April 15, 2010

Marc Jacobs is a Mysogynist

Filed under: Media,Media Gallery — Tags: , , , , — Melanie @ 10:06 pm

What other explanation is there for a company that continues to create ad campaigns that depict women as 1. disposable 2. victims, sometimes disposable victims.

If you saw the ad round-up posted recently, you have seen the patterns, image after image reinforcing narrow and limiting themes of women in advertising.  To see the images lined up next to one another takes on a remarkable quality and produces a powerful impact. I know it did for me when I saw all of the ads put together, even after 15 years of conscious and critical analysis.

With that said, I’ve seen scores and scores of ads as a consumer and even more through the lens of a media critic and, unsurprisingly, in that process I have become a bit desensitized. Oh, another super skinny model, another model posed passively, and on it goes. I’ve seen such awful ads that many have become less shocking because there are others that are so much worse.

Marc Jacobs continues to strike me with the blatant devaluing of women and the often brutal or degrading circumstances in which they are depicted. The two below are no expection.

Top: Marc Jacobs ad from the March 2010 issue of Harper’s Bazaar (Kate Moss is on the cover)

Bottom: Marc Jacobs ad from the March 2010 issue of W (Megan Fox on the cover).

They’re both disturbing (and entirely unnecessary to sell whatever they’re trying to sell: the bag? the shoes?) but the bottom is one is what really made me cringe. Do we need to draw on rape scenes of women assaulted in back alleys? It reminds me of the Marc Jacobs ad campaign circa 2005 when shoes were being sold by placing them on models whose feet would be attached to a lifeless body on the ground, legs poking out from behind a bush. Yup, more images of disposabe, victimized women. I’ll be rummaging through my collection of ads to post them if you’re in the least bit skeptical or doubt me.

So, not much has changed in 5 years. In fact, not much has changed in over 30 years. Check out the vintage ad for shoes from 1974 that Ms.Blog posted yesterday. The fact that these images have not changed drastically in several decades solidifies my commitment to remaining vigilant and using my media literacy skills to call out the misogynistic companies that use victimized, brutalized and disposable women as ways to make a profit. Shame on you.


118 Comments »

  1. Good points! I never know what he is selling because (a) the ads have no true marketing focus(b) I am always distracted by the bizarre situations/poses the models are always put in.

    Comment by Kerith — April 15, 2010 @ 10:19 pm

  2. Those ads are disgusting. It’s like the Duncann Quinn ad — with a woman in lingerie on the hood of a car with a necktie tied around her neck and her head resting in a pool of blood- how and why is that acceptable for companies to use in order to sell expensive clothes? The message is clear and it has nothing to do with clothing.

    Comment by Marley — April 15, 2010 @ 11:31 pm

  3. He’s disgusting

    Comment by Krista — April 16, 2010 @ 7:17 am

  4. thank you for posting this. his ad campaigns are particularly foul and i think one of the saddest parts of it all is, we as a society have become so accustomed to being inundated with this sort of imagery, we hardly notice anymore. well, some of us notice, but not as many as i would like.
    you’re right on all accounts.

    Comment by Sarit — April 16, 2010 @ 8:23 am

  5. […] mindset that, for just one example, continues to believe that employing images of gruesome violence against women is the most effective way to sell clothes, shoes, cars, reality show episodes, and […]

    Pingback by WIMN’s Voices » “Advertising hasn’t changed” since “Mad Men” –Hank Wasiak at #140Conf — April 20, 2010 @ 1:00 pm

  6. Please explain why the above images of women are found in women’s fashion magazines? The consumers of these magazines are predominanatly women

    Comment by Paul — October 18, 2010 @ 9:02 pm

  7. Marc Jacobs’s advertisements are very confusing. I can never tell what he is trying to sell or promote in his advertisements. As a society as a whole we have been accustomed to advertisements like this and many others and we never realize what is being shown and stop to really look at whats going on.

    Comment by Joshua. S — October 21, 2010 @ 9:33 pm

  8. It is beyond me that these advertisements actually WORK. Why would women buy from these brands while they portray women in such a disposable, degrading manner? Boycott!!

    Comment by Jennifer Edgerton — October 24, 2010 @ 12:12 am

  9. I’m a fan of his collections, however, his ads show a completely different side to him. Usually when I see his pieces on the model in the ad, it doesn’t look nice and I don’t have the desire to own it until I see it at the store. His ads have always seemed bizarre to me and after reading this post and looking at the ads again, I’m disgusted.

    Comment by Dalal C. — October 26, 2010 @ 12:11 am

  10. This article brings up a lot of good points that I myself wouldn’t have come to a conclusion when flipping through a magazine and seeing these ads. Marc Jacobs and many other well known brands hint subliminal messages that not only degrade women, but make these images and ideas a part of the norms of our society.

    Comment by Camellia Shahmoradi — October 29, 2010 @ 12:16 pm

  11. Why anybody thinks these images are a good idea is totally baffling. Their completely morbid and dont even seem to have a purpose other than fulfill some sick fantasy.

    Comment by Shawn S — June 1, 2011 @ 11:00 pm

  12. Using serious and severe situations such as rape scene to sell shoes is disturbing and unfathomable for me. More disturbing is the devaluing of women these advertisements depict make it that much harder for women to demand change. Women being disposable? That just crosses the line

    Comment by Tiffany Majdipour — November 12, 2011 @ 4:35 pm

  13. Completely agree; these images are completely unnecessary and/or redundant for trying to sell whatever they are selling. In fact, I think the misogynistic images are taking away the purpose of these so-called “ads”, which is to sell. They are instead creating controversial messages about women by objectifying them. There are a million other ways to (successfully) sell a product without the use of misogynistic images.

    Comment by Bridget T. — December 6, 2011 @ 10:52 am

  14. Where does this all stop? It seems as if these image campaigns that people are running will only show women as disposable items and as victims. It’s so true you get a greater sense of what these images are all about with they are back to back. No wonder we skip over them when it’s one here and one there. We think nothing of it. I don’t get how they think this is art. You would never see a guy in the same photo doing the same pose. That’s un-heard of. Marc Jacobs is a sick man for sure. I just hope we don’t go another 30 years with this same image of women. I just wish there was a simple way to make this idea of women go away, and for these photographers to stop shooting pictures like this for magazines.

    Comment by Sarah R. — February 1, 2012 @ 8:40 am

  15. I can’t wait for the day when people stop looking at these pictures and referring to them as “art”, and the continue to use that as a justification for its content. It’s an advertisement…for shoes (or a bag? dress? gang rape?) and the content in it is VERY disturbing, and the content is something that affects all of us, because all of us have to be subjected to looking at hundreds upon hundreds of these ads on a daily basis. And it DOES affect the way we think both individually and collectively. And how we think individually and collectively is how we shape our society, and if we start thinking that a dead woman in an alley is just, OK, we are headed (heading) down a dark and twisted rabbit hole.

    Comment by Nisha CM — February 1, 2012 @ 8:58 pm

  16. These ads are definitely very disturbing and equally confusing because they don’t have anything to do with the products that they are selling! What does selling a brand name bag or shoe have to do with a woman posing as if shes dead or victimized?!? This is just another example of devaluing women. If they really want to be unique with the ads they are making, they should start making ads that show respect towards women rather than victimizing them or objectifying them with their bodies.

    Comment by Rosemary A — February 2, 2012 @ 4:28 pm

  17. These ads are confusing people. I do not know what products they are selling. I did focus on the model and the posture more than the products. In the first picture(Kate Moss), i do not know that they are selling the bag before I read the article. Pretending a dead person is not helping the companies to sell the products. However, they keep doing this for many years.

    Comment by Lam Yan Yee — February 3, 2012 @ 7:19 pm

  18. I think a main issue with these ads is that it doesn’t bother most women. I know people who have taken many women’s studies classes and will still walk around with a Marc Jacobs bag even after being shown this ad. The fact is, much like with rap music, unless women stop purchasing the products or wanting them, real change will never happen. You have to show Marc Jacobs that you don’t approve of his advertisements by not buying his products. There are so many other options out there but the fact is, for the most part people don’t care about this sort of thing.

    Comment by Rory O — February 4, 2012 @ 3:12 pm

  19. I feel bad about this ad and I don’t know what the point of this ad is and I know this is fashion ads but if I see ad, I don’t want to buy these clothing.

    women’s studies 10

    Comment by Eun Hee Chung — February 5, 2012 @ 12:30 am

  20. The fact that so many “high fashion” designers are using this type of advertising–objectifying and degrading wimmin by showing them as dead, lifeless, vulnerable, etc.–is really appalling. What they’re doing is glorifying that and making it “high fashion”–ultimately making it “acceptable” and desensitizing the public to the severity of the situations they’re depicting. This spans across the board into many different aspects of the media, music industry, fashion industry, etc. and even in Kanye West’s “Monster”, he goes as far to say “the best wimmin are dead” (and that’s regardless of the ridiculous video). It’s a recurring theme coming at us from every angle that needs to be smashed.

    Comment by Breanna K — February 5, 2012 @ 9:10 am

  21. It is sad to think that seeing such images in mass media has become so common that, upon viewing them, you think that it’s nothing out of the ordinary and that you have seen much worse. This sense of being accustomed to images where women appear dead and vulnerable are adequate proof that there is an underlying problem in our culture. The “cultivation,” or building and maintenance of such images, is what makes these images seem normal and not shocking to onlookers. In order to make a real change, we must completely remove these pictures of women models appearing dead and “disposable” to show that it is in fact a big deal.

    Comment by Camille Yona — February 5, 2012 @ 1:17 pm

  22. A lot of girls admire Marc Jacob’s designs. It is sad because most women don’t think deeply of how degrading modeling dead women is. If anything, those images bring Marc Jacob more customers. He portrays dead people to look so beautiful by dressing them up nicely and applying make up so perfect. By putting these ads up to advertise, it is essentially making us women look worse and not better.

