Hunger as Ideology Probes Subliminal Advertising

In Susan Bordo's Hunger as Ideology, she discusses how subliminal advertising sends messages to the advertiser's target audience, encouraging that audience to purchase the product(s) being advertised. In doing so, she illustrates how many advertisements, both modern and dated, use the transformation of women into objects of sexual desire to appeal to their target audiences, both male and female. The most effective methods of transformation include the use of provocative images or situations, including the clothing and body positions of the models in the advertisement.

A good example of an advertisement that supports this claim is a recent ad for Prada, a company that makes clothing, shoes, and accessories (such as handbags, belts, etc.). At first glance, it is very difficult to tell what exactly the ad is promoting, as the two-page spread simply has the word PRADA plastered across the center of the pages. Each page of the spread is very distinctive; in fact, they look like ads for completely separate companies. The left page of the spread is entirely in black and white, and pictures the lower half of a woman standing on a stepladder. The woman is wearing a gray tweed skirt with a slit that rides extremely high on her thighs, and knee-high snakeskin boots with stiletto heels. Even though her face is not visible, it is clear that the woman is sexually appealing. The right page of the spread is in full color, and features a young woman in a very feminine, pink silk dress, lying on an unmade bed. The only sign of a Prada product on either of the two pages is the Prada emblem on the inside of the pink satin shoes discarded on the floor of the color ad. The noticeable absence of Prada symbols, ad copy, and Prada logos (save the single logo in the middle of the spread), suggests that the company is advertising sex- not clothing.

In the black and white ad, all that is visible of the woman on the ladder is her legs, entire derriere, and a single arm. She isn't just sitting demurely atop the ladder, but is suggestively elevating her right leg to a higher step than the left, causing the slit in her skirt to spread wide open and the fabric to fit snugly across her behind. Maybe her "climbing" of the stepladder is suggesting the possibility of "climbing" the social ladder if one wears Prada products. The woman's boots are very sexy; the black leather hugs her calves, and the spike heels elongate her legs. It seems very strange that a woman dressed in such a suggestive, sexy outfit would have a reason to climb a stepladder. The ladder is positioned in an empty, white room where nothing is visible but the woman and the shadow created by her pose on the ladder. It looks like a warehouse or empty building or studio of some sort, which is an odd place for a woman who is so elegantly dressed. The ad suggests that, if you, too, wear a sexy Prada skirt and knee-high boots, it doesn't matter if you're a working mother, a construction worker's wife, or even a warehouse worker, because you will still be desirable.

The color ad is a bit more complicated. The woman on the bed is wearing a dress so tiny that it could be easily mistaken for lingerie, and her hair is an obviously unnatural shade of platinum. She is lying suggestively in the bed in rumpled sheets, with accessories strewn about the room. Even though the room is very dark, there are sunglasses lying next to her on the bed. This suggests that it is still daytime outside, and that this is a hotel, not a home. The striped, starched-looking sheets are very masculine, and there is a rumpled pile of fabric on the pillow next to the woman's head; it appears to be a man's shirt, but it's hard to tell. Her shoes are carelessly lying on the floor, as if she kicked them off without a thought. Normally, this type of scenario would suggest that she is a prostitute. However, the woman appears to be sucking on her thumb, which suggests a childlike innocence. Her glasses appear to be designer, which would certainly be unusual for a prostitute. The hardwood headboard of the hotel bed appears very upscale. Her shoes are Prada. Suddenly, this is not a lurid encounter between a harlot and a lonely businessman, but a romantic midday interlude between a society duchess and the man who loves her- enough to buy her Prada shoes. The message is obviously that only the women with taste impeccable enough to choose Prada are treated to luxury and pampering, and that all women should be clamoring to buy Prada products so that they can be swept away like the woman in the ad.

Unfortunately, the advertisement doesn't do anything to redirect current gender stereotypes, but rather enforces them. Both women in the advertisement are garbed in very sexually appealing outfits, as previously discussed. Not only are the revealing cuts of the outfits sexy, but the shape-hugging fabrics also reveal the womens' bodies. Neither of the women seem to care about the exposure of their bodies, which could be interpreted as one of two extremes: this is either an example of total, indifferent sexual freedom or the complete objectification of these two models as available sex toys for their male audiences. The fact that they appear so sexually sovereign is what makes them attractive to women, but the fact that they appear so sexually available is what makes them attractive to men. It is very typical of clothing companies to put attractive women in their clothing and photograph them, thereby increasing the attractiveness and value of their clothing line. Even though this does transform the models into mere objects by which to make a profit, it appeals to multiple audiences, making it a popular method of advertising.

The depiction of women as hangers for designer clothes is only effective when the models are women; if the women in the ad were replaced by men, posing sexily in skimpy clothing, the effect would be entirely different (and entirely strange). For example, in the black and white page spread, if there was a man atop a stepladder outfitted in a revealing outfit, the ad would probably not appeal to most heterosexual men, and although it might appeal to some women, they would not be able to relate to the ad on a personal basis, therefore discouraging product sales among females. A man scantily clad atop a stepladder would first suggest that he was in a line of work that required the use of a stepladder, such as an electrician or roofer. With that in mind, it becomes ridiculous that it would be feasible or practical for him to be dressed sexily, as it would not make any sense. Most men are notorious for under-dressing, and also for separating business and pleasure. In the second spread (the full-color spread), it would be equally as ridiculous if a man replaced the scantily-clad woman on the bed. First of all, the coy, seductive look the woman is exhibiting is a classic female expression; it would seem very unusual for a man to be posing cattily on the bed looking vulnerable. In addition, if a man in the ad was lying in wait for his lover, as the woman is, he wouldn't be portrayed as a particularly masculine figure, which might be a turn-off to male audiences.

It is apparent by Prada's female models' clothing, expressions, body language, and placement within the advertisement space that they are advertising more than just accessories- they are advertising sex. Their provocative appearances entice women to purchase their products in order to be sexier, and entice men to purchase their products in order to make their women sexier. Susan Bordo would likely agree that this Prada advertisement is an excellent example of the fact that modern society has not advanced very far in the way of eradicating gender stereotypes, and that female models are still widely used to promote products with sex appeal, rather than actual product quality.