Okay guys, I'm posing my post as a question because I honestly just don't know... I was just checking my email and had an email from the one and only Victoria's Secret. Alright, so I bought some pjs or something and they now send me emails like 5 times a week telling me about bra sales. Whatever! I know their target audience is women, because that is who their products are for. But how do you explain the ridiculously fit models wearing lingerie on the front page??? Are those pictures appealing to women or is it an example of the dominant male gaze??
This website is all about sexy!! I get emails titled "New! I LOVE MY BODY BY VICTORIA Bras", "We Heart Bras: The Miracle Behind the Miraculous Push-Up", "Wild at Heart: The Sexiest Valentine's Day Ever" and "Spring Fling Must-Brings: Your Best Break Ever Starts Here"... What does this explain about marketing to women?? And do you think this website can be considered gendered?
Aubrey B.
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Firt off, I will say that victoria secret website is gendered and sterotypical, it shows the thin 'heterosexual' models looking oh so perfect in their langerie, displaying to other girls/women how they should look.
ReplyDeleteI will be 100% honest and say that these pictures are appealing to me. I am heterosexual, but I am a thin person and when I see models (who more often than not, are thin) I can actually picture myself modeling these items...Since learning about the active vs passive viewer, this makes more sense to me.
I believe that because of societies gendering roles, I do feel more confident in 'scandalous' langerie because my body does reflect that of the models who are displaying them.
With saying that, I do not buy into 'victoria secret is the best' or 'i must have lasenza bras', because a bra is a bra. But is crazy to actaully step back and think to yourself "okay, why does the black-lace bra vs the white bra make me feel more attractive, more wanted, more lovable, more desirable, and more confident? it is after all only a colour difference".
This website, just like many others like it, are gendering women and giving them the ideas/thoughts that "if I wear this bra my man will want me more!", "if i wear this outfit i'll be so much more confident" when in fact clothing/the lack there of, cannot make you more confident, it is a choice...
Thanks for posting this!! this made me take a deeper look at a lot of things!
~beautiful bombshell"
I shop on Victoria's secret often... they have nice bathing suits. But the women's pictures are definitely touched up and airbrushed. Here is a link to you tube, it shows the transformations that can be done on photo shop .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dJujKM635s&feature=related. Obviously the models that work for VS have slim bodies, and perky breasts... because it is their job to look a particular way. I think that the sexy poses can be directed to both males and females. I'm sure they are attractive to some men, but they also display a standard for women to live up to as well (although it may be an unrealistic standard)
ReplyDeleteDanger Powers
I think that the big thing for Victorias secret is that women wish they looked like the models and men wish they were dating the models- which is how it seems to appeal to both audiences- because of this victorias secret is strongly driven by the male gaze and is mostly gendered towards women. I say mostly gender towards women because it shows women what they should look like and shows them what a man wants.
ReplyDelete-princess consuela banana hammock
I was JUST going to post about Vistoria's Secret ...
ReplyDeleteI think it is gendered for the woman. but this woman feels it is necessary to have her boobs 'together and in the upright position' that will essentially attract the attention of another. I have to admitt that while i have bought some bras from here, they are definately NO better than some other places that have bras for 1/2 the price and are just as nice!
Not only is VS for woman but it also portrays the image of the ideal woman (male gaze again!) and also is marketted for the upper class society because not eveyone can afford a $50 sweatpant or such.
AND very interestering enough, maybe not everyone knows that VS was created by a man.
~Freddie Mercury~