    Comment by Alexandria S — February 5, 2012 @ 10:59 pm

  23. I don’t understand why Marc Jacobs would feel that these images of women would make his products look better. If anything it would make me not want to support him in any kind of way. He should put girls that look beautiful in the product. I have seen it in tv shows and many other ads. However, what is more shocking is that women approve this. They like it and don’t stand up for it. Especially the women used for the ads. This is what disappoints me the most.

    Comment by Juliana C. — February 6, 2012 @ 10:50 am

  24. It becomes one thing when you want to catch someones attention by showing a beautiful model brutalized and battered but they have come too far. People don’t see that it’s not just an ad anymore. It’s not the bag we should we worried about if it’s still available in stores. It should be about “This is wrong, look what’s being done to the model just to say this product.” She may of course hadn’t been actually harmed but the people who see has. Not physically but mentally. It becomes more and more accepted into society. The power of media is the source to what we should or shouldn’t believe. I think we all just need a reality check and go over what our morals actually become.

    Comment by Crystina K — February 6, 2012 @ 11:08 am

  25. You can’t even tell what they’re trying to sell! It’s just demeaning and degrading. So many have become desensitized to these type of images. They’re just so much, it’s become normal. That’s disturbing. A normal reaction would be to be shocked, but we see so often, we’re not even shocked anymore.

    Comment by Jessica K — February 6, 2012 @ 11:09 am

  26. Disgusting, putrid, vile: words that come to my head when I look at these pictures. To liken a woman to human waste waiting to be flushed down the toilet? To portray a rape victim post-rape seemingly at the height of her Lolita-esque beauty? The worth of human life increases but the worth of a woman is decreasing…how does that make sense? A company with this much prestige and influence should not only employ a more socially conscious means of creating advertisements, but should also print retractions for such smut that they’ve had the gall to publish.

    Comment by Taja Eddahbi — February 6, 2012 @ 12:59 pm

  27. I can’t comprehend why people continue to buy a product that is advertised in that manner. Have we lost touch with reality? Have those who continue to keep these trillionaires in business become so desensitized that they laugh at what this label portrays? I must say Melanie, you have worked hard to put this stuff out there and I appreciate it. I feel like I’ve been under a rock for years. I am becoming more aware of the disgusting world we live in. Maybe it’s because I don’t watch much T.V. or read magazines, but all in all I am appalled at what keeps people in business.

    Comment by Salina G — April 4, 2012 @ 10:37 pm

  28. I wonder what people think about these images, and how the company thinks this is acceptable to put out there. This is very disturbing to me, I can’t believe it. Seeing magazines and advertisement all round me, I know notice how women are victimized and sexualized. I never know how bad it was, and it’s very sad. Those pictures that are posted, in alley it looks like a porn shoot, or a sex slave in an alley. The so called mattress with nothing else yin the alley, it’s like women are trash. Seriously what are they trying to sell, SEX? Each image that is published now and days degrade women some how. Why? This is sad.

    Comment by Natali Fernandez — April 12, 2012 @ 4:15 pm

  29. I would honestly have to say that these are the most disturbing ads I’ve seen. I never really know what they are advertising because the actual pictures are just disturbing. I too agree that in these pictures Marc Jacobs really devalues and degrades women by posing them in the areas that he does and in the positions as well. What are these people who place these ads thinking? I guess we will never know what they are thinking, but since they are still coming out like this I guess it is working for them.

    Comment by CandaceR — April 15, 2012 @ 11:07 pm

  30. I agree with you. These images are very disturbing. These images/ads really show how women can either be disposed when not needed or victimized in a rape situation. These ads do not call my attention to buy whatever it is they are selling. I wonder if there models have any clue on the message the ad they are posing for is sending? More and more ads are just shocking when it comes to promoting a certain item. I considered buying a Marc Jacobs bag once, somehow I change my mind. Honestly, after seeing these ads I am glad I didn’t. I would not want to be part of whatever it is they are doing. It is just disturbing.

    Comment by Ana B — April 18, 2012 @ 6:40 am

  31. In most Marc Jacobs ads its often hard to tell what the designer is trying to sell. I’ve come to the conclusion that the random displays and awkwardly placed models are only trying to sell the brand. Who cares what it is, as long as it says Marc Jacobs on it, right?

    I am guilty of mindlessly flipping through magazines, allowing the media and advertisements ruthlessly attack my subconscious. However, now i know better. I am aware of the negative images and messages displayed through various ads. With that said, is the point of advertisements for readers to depict their every motive? Do they even have a motive other than to sell the product? Do they really mean to show women in suggestive poses that could possibly depict rape?

    Be it there motive or not, it is still wrong. And someone who notices such things should speak out, and the ads should be taken down. It saddens me to know that this is an issue that can get by. Something that has so many other effects on readers and viewers other than simply buying the product they so cleverly advertise.

    Comment by Raven G — April 18, 2012 @ 11:57 pm

  32. I don’t even understand why they would think this ad would sell the products? The woman in both pictures are displayed as trash, in a trashy room/alley and depicted as objects. This absolutely perpetuates the objectification of women.

    Comment by MarenW — April 22, 2012 @ 3:47 pm

  33. I have to agree that Marc Jacobs is a Misogynist because in majority of their ads, it portrays women as sex objects. “Maybe you will get this sexy young lady if you buy this cologne.” Sex has been used in advertisements for many companies. They believe that if you choose this lifestyle (sexy) you can be as cool as the models on the marketing. I’ve seen a couple of Marc Jacobs ads where they used the perfume bottle as an object on top of the female genitalia. Are people supposed to find this attractive? I wouldn’t want to buy a perfume that has touched another woman’s crouch. Also another popular Marc Jacobs ad is the one where a female has fallen into the shopping bag with her legs coming out, spread apart. I think this is to symbolize that women are willing to give sex for money (go shopping).

    Comment by Linda Piyawadhanachai — April 24, 2012 @ 8:12 pm

  34. Though I’m not certain, I am assuming that Marc Jacobs caters predominately to women, being that the products being displayed are purses. What is interesting is try to understand how it is possible that women purchase these products despite the fact that these advertising campaigns exhibit ‘misogynistic’ images. It appear to be that in general, the public does is not bothered by these images and in fact, condone them but subscribing to them and supporting the advertisers by purchasing the products.

    This is not say that these advertisements are not misogynistic, because they are. Portraying women as victims of, what i presume to be, rape in an alley way, and a women in a toilet and if she was some sort of waste is just not a logical way of to advertise their products. It is a bit depressing that not enough people care about the issue to eliminate it and that the victims (women) are, themselves, supporting it.

    Comment by Elvis Rosales — April 26, 2012 @ 11:58 am

  35. It is so sad to see how we are in 2012 and these types of misogynistic images are still being created. The way Marc Jacobs depicts woman is horrible. Why does he have to depict woman this way if his purpose it to advertise clothes. This image shows that we are clearly not making progress when it comes to the depiction of woman. He is not the only one who is creating these advertisements that depict women in a negative way. There are advertisements just if not worse that have horrific images that involve degrading woman. If woman are continued to be depicted in this way the cycle will never stop. There are woman who can be very sensitive to these images and Marc Jacobs thinks that he is being creative with his advertisement. It is just wrong and these images need to stop.

    Comment by LilianaC — April 26, 2012 @ 4:50 pm

  36. These ads are very sexist and victimize women. Both of which are horrible. Why would I want to buy anything that a woman is holding who is posed like that or in a back dirty alley? I do not find this appealing and don’t want to buy anything from Marc Jacobs if this is how he thinks things will sell. The picture with the woman’s legs open is extremely disturbing and unattractive. It does not make me want to buy whatever that ad is trying to sell.

    Comment by Jessica Serrano — April 26, 2012 @ 7:06 pm

  37. These ads are just weird. I’ve never really critically looked at the different advertisements and media messages that I see when looking through magazines or driving around town. When you actually sit and think about the different images that are presented to young women in these ads, it’s sad. According to Marc Jacobs, women are disposable. It’s as simple as that. Women are no better than the disposable articles of clothing that they are trying to sell and he proves it constantly through his ads. And not only are women disposable, but they are also disposable sexual objects. No wonder women constantly struggle with the feeling that they aren’t worthy of any happiness or love in their lives; look at these images where they are tossed around like rag dolls enough times and you might start to think that you are no better than that either. Especially since these Marc Jacobs models are so respected and well paid in our society (nearly every women wants to be a model sometime when their growing up, and this is what they want?) Seeing women advertised in this way makes no sense. Does it really even help sell his clothes?

    Comment by Adrienne S — April 27, 2012 @ 12:14 am

  38. Marc Jacobs’ ads have always stood out to me, definitely not because of the product, but because of the graphic depictions of women. The ad is all about the shock factor, the actual product is never the focal point of the advertisement. Most of the ads feature women’s naked body parts and they are in awkward positions that make them appear broken. Marc Jacobs calls it artistic and edgy, but when does it cross the line and just become a promotion of violence towards women? Besides his mangled women ads, he also features ads with girls who don’t even look 18 or have very childlike features. They are posed seductively, with their young age also supposed to a shock factor in the ad. When it is accepted in our society for ads to featured sexualized little girls and misogynistic images, it validates all the crime and violence against women. Not only do his ads show women in this way, but also the location like a back alley reinforces the rape culture and fear for women to be out at night. His ads truly disgust me and I would never want to support his products, even if I could afford his over-priced fashion. As he continues to run these ads and everyday magazines print them, it normalizes the idea of a mangled, battered woman. His ads are not even about the item he’s selling, it is just a dangerous and negative image to continue to reproduce.

