Day One

I would never have interpreted the Tommy Girl ad as a piece of suggestive propaganda oozing subtle messages involving U.S. history, racism and rape (but then again I don’t often analyze advertisements). After hearing Tim’s arguments, however, the messages seem quite plausible. What I don’t understand is why the ad designers would choose images and placement that could be interpreted in a way that could damage their reputation and reduce their sales. I’d think their goal is to sell “Eau de Tommy,” not to mock or incense potential customers. Perhaps the designers are appealing to people’s sense of guilt over America’s history of racism as well. By buying the perfume, one is also buying a piece of the “new and improved” America where African American models are placed in expensive brand-name advertisements, sitting comfortably in diners with a flags in the background and no sign of racism either in the process of making the ad or in the ad itself.

If a perfume advertisement can contain such meticulous and calculated messages, then what about lipstick, cell phone, and ipods? Or toothbrushes, laundry detergent, and refrigerators? If the eternal debate over whether or not a piece of work is over-analyzed can be fueled by a single magazine advertisement, I wonder what would happen if we were to pick apart the superbowl commercials.

During the shadow exercise, staying on one side or moving to the other was kind of a mental tug-of-war when everyone else was staying or moving. It was interesting to watch others do what I must have been doing as well - the chewing of the bottom lip, the not-so-casual shifting from walking back to standing again, and the eyes darting from one side to another. Whoever says they don’t care about what others think about them is…a hairy marshmallow.