The Thomas Crown Affair Evaluation
In the past few years, advertisement has changed significantly, and with it bringing many changes to our current society. Susan Bordo, a modern feminist philosopher, discussed in her article “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body” how current society has changed starting with Calvin Klein’s advertising campaign that showed men wearing nothing but underwear. Bordo argues how men are becoming the subject of the gaze, just as women were for centuries. This argument of the gaze is especially pronounced in John McTiernan’s film The Thomas Crown Affair, which focuses on two main characters, a man named Thomas Crown, who is a billionaire Manhattan financier, and a woman named Catherine Banning, and insurance investigator who is investigating Crown’s robbery of the 100-million-dollar painting, the “San Giorgio Maggiore Soleil Couchant”. The film addresses Bordo’s modern feminine and masculine gaze to target a wide range of adult audience.
To begin, the film appeals to male audience through Banning’s relationship with the gaze. In the scene where Banning and Crown were dancing, Crown started removing her cloth until all she was wearing was a transparent black dress. Crown, standing right in front of her, was staring,
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and even touching her body. Banning, wanting to be in place of power, then pushed him back and rotated so that he faced her back. Another scene where Banning was the subject of the gaze, is during the sex scene in Crown’s home. Again, Crown was staring Banning’s body. As Bordo argued in her article, “women exist to be seen, and they know it… their own bodies, exhibiting themselves for an assumed spectator, asking to be admired for their beauty” (Bordo, 153-154). This describes Banning perfectly, she showed her body to Crown constantly. Since men are interested in women, and since Banning was subject to Crown’s gaze, the film appeals to male audience. The film, aside from appealing to male audience, also appeals to female audience because of Crown’s relationship with the gaze. Crown was seen naked multiple times in the film, particularly during the sex scenes, once at his home, and the second and the place he went with Banning for vacation. Aside from that, Crown also wanted everyone to look at him, which is why he returned the stolen painting after only two days of stealing it, yet told no one that he did so he would continue to get attention from Banning and the detectors. Bordo praised “that the male form, both clothed and unclothed, is being made so widely available for sexual fantasy and aesthetic admiration” (Bordo, 168), which is why the film appeals to female audience. Not only does Crown looks respectable and sometimes even naked, but he is also one of the main focuses of the film. Another reason why the film appeals both to male and female audience is because the way the actors are dressed and presented.
Bordo described in her article that Calvin Klein’s advertising campaigns were so revolutionary, men started to care about their appearance just as much as women care about theirs (Bordo, 152). Bordo gave multiple examples of this trend, including the Gucci commercial:
… a beautiful young man, shot from the rear, puts on a pair of briefs. In the first ad, he's holding them in his hands, contemplating them. Is he checking out the correct washing-machine temp? It's odd, surely, to stand there looking at your underwear, but never mind. The point is: his underwear is in his hands, not on his butt (Bordo,
136). This trend, of men and women being able to show their bodies comfortably and also be comfortable taking care of their appearance, is greatly represented in the film. Crown, for example, wore a suit in almost every scene in which he was out in public. Banning too, wore many luxurious dresses, that McCann complemented many times. One example is when Banning arrived late to the “black-and-white ball” after she found out that the painting Crown hid in his house was not the real Monet. Crown immediately told her that she was wearing a red jacket, yet Banning smiled, as she did that on purpose to get his attention. McCann too, wore a suit in most of the film, showing how men care about the way they look. Because the actors look good throughout the film, it is enjoyable for men and women to gaze at the actors, and thus makes the film appeal to male and female audience. Insecure men and women can find this film especially appealing, as seeing how the actors not only wear luxurious cloth to look good, but also have no problem being nude definitely makes one feel more confident about himself. Some may argue that the film does not entirely include some of the specified audience groups above. One of their arguments may be that people only care when women look good and dress nicely, but not when men. Nevertheless, according to Bordo and our current society, this is completely false. As Bordo mentioned, Calvin Klein’s advertising trend was so successful that “the line of shorts ‘flew off the shelves’ at Bloomingdale's and when Klein papered bus shelters in Manhattan with poster versions of the ad they were all stolen overnight” (141). Just because some may come to the conclusion that men do not care about the way they look because of the stereotypes that they believe, men, like women, care about their appearance, and want to look respectable as well, contrary to what some may say. This is especially true to insecure men, that are trying to increase their confidence. The film Thomas Crown Affair was able to address Bordo’s modern feminine and masculine gaze which she described in her article “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body” through the use of its two main actors and the way many were dressed, and thus targets a wide range of adult audience. The film was able to show how both male and female characters can care about their everyday look, as well as be able to not only gaze others, but have others gaze them. With all that said, some stereotypes of masculinity and femininity are still portrayed in the film. Banning, for example, used her beauty to lure Crown, which is something portrayed in films and our society all the time. The woman is the one that needs to look good, and the man in a much less pronounced way. Yet, even with that, the film brilliantly catches attention of male and female audience, and is considered by some as “the most entertaining American movie of the summer” when it came out (Taylor, 1).