    Comment by Samantha H — April 29, 2012 @ 12:58 pm

  39. These degrading ads of women are terrible ways to show its buyers that these shoes, hats, bags, dresses, etc. are what they need. When I saw the ads I would have ever guess what they are trying to sell. I wonder what makes these CEOs think these types of ads will make them the most money. I assume its working for them, they are making a lot of money and these companies are pretty famous, so that also tells you, the consumers like what they see. I wonder if these consumers really think that those shoes or bags will make them look as hot or seductive, just like the models. These ads reinforces the idea that women are powerless, worthless, and its all about the sex and look, “SEX SELLS”. These ads also teach its consumers and buyers that they need to be skinny, have perfect hair and be flawless, in order to turn heads, attract men, and be successful. Like mentioned before, these ads seem to not focus on the product at all, mostly on the women. IT seems like when the price of the product goes up, the less attention the actual product gets. Like Old Navy, their ads actually light up the product, show women using the product while being happy and in a positive vibe. Then like the ads above, they are 100x more expensive, you can tell what is being sold, and the women are portrayed as lifeless or powerless, in a bad light. So I guess sex and money is the most important thing for named brand companies.

    Comment by Wesley L. — April 29, 2012 @ 1:01 pm

  40. High fashion has definitely made women disposable and lifeless being to sell what ever it is the images are trying to sell. Not only do I not understand what the products being sold are but I have noticed that women tend to be victimized and constantly shown as objects for the male gaze. There have been many images selling shoes or a purse where the image is of a woman about to be raped by one or many men. To normalize such acts speaks volumes of the society we live in. We have come to accept images of degrading women and putting them below men that most of us are not shocked by what we see. However, as a society we have to be conscious of what we are saying to not only our female viewers but our male viewers as well. We have to teach them healthy ways to view women.

    Comment by Nancy Rodriguez — April 29, 2012 @ 2:26 pm

  41. I have never personally noticed these marc Jacob ads probably because I avoid magazine ads and have no interest in marc Jacobs designs. These ads are so ridiculous I don’t even know where to start. First of all if a consumer glanced at these ads they would have no idea what exactly the advertisement is selling. The sexist and irrelevant scene does nothing to draw attention to the specific item being sold which means that it does nothing to boost the sale of said product, so why even do it? This is simply another company guilty of desensitizing society to misogynist and violent images. I find it funny that Marc Jacobs would not show women in a better light when brainstorming ad campaigns considering the fact that it is women more so than men that keep them in business in the first place.

    Comment by Ajalah T. — April 29, 2012 @ 11:41 pm

  42. I honestly feel that we need more people to be using their media literacy skills to bring attention to the ads that are making women seem like rag dolls. I have been so used to seeing women in a passive way or seeing them in very sexual cloths and are as big as my right thigh that I guess when I look through a magazine now I just skip right over it because I am used to seeing it. None of these images shown have I seen. I don’t like it and I really want to bring attention to the dismissal of women and our integrity. I would like to say that I just want to be mad at the photographer and designers, but I also find myself mad at the models as well. They willingly lay in these positions and let people Photograph them. I would like them to realize how they are being portrayed and what it is doing to our young girls and growing adolescents.

    Comment by Candice G. — April 30, 2012 @ 5:20 pm

  43. If i saw these advertisements in a magazine I wouldn’t think much of it and probably keep flipping the pages. Once you are aware of what the message is being depicted in these advertisements, it is very eye opening and you start to pull apart every piece of media that comes your way. I think this is where the problem is, so many people don’t even think twice of what the message is thats being sent out. Even if they are slightly aware, they don’t believe it will affect them. These Marc Jacobs advertisements are showing women AND men that women are disposable and also sexually disposable. You can even tell what the product is, so what is the point of the ad. We need to be more mindful when looking at these ads and buying the products these ads are selling. Im sure women wouldn’t like the fact that someone is saying they are disposable. So why support that person by buying their products. This is so frustrating because I never even thought twice about any ‘ad but now that im aware, I feel like I have been controlled by the media. Its an unsettling feeling.

    Comment by Heather S. — April 30, 2012 @ 7:29 pm

  44. I am guilty of owning a marc jacobs purse but after readign this article and seeing these disturbing ads in a way i feel ashamed of wearing a label that degraded women in such a negative way. Its so shammeful to see how these marc jacbs ads show women being victimized as somebody you can just get rid of like disposable bowel movements in the toilet as we were crap. And the worst victimizing women as if she has just being raped is so horrible to make it seem that is something considered normal and right when its absolutely not. It is just sad to see that this label makes so much money out making women look weak and treating women with no respect and showing these young girls teaching that is ok to be treated this way.

    Comment by Denisse Teutla — April 30, 2012 @ 10:57 pm

  45. I hate to say it but for some reason the first picture didn’t really catch me off guard. Yes, its incredibly bizarre, but I feel like most “art” especially “fashion” is! The second image however, is so weird and disgusting to me. My first questions is, why? This does not make me want to buy anything of his, thats for sure. It is pathetic how we have to treat women this way to sell something, and even more pathetic the women posed like this.

    Comment by Jennifer — May 4, 2012 @ 7:36 pm

  46. To be quite honest, these images don’t really move me or spark anger (or should I say they USED to not get to me). It is evident that I am desensitized to these misogynistic images. I see SO many of these “modeling/advertising” ads that portray women as disposable/worthless, that I truly have been desensitized. Of course it is different with a media literate eye. Now I can point out these sick images of rape, disposal, and violence, but what about the men and women out there who aren’t media literate? The illiterate (media) see such images and think violence and misogyny is OK, when it isn’t.

    Comment by Holly A. — May 8, 2012 @ 11:41 am

  47. First off, these pictures are weird, grungy, and bizarre. I can’t even bypass how weird the pictures are to see what product is being sold. That alone would make me not want to buy the products. I know that fashion is an expression, but the expression of exposing women to sell a product is taking it too far. I agree that fashion should be creative, but I think the pictures were too outside the box. I am a little familiar with who Marc Jacobs is, but I never knew that he had these types of ads. Is Marc Jacobs a misogynist? Possibly…however, I can’t confirm it for sure because I do not personally know him. Nevertheless I will say this, for anyone that depicts women in that matter, I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that there is some type of ill feeling towards that sex.

    Comment by Chynnassa E — May 8, 2012 @ 4:26 pm

  48. I have never paid much attention to Marc Jacobs’ magazine ads, however it is apparent that he or the individuals who work for him are misogynists. Do a quick Google search on Marc Jacobs magazine ads and you will see that there is a strong consistency with these degrading images of women. There are ads showing a woman’s legs hanging out of a Marc Jacobs shopping bag as if she’s dead, then there’s multiple ads where the bodies of the female models are being controlled by the male models. These images suggest that women are inferior to men; this is the message that I’m getting from these images and i’m sure that i’m not the only one.

    Comment by Britjette M. — May 8, 2012 @ 8:36 pm

  49. Marc Jacobs, repeat after me: “I do not need to have my model pose like she has just been raped to sell my products.” In fact, are these ads even trying to sell clothes to women? A little less clothing and this would be considered really sick porn. There’s always the excuse of making ads “shocking” in order to attract more customers, but if Marc Jacobs really wanted to shock people into buying his products, he should just put an overweight or unattractive model in an ad. That’ll do it.

    Comment by Lauren B — May 9, 2012 @ 11:24 am

  50. I very rarely see ads for high fashion items directed at women that aren’t either violent or sexually suggestive. I think this is interesting because the products being sold are never products sold to men. Men aren’t going to be carrying around purses or high heels, so why is it that the ads seem to be targeted more to their demographic? I’ve always been fascinated by the way high fashion treats women and the costs of these trends, both in terms of femininity and economy. These items not only take away a woman’s individuality, but they also take a chunk out of their ironically expensive money carrying accessories. I think this is another aspect of patriarchy few examine. Not only are the ads hurting women in content, but they are asking women to pay to continue to humiliate and demean them.

    Comment by Aleksey R. — May 9, 2012 @ 7:17 pm

  51. It is interesting to read about how March Jacobs ads further degrade women. Many designers create these superficial images where women are almost invisibly skinny. I had personally hot taken the time to really stop and look at the ads. Many times as I am skimming through magazines I just pass the ads. Perhaps because many of the high end designers items are out of my price point. However I have recently become aware how women are sold on the idea that carrying designer items will add value them. The latest trend I have heard of women cutting off their small toe in order to be able to fit into designer shoes. As I am becoming more aware of how women are continuously objectified. It makes me sad that the fight that was fought for women int he 1970’s still has a long way to go. In order for us to progress to being treated less as objects we need to boycott designers like March Jacobs. That thrive on objectifying women.

    Comment by Esmeralda Martinez — May 10, 2012 @ 10:21 am

  52. A company such as Marc Jacobs that spends millions of dollars every year in advertising campaigns to create and reinforce images of women as “disposable” and “toy-like,” must make us stop and think. What is the impact of these images? Do women identify with them? How about men? What does constructing feminity and characterizing women in this way does to the psyche of millions of young men and women? Most importantly, what makes these conspicuously harmful images seem harmless and even fictional even though they contradict our everyday reality? Kerith’s comment is right to the point: placing women in “bizarre situations and poses” makes one wonder what is behind Jacobs’ marketing strategies. Is the company selling clothes, or is it perpetuating the image of women as victims by dressing them like seductive corpses?
    Klein’s point about how these images “have not changed drastically in several decades” made me think about the 60’s and 70’s when women appeared in the covers of fashion magazines looking fashionable but within “safe” boundaries. But wait: during the 60’s the same thing was true but meeting a different patriarchal agenda. Using outstanding photography and doll-like looks, skinny female models populated fashion magazines posing passively, although this time as dressed-up housewives. As it was done then it continues to be done now; only the message is different. Today, women pose with twisted half-naked bodies; insatiable facial expressions; crawl over naked male bodies that hold weapons, or step out of toilets. The female stereotype of 60’s is considered passé now. Misogynistic companies are growing stronger by continuing to use and abuse women for their own purposes.

