt victimized by it?” This kind of display needs to stop.
Comment by Taja Eddahbi — February 6, 2012 @ 1:08 pm