First, Kilbourne’s research should be praised tremendously for bringing to light the unhealthy impression of true beauty in today’s culture. Kilbourne challenges the audience to reconsider their viewpoints on advertising that is sublime with sexual language. The evolution of advertising and product placement has drastically changed the real meaning of being a woman. According to the movie, every American is exposed to hundreds and thousands of advertisements each day. Furthermore, the picture of an “ideal women” in magazines, commercials, and billboards are a product of numerous computer retouching and cosmetics. Media creates a false and unrealistic sense of how women should be viewing themselves. Instead of being praised for their femininity and prowess, women are turned into objects. This can be detrimental to a society filled with girls that are brainwashed to strive to achieve this unrealistic look of beauty.
The documentary Killing Us Softly 4 discusses and examines the role of women in advertisements and the effects of the ads throughout history. The film begins by inspecting a variety of old ads. The speaker, Jean Kilbourne, then discusses and dissects each ad describing the messages of the advertisements and the subliminal meanings they evoke. The commercials from the past and now differ in some respects but they still suggest the same messages. These messages include but are not limited to the following: women are sexual objects, physical appearance is everything, and women are naturally inferior then men. Kilbourne discusses that because individuals are surrounded by media and advertisements everywhere they go, that these messages become real attitudes and mindsets in men and women. Women believe they must achieve a level of beauty similar to models they see in magazines and television commercials. On the other hand, men expect real women to have the same characteristics and look as beautiful as the women pictured in ads. However, even though women may diet and exercise, the reality...
In the 1997 article Listening to Khakis, published in the New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell effectively paints a vivid picture of the thought and science that goes into advertising campaigns. Gladwell begins his paper by focusing on the Dockers’ advertising campaign for their line of adult male khaki pants, which he labels as extremely successful. This campaign was the first line of successful fashion advertisements aimed directly toward adult males (Gladwell, 1997). This campaign was cunningly simple and showed only males wearing the pants being advertised with the background noise filled with men having a casual conversation (Gladwell, 1997). This tactic was used because studies showed that Dockers’ target market felt an absence in adult male friendships. (Gladwell, 1997). The simplicity of the advertisements was accentuated as to not to deter possible customers by creating a fashion based ad because, based on Gladwell’s multiple interviews of advertising experts, males shy away from being viewed as fashion forward or “trying to hard” (Gladwell, 1997).
In this essay I’ll be exploring various concepts of women and will deeply criticise the way women are seen and portrayed through advertising. My primary resource I’ll be referring to throughout this essay is a book called ‘Ways of seeing’ by John Berger, which highlights the role women during the early renaissance and onwards. In addition to this I will explore the various beliefs of women from a wide range of secondary resources, and will include references from books, websites, and various images to help clarify my statements.
Schroeder, Jonathan & Zwick, Detlev, Mirrors of Masculinity: Representation and Identity in Advertising Images: Consumption, Markets and Culture, (Volume 7: March 2004)
The ideal post-modern woman is a collage of charm, grace, beauty, strength and independence. This ideal is what Keira Knightley epitomizes in the Coco Mademoiselle perfume commercial. A far cry from the original feminist movement which was entrenched in politics this post-feminism created a realm where woman sought all the riches of the feminist movement but shunned the feminist title (Goldman 1992, 130). Keira is presented as a beautiful independent woman, who is free from the hold of men and sexually liberated. However, through close examination, it is clear that her independence is in relation to her power over the men in the commercial. Further, this power is simply power over the man whom she wishes to seduce.
Fashion has always dictated what gender stereotypes should wear and how they should present themselves to the world with their fashion, these rules and ideals are constantly changing and reversing, occasionally blurring the lines between the two. Gender roles have lessened and obscured in modern society due to subcultures and immediate availability of clothing, the gender ideals do however still exist and designers often heavily rely on these assumptions. Advertising companies often use these gender stereotypes to promote their clients' clothing as well, which, in turn, only serves to strengthen traditional ideas of what men and women should wear. In this essay I aim to discuss the ever changing gender divide and how fashion reacts to these alterations and views and reflects the ideals of the time. Prior to the 19th century, it was not unusual to see wealthy, fashionable men wearing stockings and heels such as the likes of the macaroni men who saw extravagance as an essential part of life and to show their wealth.
Advertising is always about appearance. It is also about information and what really satisfies people. Undoubtedly, that advertisement of women has been increased dramatically and obviously in such a way that it turns out to be an important part of people’s lives. Recently, with advertising developments, there are more and more prospective shows to the public. It cannot be denied that advertisements consist of negative scenes that shape female identity.