    Comment by M. R. Salvat — May 11, 2012 @ 2:45 pm

  53. Most people who belittle others and are self centered do so because they are insecure. It makes you wonder how insecure Marc Jacobs is to have to demoralize, objectify, and lower women in his adds. Does it make Marc Jacobs feel better as a man, bigger as a man, to victimize and brutalize his models? Did he have a bad mother growing up? I suppose none of this matters so much as it matters that he is doing it but shouldn’t be. As a man, I tend to skip over the pictures in magazines that have women selling products. I can’t lie, so I would admit to stopping on the sexy adds, but in general, I ignore them. But seeing adds like the ones above makes me curious as to how that sells anything? When you buy shoes, don’t you walk into a store and see them on the shelf? Why do we need to see them on a fake rape victim or on a dead body in a bush?

    Comment by Mohit Sharma — May 11, 2012 @ 3:08 pm

  54. Very baffled by this images used by designer Marc Jacobs who to me does a very poor job of selling whatever items the campaign is trying to sell because after seeing the images I don’t recollect the items but rather recollect the positions in which the skinny women were  portrayed in. the imaged that impact me the most was the one which has the appearance of the model being portrayed in a back alley with her legs open and shoes falling of giving it an appearance of the women being raped and in a vulnerable appearance. This images were very impacting and should not be used in ads to sell women products. Women need to start seeing ads more critically in perspective of how they are portrayed. There is need of more regulation in ads and media.     

    Comment by Tania L — May 13, 2012 @ 7:36 pm

  55. It is sad that I have become so immune to these advertisements. As I flip through magazines I don’t even notice the underlying dehumanizing, objectifying way that women are portrayed in the ads. What I don’t understand is why the advertisers portray women in this dehumanizing way. I thought advertisers were meant to capture the attention of their intended audience by stimulating their interests, to encourage consumers to buy the products. In what way does depicting women as disposable and victims stimulate a women’s interest to buy a purse or shoes? The ad has absolutely nothing to do with the product, and it saddens me to think that I don’t even notice how bad the ads are when I look through the magazines.

    Comment by Talia Y — May 15, 2012 @ 4:26 pm

  56. This is a pretty sad truth. Women are often depicted as items in these advertisements and it worries me that nobody thinks it is a big deal. It is a HUGE deal! If our children are growing up, looking at such images, then they will think this is normal that women are victims. Women have progressed a lot through feminism and both waves of the feminist movement but if continue to portray women as merely objects used at our disposal, then we will slowly move back to the place we were 50 years ago. Hopefully websites and articles like these will spark attention and make people realize this is media abuse against women.

    Comment by Alina Bergelson — May 17, 2012 @ 12:18 pm

  57. I am truly shocked by how explicit, disturbing and unnecessary these images are. But even more than that, I am astounded that I looked at the pictures before reading the article and felt nothing. I wasn’t angered or offended until I scrolled through and read the actual content. While I am sure I can discern an offensive image, the fact that I hardly noticed the positions these girls were in before having it be explained to me scares me a little. Have we really become so desensitized to this kind of media content that we hardly notice when a girl is standing in a toilet to sell a handbag? I am offended by these images, but more so I am offended by the fact that I have been socialized to see this as normative in the advertising industry. Clearly some changes need to be made.

    Comment by Neda D. — May 26, 2012 @ 3:49 pm

  58. Prior to taking the Women’s Studies 30 class that focuses on women within the media and pop culture, I remember viewing many similar images and responding in a normal way as if I was just glancing through a magazine. It was until I took that class that I realized how women were portrayed as victims of abuse and sexual abuse to sell a product. It was evident that I was desensitized, as the majority of the society, to these types of images. There are hundreds of ads like these featured in magazines that it seemed normative to glance around them. This is offensive to women, and ridiculous that this occurs in our society. Not only are women portrayed as sexual objects, but now they are seen as victims for hate crimes? These women are placed in back alleys to be raped in order to sell a bag, although I would have never guessed the product without the giant “Marc Jacobs” sign on the ad. It is unfortunate that these companies find it acceptable to display women as these victims. I am offended when I see these images, but I feel that most women will respond as how I used to. Instead, they are hypnotized by the designer brand and will not are about the ad, but will spend a few hundreds and purchase the product.

    Comment by Giselle A. — May 27, 2012 @ 9:45 pm

  59. The ads shown above are disgusting. I could not even tell who the model was, because her face was obviously not a main focus. It is so sad today how when a company is advertising their product often times the advertisment will not even show the product, instead they’re trying to sell a lifestyle. So over and over, we see women displayed as weak victims so in due time we will become desensitized to it. In the world of patriarchy, male domination can not be questioned, males need to be physically and mentally dominating over women.
    I understand that Marc Jacobs may want to be contraversial, because that is the only way to keep your brand making profit. Nevertheless, there are many ways to be different without making women look like weak and lesser beings. Marc Jacob plays into it when they choos small models who would never in a million years be able to protect or defend themselves against anyone.
    Why women pay top prices to dress and look like these victimized women makes me sick.

    Comment by Carmelle C. — May 29, 2012 @ 3:18 pm

  60. Those ads are for shoes and bags? really? it looks to me as if I am being sold a style of life. Prior to my women studies 10 class, I would have glanced through these images and thought nothing of them. lately, when I view my monthly glamour and vogue magazines, its as if i have been awakened from a sweet dream to a nightmare were women are victimized, brutalized and disposed. the worst part is that millions of women buy these products, which in my opinion are way over priced. Of course these companies are going to keep on displaying women in such ways. It is working and making them profit. It wont be until women decide to stop buying the products that these companies will stop this media abuse of women. When I mentioned this to my female cousins, they thought I was making too much of it. that I was over analyzing. Over analyzing? The misogynistic message is screaming out at us.

    Comment by yessica pastor — May 29, 2012 @ 8:20 pm

  61. I am truly appalled and disgusted by these ads. And what serves to disgust me more is that before taking Women’s Studies, I would have not even recognized that this is anything bad. I have come across a few Marc Jacobs ads myself that portray women as weak and disposable objects. One of them featured a girl who looked very, very young, definitely under the age of 18 sitting on a horse while holding a big bottle of Marc Jacobs Daisy Perfume in between her legs wearing nothing but a t-shirt. I found this so bizarre, as if one actually recognizes and analyzes this ad, it is promoting the sexuality of very young girls and rape. What scares me the most is that had I not been exposed to the horrors of advertising, I would have not even recognized this! I have an 11 year old sister and am quite afraid for her. Knowing that she is exposed to these things which subconsciously attach in her mind, makes me fearful for our future generations, as it seems like these ads are continually getting worse and worse.

    Comment by Yasmine T. — May 30, 2012 @ 12:10 pm

  62. Who knew that you had to put a woman in a toilet to properly advertise a handbag…oh wait, you don’t. Ads like these are so common in the fashion industry, yet I never really noticed it until I learned how to analyze and understand ads like these and their messages. Not only are these ads ridiculous, they are super offensive. The second ad where a girl is spreading her legs, invitingly, towards a brick wall is just plain gross. She is stationed in, what looks like, an alley way, laying on a gross, beat up, mattress. It’s as though she is inviting a rapist towards her as she positioned herself as such. I honestly cannot even tell what this is advertising because I am so focused on her awkward position and hand placement. Images like these are perpetuated again and again in the advertising industry, yet I cannot be the only one that finds this repulsive.

    Comment by Ryan F. — May 30, 2012 @ 3:10 pm

  63. While I do agree that the messages in these advertisements are negative, I wonder where we can draw the line between art and promoting these ideas. When I see these images I do not feel that Marc Jacobs is selling me rape or demoralizing women. I see the picture as a whole, which I feel that many individuals of society see it as rather than deeply analyzing the poses or implications of demoralizing actions. To an extent he is making a statement that is personal to his views and individuals have the choice of neglecting their attention to his advertisements. Some individuals view this as an expression of art simply showing the collection.

    Comment by Jenna H — November 6, 2012 @ 1:07 pm

  64. GOOD QUESTION!
    What DO these images have to do with what they’re selling exactly? I recently did an analysis on a Tom Ford fragrance ad, where a naked man and women were pouring this Tom Ford fragrance on one another. Of course the man was pouring it on the woman’s head, while the women was pouring it on his crotch with with her mouth wide open while looking directly at it. Both were also covered in white suds. What does pouring scented alcohol on two naked bodies while degrading women have to do with selling a cologne? No idea. Maybe it’ll send the message that pouring alcohol on yourself isn’t detrimental to your health and that you won’t need to immediately go to the nearest hospital.

    The only way i’ve ever been able to rationalize outlandish nonsensical advertisements like this and the ones you have mentioned, is by realizing that regardless of how outlandish and nonsensical the ads are, these advertisers had done their job. They’ve grabbed your attention. Whether you love the ad for it’s creativity or hate the ad for its offensive subliminal message, the advertiser has gotten you to see an image, with a logo, with a product that you will notice the next time you’re at the mall.

    Regardless, we have a moral issue here. Advertisers know how much they impact our popular culture (hence why billions of dollars are spewed into making ads), and yet they continue to ignore their social responsibility for not cultivate horrid subliminal messages within us. They continue to taint our popular culture and minds with misogyny, violence against women, sexism, racism, classicm, etc. And all just to make a buck. Evil.

    Comment by Jasmine F — November 7, 2012 @ 7:34 pm

  65. I find it sad that designers like Marc Jacobs would create such advertisements, but I find it even more sad that most people dismiss these photos as being wrong and misogynistic. How could anyone want to buy something that is being advertised by a woman who looks like she has just been raped or a woman who is being flushed down the toilet? People should be more conscious about what is being put into advertisements and realize how disgusting such advertisements such as those of Marc Jacobs are in order to stop any similar advertisements from being published in the future.

    Comment by JasminB — November 28, 2012 @ 9:10 pm

  66. This is very interesting to me…. I just spent the summer in NYC doing a two month fashion internship, and I never noticed these ads….how is it possible that the marketers think that seeing a women in a toilet would make me want to buy that handbag? The women and men who work in fashion would never find these types of ads attractive, as most of them seek to be beautiful and dressed to the nines 24/7.
    The people that I know who are not in fashion would not even pay attention to these types of ads other to think that they are disgusting. I don’t even understand how they could think that Sex Slave / Trafficking / homelessness (or whatever that ad is stating) is even anything to joke about or try and sell fashion with this image…..I changed my major from fashion to Womens Studies at the beginning of the semester, and seeing ads like these make me 100% sure of my choice.

