Deconstructing Advertising (Or 'Une Fille Au Masculin')

For this particular blog post, I will be addressing two forms of the same advertisement; one designed for print, and the other designed for television. The advertisement is for Jean-Paul Gaultier's new fragrance for women, "Madame". The ad features model Agyness Deyn, and both the print and television ads represent a distinct evolution in the fashion industry.Agyness Deyn has been known for her outrageous personal sense of style and spunk, which is something that comes across in both advertisements. Let's begin with the television side of this ad campaign.

The commercial is strictly black and white, and begins with our spokesmodel dressed in a conservative suit, with long blond hair, walking towards the camera. As the catchy french music playing in the background kicks in, she quickly chops off her hair for a short punky coiffe, and within seconds has demolished the conservative suit and turned it into a sexy work of fashion art. Agyness Deyn is embodying the very words of the song in these shots; "Une fille au masculin, un garcon feminin" (a masculine girl, a feminine 

boy) showcasing the androgyny that she is representing, something that is taking the fashion world by storm. 

The print ad shows the same spunk, androgyny and playfulness as the television commercial, but in a slightly more one-dimensional way. Also in black and white, the print ad shows Agyness Deyn in all her fiery punk glory playfully kissing the designer, Jean Paul Gaultier, on the cheek. Layered on top of this image is the bottle of perfume, so as to market the product itself rather than just the model and designer.

When you look at these ads, they seem very simple. Directed towards women who will buy this perfume, black and white, not very hard to understand. But what isn't directly shown is the sense of empowerment that this ad is trying to achieve. With the given sense of androgyny, as well as the sexuality that Deyn exudes, another dimension is added to the commercial and print ads. 

Overall, I found this set of advertisements to be very effective. Personally, I was intrigued by Agyness Deyn and her determination and spunk ( I realize I've used this word a lot to describe her, but there just isn't any other way to do it!). And it made me feel almost as empowered as it was supposed to, because hey, if she can defy the norm, why can't I?

Until next week, happy blogging:)