Advertising in American culture has taken on the very interesting character of representing our culture as a whole. Take this Calvin Klein ad for example. It shows the sexualization of not only the Calvin Klein clothing, but the female gender overall. It displays the socially constructed body, or the ideal body for women and girls in America. Using celebrities in the upper class to sell clothing, this advertisement makes owning a product an indication of your class in the American class system. In addition to this, feminism, and how that impacts potential consumer’s perception of the product, is also implicated. Advertisements are powerful things that can convey specific messages without using words or printed text, and can be conveyed in the split-second that it takes to see the image. In this way, the public underestimates how much they are influenced by what they see on television, in magazines, or online.
The portrayals of men in advertising began shifting towards a focus on sexual appeal in the 1980s, which is around the same that women in advertising were making this shift as well. According to Amy-Chinn, advertisements from 1985 conveyed the message that “men no longer just looked, they were also to be looked at” as seen in advertisements with men who were stripped down to their briefs (2). Additionally, advertisements like these were influencing society to view the male body “as an objectified commodity” (Mager and Helgeson 240). This shows how advertisements made an impact on societal views towards gender roles by portraying men as sex objects, similarly to women. By showcasing men and women in little clothing and provocative poses, advertisements influenced society to perceive men and women with more sexual
In the essay “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body,” author and philosopher Susan Bordo discusses the history and current state of male representation in advertisements. While using her feminist background, Bordo compares and contrasts the aspects of how men and women are portrayed in the public eye. She claims that there has been a paradigm shift the media with the theory that not just women are being objectified in the public eye, but also men too. Since the mid-1970s, with the introduction of Calvin Klein commercials, men have started to become more dehumanized and regarded as sex symbols. In a similar fashion to how Bordo describes gender, race plays a similar role in the media. People of all different ethnicities and cultures are being categorized into an oversimplified and usually unfair image by the media over basic characteristics.
I will show you my understanding of how in the past women were marginalised in the media. and how men were shown as powerful figures. I will use the following sources in my essay: Kenzo perfume for women advert (4.2a), Yves Saint. Laurent perfume for men advert (4.2b), IBM global services (4.14a). Lanvin (4.14b) -.
Nowadays, advertisements depict how women should act, dress, and eat. For example in Hunger as Ideology, it show two different advertisements for Haagen-Dazs Ice cream, one with a man who just finished a half-pint smiling, the other with a woman who just took a bite from her ice cream bar. Although very discreet, the message is visible to consumers. Another example, are the sugar-free Jell-o ads, where an attractive slender woman is leaning back on a chair eating jell-o from a glass. Above the picture is a quote which says, “I’m a girl who just can’t say no. I insist on dessert”. To the side of the ad, it states, “Every woman is entitles to her just desserts. Just as long as dessert is Sugar Free Jell-O Gelatin. It’s light and fruity and fun. And it’s only calories.” This ad emphasizes on how women want dessert, but its only okay to have it if its sugar free. “The dessert you don’t have to desert” because it’s sugar free. Same concept with the Wonder Light Bread, in this ad two women are side by side on a park bench one holding a carrot, the other happily smiling with a sandwich and the ad saying, “ You’ll think your cheating, but you know your not…It’s Wonder Light bread”. These ads accentuate how its okay to eat a lot, as long as you eat “light”. Women look upon these ads and are convinced that this is how they are suppose to be, but in the Thomas Crown Affair, the message is completely opposite.
Marketing companies try to surpass one another thinking outside the box and creating advertisements which are unconventional, however, they operate within a few stereotypes about gender roles and representations. This essay will examine the differences between advertising lingerie for both male and female audiences. Commercials of focus are Primark’s Valentine’s Day campaign called 'For every side of you ' (see Figure 1.) and Justin Bieber’s photo shoot for Calvin Klein (see Figure 2.). Both brands are well – known, nonetheless their profile and target groups are slightly different, mainly because of price range, thus associations created by their campaign can be seen variously, depending on audiences’ status, gender, age, experience and many other factors.
In conclusion, men and women are interested in different topics in magazines. Advertisements in women’s magazines indicate that women are interested in spotless kitchens, a healthy, well-fed family, a clean home, fashionable clothing and accessories, travel, interior design, furniture, and business careers. Men’s magazines’ advertisements suggest that their readers’ interests are fewer by far and simpler: food, sex, and cars. An advertisement for Ché men’s magazine, in fact, makes it clear that many men would welcome as “a better world” one in which women are not only readily available sexually but travel to one’s doorstep, in answer to a telephone call. The ad of Che’ men’s magazine targeted effectively at their audience due to using the logos, pathos, and ethos.