    Comment by Ellie G — November 30, 2012 @ 7:42 pm

  67. Being a fashion maniac, who’s always looking through high fashion magazines and ads, I never really analyzed the images being portrayed to me. I’ve always loved Marc’s ads, because I found them quirky, funny, and frankly cute. I know this sounds awful, but I don’t think at the time I realzied what negative implications these ads were. Not only were they telling me that I was disposable, but that woman are equated to trash, garbage, and filth. I think the worse part, is that these are ads geared toward woman, all the while they’re mysoginistic and against femaleness. Marc should truly look at what he’s portraying and possibly seek to get a new artistic director, on board, so he can understand the negative mediation he’s spreading.

    Comment by SoleilH — December 3, 2012 @ 10:26 am

  68. Even before taking this course, I was always confused by ads that were trying to sell something other than the product. Seeing models bent into odd poses to sell a pair of shoes or seeing a naked woman adorned in jewelry… I always just dismissed them as “art.” After taking this course, my eyes have opened and my interpretations have changed as well. There is no way to simply dismiss the above ads as “art.” What is the hidden meaning here? There is literally no other interpretation other than a woman is filth and deserves to be in a toilet. Maybe it can be interpreted as “playful” due to the model’s pose and expression in the first photo, but she is literally standing in a toilet. I also doubt that the message is that anyone who wears Marc Jacobs is filth or the brand Marc Jacobs deserves to be in the toilet, since these would be detrimental to the company’s image. Marc Jacobs degrades women in his advertisements and the women buying his clothes aren’t even aware of it.

    Comment by NeginS — December 3, 2012 @ 10:22 pm

  69. Crazy to think how much money this company is making for making violence against woman a fashionable thing. Its actually disgusting and I don’t even know why the creators of these ads things this is attractive. I also don’t understand why a model or any woman would want pictures like this that insinuates a crime. It shows that even rape can be accepted in this patriarchal society and being a friend of someone who went through that traumatic crime I find it revolting.Its making it seem as though these crimes are ok when they are not and to me it sends signals that woman don’t stand a chance against rape and to just accept it. The most terrifying message I think it sends is to men, and that woman like this because she is somewhat smiling. They really look like crime scene photos to me and do we really wanna buy things (very expensive things) from people that devalue our gender? I don’t think I will be buying anything in the future from marc jacobs.

    Comment by Lucy M — December 3, 2012 @ 10:32 pm

  70. It is saddening to see that Marc Jacobs would put there name on such a misogynistic advertisements. Isn’t there point to sell the products to the woman why are they portraying the woman as property and garbage. There are many other ways of advertising I don’t know why they had to choose these ones to advertise their clothes and handbags.I am guessing they were trying to pull it off as artistic but when young girls/woman flip through numerous magazines or pass by billboards with theses images it sends the messages that a woman body is a piece of property. Having one woman coming out of a toilet holding a Marc Jacob bag is treating woman has a piece of defecation. While the other advertisement has a woman sprawled out on a mattress in the streets portraying woman to be a piece of object. I don’t really know how theses advertisements appeal to women to buy there products Marc Jacob’s consumers mostly consist of woman so the fact they have use theses misogynistic advertisements to sell there products if distasteful.

    Comment by Tasnim D — December 4, 2012 @ 8:37 pm

  71. How are these even ads if I can’t even tell what is being advertised? All I see is women degrading themselves by posing in these inappropriate manners. I think that the issue of misogyny is due to the fact that women make it look okay to men to do these certain things. For example, these models did not need to pose this way in order to advertise the Marc Jacobs clothing, but they went ahead and did it anyways. This shows the men who actually see these ads that women are okay with it, if they are doing it for the public and that it is okay for these men to treat women in certain ways because they expose themselves in order to be liked. It is time for women to take a stance and show the world how far we have come and that we are not just sexual objects as portrayed in the mainstream media and in photos such as these.

    Comment by Tiffany S. — December 4, 2012 @ 9:00 pm

  72. I think a main issue with these ads is that it doesn’t bother most women. I know people who have taken many women’s studies classes and will still walk around with a Marc Jacobs bag even after being shown this ad. The fact is, much like with rap music, unless women stop purchasing the products or wanting them, real change will never happen. You have to show Marc Jacobs that you don’t approve of his advertisements by not buying his products. There are so many other options out there but the fact is, for the most part people don’t care about this sort of thing.

    Comment by PanteaP — December 4, 2012 @ 9:32 pm

  73. This article struck me hard at heart as Marc Jacobs is the brand I like to buy for my mother. We never saw any advertisements for Marc Jacob however, so seeing how the products we purchased are advertised is immensely shocking. He’s taken the objectification of women to a dangerous extreme–they are now brutalized, valueless objects whereas before they at least they were given some semblance of humanity. Another shocking aspect is how these ads are effective in advertising to our mainstream culture the products. It is twisted how I can look at this image with disgust and yet when I see the bag, I am still tempted to buy it. It reflects the interwoven nature violence plays in our social norms. Unfortunately, violence does sell. This emphasizes the need for media literacy, and consumer vigilance to prevent harmful images such as these from becoming more of the norm, for the next generation.

    Comment by Sharon K. — December 4, 2012 @ 10:32 pm

  74. It has never occurred to me that Marc Jacobs could possibly be a misogynist, however, after looking at the photos shown in this article it makes me think again. Although it upsets me to see women be devalued in such a way, it is more upsetting to see how unrecognized advertisements like these go. These advertisements are targeted towards women to buy their brand and therefore make me wonder even more how they could show women in such a way. By making women look vulnerable and as victims in their advertisement, yet still advertise to women to buy their products. These advertisements make me realize even more how designers will dehumanize and objectify woman to capture the viewers attention and sell their product.

    Comment by NatalieA — December 5, 2012 @ 10:22 pm

  75. Wow, As I type this I a using my Marc Jacobs laptop case. It sickens me that someone of such high status and media attention is willing to put his love for his company before his morality. Marc Jacobs advertisement pictures are unacceptable and its negative messages must be brought to the publics attention. The fact that I have seen this ad and never thought anything of it just goes to show that people must learn to be more media literate in order to stop ads like such from spreading.

    Comment by Carolyne A — December 6, 2012 @ 1:15 am

  76. This article definitely opened my third eye and really made me realize what a misogynist really views women as. I never really payed attention to Marc Jacobs ads and after reading this article and seeing a few i don’t respect them at all, and i almost lose all respect for their clothing. Why would you have women take such degrading meaningful pictures just to sell clothes items. They really aren’t appealing neither they almost look half dead or like they are coming from a funeral. Women are not items and they do not belong in the trash, models should really considered the jobs they take before they take them because Jacobs ad’s are kinda sick.

    Comment by Kasaun Alexander — December 6, 2012 @ 1:22 am

  77. It’s amazing that so many people remain unaware of the dangers of advertising. Most people would see these ads and not think twice anout the image that is being conveyed through them. I think that as a society, we need to become more aware of what is happening around us. There is no need for women to be projected in this way, and for it to seem as though its a main part of our society. It’s ridiculous that so many people think these ads have no effect of women. If I saw pictures of someone that looked like me being raped in national ads, I know that I would be affected by them on some level.

    Comment by Matthew H. — December 6, 2012 @ 7:29 am

  78. As a fan of the Marc Jacobs brand, I had never realized the misogyny that is shown in the company’s ads. When I see billboards advertising for Marc Jacobs, I am usually confused at first glance, unable to decipher what the brand is actually selling. Usually, a female model is shown in the distance, barely visible on the floor. Unable to tell what she is even wearing, I often question the point of these advertisements. However, I now realize why I found these advertisements so odd. These ads seem so strange to me because of the way they represent women. I have been so socialized to the point where I have become passive of the thousands of misogynistic advertisements I have seen by such a popular and high-end brand. The fact that Marc Jacobs is one of the most popular brands among women who shop at stores such as Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s is so scary. To think that these women are so socialized that they don’t even realize how degrading this brand is to the entire female population.

    Comment by Shannon He — January 31, 2013 @ 12:06 pm

  79. I always looked at magazines thinking as wow that is extreme imagining, but what are they trying to sell. They advertisements are trying to bring down women. If I were a famous designer I would not try selling products by putting women in scenes of rape. They are bringing the wrong idea down to women to say that they are garbage. We are socialized into this society to believe that this is just normal. We look at them and just pass them, it does not hit our minds that this is not the way advertisements should be. These advertisements are defiantly misogynist. If they wanted advertisement to sell their products then they will put nice images rather than disturbing images. They can start that by respecting women.

    Comment by Daniella L — February 3, 2013 @ 2:43 pm

  80. I am so thrilled that I have chosen to take Professor Klein’s Women’s Studies class, and learn information which I had not known about prior to attending her course. Learning about mysogynist’s has definitely opened my eyes about people, and especially advertisements which appear around me on the daily. I absolutely love fashion, especially every item which Marc Jacobs has available to offer. However, after seeing how his products are advertised on this website, I am nauseated. In every single ad, he objectifies women as valueless objects with no feelings and just something to put on display in order to sell the products. In the advertisement shown above, one of the young women’s legs are opened wide, with a careless look on her face, as if she has been somewhat raped and violated. And in the other advertisement, the young lady, I believe, is sitting in some sort of toilet, as if she is a piece of garbage. These visions are disgusting, and I hope in the future some sense will be knocked into the media’s brain of how to treat a women with respect.

    Comment by Yasmin F — February 5, 2013 @ 3:25 pm

  81. “Another super skinny model, another model posed passively, and on it goes. I’ve seen such awful ads that many have become less shocking because there are others that are so much worse.” This statement seems to reverberate through much more than the ads depicted in this article. The lesser of two evils as it is called seems to be the fall back of a society, which allows this form of oppression to continue. By devaluing women and treating them as disposable victims of society, viewers can cast away their guilt. They can throw away this shame just as the item being marketed will soon be, as it is replaced with some newer and trendier. These advertisements desensitize the viewer by being constantly introduced to these images. The constant bombardment of these advertisements develops a sense of wonder, as the viewer will see something horrific and view it has “novel and edgy.” These editors and photographers create the basis of the collective devaluing of women as a stylistic approach to this “art form” as a means to constantly remind the viewer of the “art” that is present in these works.

    Comment by Darien a. — April 21, 2013 @ 3:34 pm

  82. Marc Jacobs is just one of many designers who relies on the objectification of women to sell a product we really do not need. He desensitizes his viewers, and shows them that women aren’t really people. They are open (both literally and figuratively) to be material things, and this subconsciously affects our perception of women as sex objects.
    What is especially depressing about this is that his main demographic is pre-teen and teenage girls. In high school, I would see many girls post these lascivious ads on their walls, and would always talk about getting that Marc Jacobs bag. This is an incredibly impressionable group, and by desensitizing them to these ads, they begin to see themselves as worthless, something to be used by men at earlier ages. Media is a powerful and prolific source of socialization for men and women of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, and they are all taught the same thing by ads like these: women are disposable, and it’s okay to victimize them.

    Comment by Chandler L. — May 16, 2013 @ 4:21 pm

  83. I am now proud to state that I have never made a purchase from Marc Jacobs. Not only is using super skinny models to promote and sell products disheartening, but using images reflecting women as victimized, brutalized and disposable is outright disgusting. These types of images constitute the majority of advertisements, allowing consumers and audience members to become desensitized, thinking this is the norm. It does not have to be the norm. Media literacy is an extremely important skill that would not only benefit someone directly, but would collectively create positive lives for many. People should not only know about these nauseating ways advertisements sell products, but should also refrain and refuse from giving money to promote these types of people.

    Comment by Jacklynn M — May 17, 2013 @ 9:12 pm

  84. Disturbing, Rude and Shameful is all I would like to tell Marc Jacob. Materialist items that want to be sold should not have a rape scene. Come on do women do not have to be verbally used and abused for you to sell your merchandise. What and were does these adds leave all the men who see it. Its is telling young boys that if your women wants to purchase something its ok to abuse them and then buy it for you their nothing wrong with this type of message. However, its wrong! It is so sad that they are treating women like this and harassing us so they can get their items purchased. I want to know why?! Why does my sexually and crime scene type of look have to be in our items being purchased. I am completely shocked and horrified. I do not even know what to say. I’m so hurt and angry by this message that is being sent out to young men and to women it’s a disgrace.

    Comment by Sam F — May 18, 2013 @ 4:25 pm

  85. When things like this are created in the mass media and distributed widely to individuals all over the united states, the overruling power of patriarchy just continues to grow and grow. Women are continued to be seen as some sort of controllable doll where one can do anything they want to them. The theme of women as sex object is just re-iterated in these advertisements and Marc Jacobs isn’t the only follower of such actions. Why does Marc Jacobs enjoy such success? Probably because advertisements like these are seen as “art” with profound images and themes.It seems as though this “art” appeals to many women because the underlying ideas of violence against women has been desensitized in the minds of many.

    Comment by Pravesh S. — May 23, 2013 @ 10:05 pm

  86. This article says straight out what the problem with our society is: we are so used to seeing these disgusting pictures that they do not even phase us anymore. To be honesty, if I saw those two pictures shown above in a magazine, I wouldn’t think twice about it, I would just flip the page. If people would just be open minded and pause for a second, they would realize that this girl standing on top of a toilet is portraying the fact that girls are disposable, and usually sexually disposable. What the hell kind of message does that send out to little girls and for that matter, little boys. No wonder some men turn out to be pigs, one reason has to do with this norm of women being disposable and men having all the power. If you are trying to advertise for your brand, then why are you showing a picture of a girl with her legs fully open? Everything has become so sexual its disgusting. What’s even more disgusting is that we don’t even realize it-and I’m about talking about myself as well. Now that I’ve taken this class, I am definitely more aware of these photos and concepts. However, it is still just so normal to this society to see advertisements like this. Truly disgusting and advertisers need to change their ways.

    Comment by Ashley K. — May 26, 2013 @ 4:44 pm

  87. I was a fan of Marc Jacobs clothing and accessories until I read this article. I never even noticed the misogyny in Marc Jacob’s advertisements in the past because our society has seen so many different types of these inappropriate and discriminative advertisements that we have become desensitized and do not think it is a big deal until it is pointed out. After reading this article, I never want to buy anything from this brand again. Instead of advertising their clothing or jewelry, they advertise the skinny models and abuse their power by revealing women in a disrespectful way that women should never be treated in. The graphic depictions of these models in the advertisements are meant to portray the wow factor rather than the actual clothing. In other words, the focus of the Marc Jacobs advertisements seems to rarely be the clothing. These models may appear to be posing half naked in an awkward positioning, but in some cases, these models are solely displaying women being portrayed as weak and inferior to men. Unfortunately, these ads are actually normalizing the idea of abuse and women’s inferiority to men.

    Comment by Jacqueline A. — May 26, 2013 @ 5:13 pm

  88. Those ads are revolting. The media and advertising companies are constantly showing women as disposable, victims, and often times dehumanizing them by objectification. This is a huge problem that serves to only serves to normalize and encourage violence against women. Melanie is absolutely correct in saying that these images desensitize us and that is coming from someone is is media literate- someone who is actively and critically taking in this images. Just think of how it effects those who know nothing of these issues; those who take this is passively. The cultivation of these images and messages will only continue to form a negative reality for us- when where women are devalued and mistreated. We already see this on a daily basis which means it’ll only get worse for our future generations. What a scary thought.

    Comment by Zury C. — May 28, 2013 @ 7:12 pm

  89. I do not understand why Marc Jacobs would want to come off as a misogynist. After all, he is marketing to women. Why would you show degrading pictures of women when you are trying to sell to them? There are better ways to get your name out there. It does not make sense! When I first saw the posted images, my first thoughts were “what are they even doing? why are they doing that? why would I want to look like that?” It basically discouraged me from buying Marc Jacob’s products. I can understand that in a way Marc Jacobs is sexualizing these women, but he is doing it in such a degrading and unappealing way. Their faces may seem like they don’t mind but why would want to be standing in a toilet? The background setting is not even appealing and neither is her attire. Such ads repel me rather than attract me.

    Comment by Neda S — May 28, 2013 @ 7:39 pm

  90. These are the type of advertisements that upset me the most. Since I was a little girl, I was very curious about high-end clothing magazines with “beautiful” models, but I never saw them as beautiful. I was frightened by many of the advertisements. Women in dark rooms with young, startled looks on their faces, posing. They themselves embodied fear rather than beauty or power, yet these advertisements sell, and they sell well. I always thought that maybe I was just crazy and dramatic to take notice of these advertisements, since most people saw them as artistic, high-fashion, and classy. It wasn’t until our women studies class when I realized it wasn’t all in my mind, and these are actual themes that advertisements follow! This makes me so upset because it is so subtle and seen as sexy, when in actuality it sends off the worst possible messages to women. I don’t even understand what the hell is being advertised in the photos, which makes me even more angry because it seems like the only thing being fed to the public is mysogyny! Waste of a beautiful model and beautiful clothes because all it does is instill sexism and gender socialization (women being fragile, scared, hopeless, etc) to the women purchasing the products.

    Comment by Ambar P. — May 29, 2013 @ 8:47 pm

  91. The worst part of the ads and images that Marc Jacobs advertises is that that so many people see them as artistic or beautiful. People see it as art! The reality of these ads is that they devalue women in so many ways. One way is through sex. Sex is trivialized and used to sell almost anything. Young girls are learning to sexualize themselves because they see it as liberation or power. Porn has now become something “cool” or “edgy”. Through adds, many women like myself get the message that sex is something is something that only belongs to the young and beautiful. The images that I see all contain models that are extremely thin and unrealistically beautiful. This is setting beauty standards that are almost impossible to attain, and the pressure women feel to meet these standards has led to an epidemic of body issues. Not only are these images unrealistic, but they also maintain forms of inequality. They are racist, one-dimentional, heterosexist, and ageist. Grown women are dressed like children and have childhood features. And people call this “art”? Shame on companies like Marc Jacobs that are making a profit by devaluing women in ads.

    Comment by GabbyT — May 29, 2013 @ 10:27 pm

  92. These are all great points made by the author, Melanie Klein, and I agree that it is absurd for women to still be represented through the victim lens after so many years of oppression. It is interesting how the once powerful notion of the double standard in respect to the men and women’s body image has been slowly loosing its roots. Although it would be great for women to experience the same conformity as men when it comes to body image, this is not the case. It’s quite the opposite actually. Media, ads companies in particular, have found a way to critique and take advantage of the men’s body image. Just like they have done with women for many generations, they found a way to exercise “the need to aspire for perfection” on men. Now more than ever, we see constant ads of the “perfect” men, in order to sell a product. Its is quite sad that these companies need to degrade men and women in order to increase sales. Even worst is depicting a raped victim as beautiful. One thing is too encourage victims to accept themselves and live normal lives, but this is not what these advertisements are doing. Instead, they are encouraging this sexist act, and stimulate self-hate. We need prestige and influential companies like this to portray more feminist thinking and employ a more socially acceptable and realistic way of creating advertisement.

    Comment by Julian G. — July 21, 2013 @ 7:58 pm

  93. After reading this, it made me want to have a few words with Marc Jacobs. I think that he took it waaayyy to far to have done an Ad like this. It’s disrespectful to all women because this ad clearly has a “subliminal message” behind it. I personal think that some people in the fashion industry would call these ads beautiful just because Marc Jacobs did it. There are many diffrent ways that he could’ve sold these items. If I was looking through a magazine and saw this,I wouldn’t have known that there was an item being sold. These pictures are very confusing.

    Comment by Essence H — July 23, 2013 @ 9:45 am

  94. I do not follow marc jacobs clothing line or buy any of his stuff. After reading this article I definitely won’t be either. The two ads at the top of the article are very confusing to me. Like the one with the lady in the toilet, I can see that it is selling a purse or at least I think so. But the picture with the lady on the floor with her legs open, I have no idea what is being sold. I do not realize images like this because I do not read or purchase magazines or follow big huge name designers on the internet. But if women continue to by Marc Jacobs stuff, then these types of image will continue to be posted as ads and in magazines.

    Comment by Ashley A — July 23, 2013 @ 9:11 pm

  95. Thinking back to all the times I’ve looked at a Marc Jacobs ad, I never once realized how misogynistic they are. To look at them now and see that he shows women being flushed down the toilet or thrown around like a random object is really quite disturbing. I don’t think that as a well known designer, Marc Jacobs should not be trying to sell his products in such a horrible manner. Especially since he is marketing mainly to women. There are definitely better ways for him to show off his products and not give off such a misogynistic vibe.

    Comment by Jasmine P — July 23, 2013 @ 11:32 pm

  96. Is she standing in a toilet? And what is the other one even doing? I see no clothes, shoes, purses, nothing. I don’t know if Marc Jacobs is a mysogynist but he obviously will sacrifice women’s dignity as well as his own to sell his products. The models also will sacrifice for money or a photo, which is sad. He should find a better way to sell his products, because this is ridiculous and he has a lot of nice clothes. What a waste.

    Comment by Skye J. — July 24, 2013 @ 4:32 pm

  97. I am absolutely shocked and oblivious on how Marc Jacobs ads were being distributed in the media and to think that i bought a perfume of his last Christmas. After understanding the concept behind the posing in the alley and standing in the toilet it has brought my attention that women in the modeling industry are completely unaware that they are being posed as a useless women and yet they are representing ads that men see as perfectly normal. Companies like this need to hire and present women that are more feminist thinking and begin to create a none misogyny ad for women but instead creating advertisement for women that seen as beautiful in their own way and be respected among all cultures.

    Comment by Priscilla Ramos — July 24, 2013 @ 11:53 pm

  98. I don’t have anything even remotely intelligent to say this, all I can say is: what. the. FUCK. What is it that my 14-year-old cousin texted me the other day? R U SRS?! This sort of thing just pisses me off. This makes me think of that cover of Hustler from the late ’70s featuring a woman’s slender legs hanging out a meat grinder, Tyler Shields’ “sexy” photoshoot of a flash-in-the-pan starlet as a battered housewife, and that one episode of America’s Next Top Model where Tyra Banks decided to feature her models all as murder victims. I have a friend who works in fashion who is a big fan of Terry Richardson’s photography and she claims this sort of sexualization of women as disposable objects, victims of violence, and LITERALLY pieces of meat is just “art”. I threw my hands up in frustration, attempting to respond intelligibly to this person I believed to be a well-educated, articulate, sensible individual and shouted, “Do you really not see how DAMAGING this is!?” First, let’s ponder the fact that marketing is meant to equal parts pander to and seduce a consumer into wanting a product. That being said, misogyny is so incredibly embedded into the social fabric, that an ad such as this featuring a woman as symbolic of what I can only surmise to be SHIT and GARBAGE, to be anything other than ineffectual in successfully selling its product. Is that how bougie, rich women who can afford this stuff see themselves? Given that they don’t, then is it not brutally offensive to them that this is how Marc Jacobs sees you?

    Comment by SarahC — July 25, 2013 @ 3:15 am

  99. At times, I find myself hearing comedians or artists speak derogatorily on sensitive topics such as rape, murder, racism, sexism, or many other ism’s. However, I seldom feel that those comments are “too” offensive, which is absurd I know! I was beginning to think that I may be an ignorant piece of sh#% until a few things happened. The first was my taking a media studies class which provided me with a foundation and basic tools needed to deconstruct different forms of media. The second was taking a Women’s Studies class (with a professor who is and has been very active in a plethora of public movements) which added even more onto my media literacy. Lastly, this article clearly explained why we are somewhat used to such absurd ads – we have become “desensitized” to these issues. The media is aware of its ability to manipulate us as consumers and form our thoughts. We are exposed to so many advertisements (3,000 ads per day on average) that we begin to unconsciously take in the billboards, magazine covers, & all other kinds of mass mediums that we don’t even realize it.

    Comment by Michael A. — November 8, 2013 @ 7:26 pm

  100. Marc Jacobs ads are disturbing, disgusting and utterly confusing. Sadly though it is a marketing tact that seems to have worked. These ads are numerous and appear everywhere. It seems our society has become immune to the demeaning qualities of the advertisement. Even sadder is the fact that these ads seem to target women and it is women who predominantly purchase his products.

    Comment by M. Lisa Cruz — November 12, 2013 @ 3:35 pm

  101. Its unbelievable that these ads are actually allowed to be published in mainstream magazines. These images can undoubtedly bring up traumatic memories for rape victims, and one of the many reasons they should be banned should be for their sake. Ads like these have gone beyond merely objectifying women and are actually encouraging violence against them. Any humane society should not allow these kind of images to be distributed among its public as this kind of imagery has a horrible influence on the population, especially the men. It implies that women like being treated that way.

    Comment by Sepehr H — November 28, 2013 @ 3:45 pm

  102. Before I read this article I had somewhat positive image about Marc Jacobs. I liked his involvement with LGBT families. The graphic tees that he designed bring out a good message and advocate equality. So reading this article was a disappointing experience for me. Even though I liked the guy I am in complete agreement with this article. Images like that produce an impact on people and that it’s most likely to be a negative one. Advertising industry is a powerful force that shapes attitudes of our society. It creates the virus that spreads its violent, misogynistic messages fast throughout the world. These photographs by Juergen Teller for Marc Jacobs are definitely thought-provoking, strange, artistic and moreover, extravagant. My view is that these photographs do not promote or sell his cloth, shoes and the life style; instead, they bring out emotional intensity, saying that it is ok to rape women, treat them poorly. The girl in one of these disturbing photographs looks beautiful and young. Her provocative posed body lies in a love seat with her legs wide spread wearing dark short dress against pale skin and bright red lipstick. The background, the shoe on the floor, her eyes and legs spread open, all of this indicates that she is sexually accessible. It is disappointing to know that Marc Jacobs uses such type of an art to represent his work. My overall reaction to these photographs is negative and I hope that some day Marc will stop being a narcissi person and actually symphonize to women and try to make them look powerful and alive instead of provocative, submissive, depressive and dead.

    Comment by Olga M — December 2, 2013 @ 5:07 am

  103. Ads like these are part of the reason why women continue to be abused. We see these type of ads in our ever day live, we began to normalize it and we take in subconsciously. By using these women as objects we these ads are pretty much saying it is okay to mistreat them because they are not human anyway. Even a bigger problem than that, I think, is the fact that these models are posing for these ads without questioning the creators. These models become puppets that reinforce women abuse.

    Comment by Leslie S. — December 2, 2013 @ 7:28 pm

  104. Brand names like Marc Jacobs are the thing in society and Marc Jacobs are seen as “artistic” now a days. I can’t deny that before getting into feminism, I noticed Marc Jacobs to be misogyny, but I know people don’t realize that it’s harmful to how we portray women in media. Beauty is real, but ads like Marc Jacobs chop up body parts to be seen as artistic. The funny thing about these ads is that the actual product is not seen or cannot even be detected. Companies who portray women by body parts or as victims of violence are trying to seem mysterious, but they’re not. They’re adding no mystery to a woman’s life actually; they’re bringing violence. These ads don’t literally create violence, but they are the first step because men assume that it’s okay for women to be attacked. You never see a man being decoyed into body parts. You never see a man depicted dead inside a crate. It’s because advertisers are still portraying as weak individuals. This high fashion dead girl needs to stop.

    Comment by Benjamin C. — December 3, 2013 @ 12:13 am

  105. Looking at these ads with the knowledge that I have now on misogyny, I am ashamed to have ever bought anything from this brand. Some of these high end brands look at photos like this and consider it high fashion and “in-style”. They think ads like this attract buyers. I feel that on top of the consumers not understanding the meaning behind many of these ads, the models modeling for these photos either don’t care and just want the money or they are also oblivious to what the message is that is being portrayed. Women’s studies is not taught in grade school so it is no wonder that people are not as educated in this matter. The public’s lack of knowledge on this subject is why they are immune to the message these ads are sending out.

    Comment by Ashley B. — December 3, 2013 @ 3:16 pm

  106. Before reading this article I understood the meaning of misogyny but I didn’t know what it meant to hate women. These ads featured in the article are truly disturbing. I never understood the message that designer Marc Jacobs was trying to send to his consumers. He devalues women with these advertisements and makes them seem like a piece of trash. It’s crazy to think how we come across these ads every day but we don’t acknowledge the fact that it is offensive and is objectifying them. These images are very disturbing and the thought that people consider it an “Art” even makes things worse. There shouldn’t be any reason why designers need to go as far as misogynistic images in order to sell their products.

    Comment by Daniella S. — December 3, 2013 @ 3:41 pm

  107. After becoming more media literate, I have noticed ads depicting women as objects and trash more than I can count. When flipping through a magazine, its hard not to notice the amount of advertisements, and most are dehumanizing women. Usually women are posed in ways to make them look small and delicate, trying to give out the message that women should take less space in our world. Women are constantly seen as victims and this has been going on for many years. Sometimes I ask myself if the photographers or people behind these ads are placing these women in these poses on purpose or is it a coincidence. However, after seeing the pattern over and over again it was clear to me that this was no coincidence. These people were actually misogynists. I see these ads around me so many times that it has come to the point where I just look across it as if I never laid my eyes on it. I no longer want to pay attention to them. I mean how many times do I have to see a skinny model positioned in a sexy manner or victimized. Marc Jacobs has some of the worst ads I’ve seen. He has no respect for these women and his work is disturbing. I hope he realizes one day what he is doing and stops.

    Comment by Jasmin Lavi — May 19, 2014 @ 7:57 pm

  108. I find these ads very disturbing. It is a shame that high fashion moguls have degraded themselves so much as to feel the need to victimize women in ridiculously suggestive poses. These ads set a standard for all other advertisements to live by and by them publishing these ads they are saying it is ok to degrade women both in print as well as in everyday life. It is sad that as a society we claim to have progressed so much, yet these images are still the norm and seem to be accepted by the majority. We proving not only that we are digressing as a society but that the treatment of women is on the back burner. We are never going to be a completely progressive society until we stop degrading and dehumanizing the very people that give us life, women.

    Comment by Lindsay Grossman — May 20, 2014 @ 9:10 am

  109. I find these ads to be degrading and disturbing. And let’s all be real, what is this even promoting? I have no idea what the merchandise even is. What is the point in using harmful and violent situations to sell clothing, WOMEN’S clothing I might ad. Then, when other companies see a huge brand like Marc Jacobs utilizing this type of advertisement, they follow in its footsteps. If a world renowned clothing line is remaining successful despite these misogynistic and disgusting advertisements, it sends a message to other companies that this is what they can do to promote their line, be “artistic”. But using women’s bodies as a form of art in a way that is violating, painful, and plain right wrong is not art to me.

    Comment by Yasmin Khalifian — May 20, 2014 @ 2:53 pm

  110. These are the one of the most disturbing ads I have seen. I do not really know what they are advertising because the actual pictures seem weird and disturbing. I agree that in these pictures Marc Jacobs really devalues and degrades women by posing them in the areas that he does and in the positions as well. However, in most Marc Jacobs’ ads it is often hard to tell what the designer is trying to sell. I have come to the conclusion that the random displays and awkwardly placed models are only trying to sell the brand. It is unfortunate to see that this label makes a lot of money by making women look weak, treating women with no respect, and showing these young girls teaching that is just fine to be treated this way.

    Comment by Pouya Ghodsian — May 23, 2014 @ 5:00 pm

  111. I had never known Marc Jacobs was so misogynistic until seeing these ads. These ads are very disturbing and do not really show the consumer what he is attempting to sell to them. What does a woman standing in a toilet or a woman lying down on a couch in a dark alley have to do with selling shoes or a bag? Absolutely nothing. He is just putting out images that show women as dismissive, and disposable and the sad thing is that women are starting to see so many of these images that they think that women are actually disposable and submissive. They don’t bat an eye when seeing misogynistic images like these but seeing an image of a woman with a belly in a magazine is a big deal to them. This does not make any sense and it is very unfortunate that women have had the wrong ideas about themselves ingrained into their heads by advertisements of today.

    Comment by Matthew S — May 24, 2014 @ 10:38 pm

  112. To be honest, before I took this class, I would not look at media through a lens that showed me the true meanings and ideas ads like Marc Jacob’s are portraying. Since photos like this are so cultivated into my mind, I never got shocked or realized anything was wrong with photos like these that I see so often. However, after learning about violent masculinity and how some men think that women have been put on this earth for man’s pleasure, I have come to a point where I am disgusted and extremely offended at ads like this one by Marc Jacobs. The one in particular that I find shocking is the one with the girl laying down with her legs wide opened as if she’s a victim waiting for her predator. This idea is infecting our society and I believe that misogynistic people are feeding off of things like this ad as their motivation. The problem is becoming to instilled into society and it’s raising violence, mainly rape, against women. Marc Jacobs is doing a great job at dehumanizing women in the ads and making them look like “things” just lying around waiting to be preyed on…oh and until now, naive little me thought the purpose of this ad was to sell a purse; Now I see it’s so much more than that.

    Comment by Ariela R. — May 28, 2014 @ 8:58 pm

  113. When I first started developing a mindset for fashion and what I liked and disliked, I remember be very fond of Marc Jacobs clothes and I don’t remember his ads ever bothering me or making me feel a certain way. But, of course now that I haven’t paid much attentions to any fashion ads regardless of whether they are Marc Jacobs’s or not for the past 3 years or so, I can see how damaging they were to my self-esteem but not surprisingly I didn’t realize that at the time.
    Now, it is so obvious to me how degrading these images are that Jacobs uses to sell his clothes. They all seem so lifeless, disengaged, frail, unhealthy, and ultimately not capable of anything, really. When you think about how many images like the ones displayed in this article are seem by people every single day when their consciousness doesn’t even take full notice. These images still impact how we view ourselves and others and this influences how we perform at work and school and the opportunities we see available to us.
    It is not easy to recognize this impact, but once you do it makes is quite easy just to choose not to buy magazines with these ads. It surprised me how quickly I noticed a change in my self-esteem just from not reading so many women’s/fashion magazines. This was combined with not watching very much TV filled with commercials and choosing to watch Netflix that lets me pick and choose what I want to expose myself to. Simple changes in one’s lifestyle like this can really help women see themselves as full, self-actualized individuals—not frail, unstable victims portrayed by Jacobs that works to eroticize and glorify violence against women.

    Comment by Mary R. — May 29, 2014 @ 3:02 pm

  114. I fully agree with the comment above! It is due to mainstream media such as this that women truly believe they are basically second class citizens to all of these misogynistic assholes. These are the same assholes that support and purchase fashion designers clothing such as Marc Jacobs. Did I miss the memo where women’s bodies appearing as corpses was an incentive to buy. I’m lost! This reminds me of a song by the one and only, Kanye West. The song “Monster,” also features Rick Ross and Nicki Minkaj. The music video was so incredibly disturbing that it actually had to be taken off of YouTube! (I kid you not). The video shows Kanye laying in a bed with two dead women on each side. He raps, “the best living are dead, hands down huh? Less talk more head right now, huh?” He also has hanging dead women from the ceilings and all of the african american women are depicted as blood sucking vampires. It’s a bit ironic that in a rap music video all the white women are cold corpses while all the african american are living, breathing, blood suckers. You would like to think that since a woman is featured on this track the music video would have been just a bit less misogynistic and offensive but no, of course not. Women in today’s pop culture accept all of these messages that spew hatred of women because it is apparently what sells. This goes to show that it is not just the music industry that promotes and sells sexism with misogyny. A step in the right direction would be to start buying clothing from independent companies as opposed to these huge name brands. Seemingly this is asking a lot, but is possible, and can create a huge statement to designers such as Marc Jacobs.

    Comment by LaceyA — May 31, 2014 @ 3:37 pm

  115. I say this with no shame, but before Marc Jacobs became a household name, I was one of his biggest fans. I have his first “handbag” that came out before he catapulted into the “high-end” fashion world. I’ve always seen “high-end designers as more avant-garde and their ads have always caused controversy, as its how they get people to talk about them. With that being said, prior to this class and this article I didn’t see how women were objectified. It saddens me that Marc Jacobs would not take into account what he is selling to the world. Marc Jacobs who is openly gay I am sure has known the struggle of being “The Other.” Being afraid to speak out for what you believe in, with fear of the consequence. I have to agree that he is a misogynist. It saddens me to see a talented and creative man turn the other way in his treatment of women, all for the sake of a dollar. I do believe his behavior is coming from the capitalistic nature of our society. The investors he has to please. Along the way, he is selling his soul and exploiting women for the sake of being a household name.

    Comment by Rosa G. — May 31, 2014 @ 9:19 pm

  116. The images in the advertisement are so heinous and disgusting that I realized that I never really paid attention to marketing strategies by major clothes distributors. I can say that I am used to seeing women in ridiculous poses for advertisements, but I never truly thought about the effect it has on society. Marc Jacobs seems to think that sexual harassment and rape scenes are great marketing tools. It is evident that he is delusional and has lost his mind. I think that women don’t pay attention to the background as much as the super skinny photo shopped model in the advertisement. I have finally realized that these advertisements are vile and disgusting, but how about the rest of the world who gladly purchase Marc Jacobs clothing? It seems as if the media has completely brainwashed society to believe that vile images are necessary in order to advertise, which is unethical and absurd. The advertisement make women appear as mere objects of men’s desire. The sad thing about this advertisement is that women seem to be motivated to look like those models, yet they ignore the facts. Marc Jacobs intentionally put these women in those environments to make them look silly or helpless, which contributes to the fact that he is a misogynist.

    Comment by Arya A — May 31, 2014 @ 10:36 pm

  117. It is a shame to read this article considering the fact that Marc Jacobs is one of my favorite designers. To be honest I have always been so mesmerized by his clothing, I have never really looked into how misogynistic his advertisements are and what a horrible man he actually is. Paying attention to detail and looking at a variety of his ads that show women being flushed down and thrown around like a worthless object is disturbing and unethical. He is a well-know, successful designer and if this is how he is marketing, then it will act as an influence for other designers because they will see how his tactic has worked for him. There is so many routes he could have taken to advertise his clothing, but he chose this route intentionally as a disgrace to women.

    Comment by Dorsa Mehrannia — June 2, 2014 @ 10:28 pm

  118. Since I am not much into the whole designer and wearing the latest brands, I can not say this is particularly of importance. But the fact that this man has misogynistic views and continues to be one of the leading designers is disturbing. Women who have no clue that they are buying something that was created by a man who basically likes the idea of the mistreatment of women. But who is to blame? Women themselves, who continue to poor money into these products, because they need to have his shoes, or bags, or whatever he sells? Or is the media to blame, for saying that if you don’t possess these products, then you are not THE WOMAN. The fact that people let themselves be defined by the logo on their bodies is the reason why these type of people continue to be at the top.

    Comment by Kevin Monterroso — July 30, 2014 @ 1:48 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment