Rhea D. sent us a link to an ad campaign currently running in India for the shoe company Redtape. In the ads, a guy gets to select which woman he wants from a vending machine or his closet:
I think the fantasy is not just to have a specific hot chick, but to be able to pick out which one you want and get her immediately. It’s the ultimate form of objectification–women as simply something to pick from and purchase at your leisure. Rhea points out that everyone in the ad is quite light skinned, which is widely associated with beauty and success in India.
See our posts on skin lightening cream for men, skin lighteners as liberation, skin lightening as modernity, and hot girls make your Ecko jeans.
Comments 52
giotto — December 26, 2009
In most places that would be known as prostitution. Put in your money... choose your woman. Does this remind anyone but me of the infamous storefront prostitution in Amsterdam's red light district? If you don't know what I'm referring to, just google image search "prostitute" and "amsterdam"
Lance — December 26, 2009
Hey, in the second ad, it's not a vending machine! He went to his closet and picked out which of the four women he wanted! Isn't that so much better?
Yeah, not really, no. These are pretty awful.
Buddy McCue — December 26, 2009
Notice that the vending machine in the first ad says, "Served Chilled."
Are the women not alive? Perhaps they are in some sort of cryogenic sleep? I don't know about the guy in the ad, but I prefer warm women.
Samantha C — December 26, 2009
honestly, i'm FAR more irritated by the fact that i would never in a million years have pegged this as a shoe ad.
I was also really confused for a moment- i think i automatically associated "shoe ad" with "aimed at women", and I instantly assumed the fantasy was that of the woman, to be picked out by a handsome guy
Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist ! — December 26, 2009
WTF does this have to do with shoes? And yeah Rhea is right-- why the HELL are they all light skinned? I don't even think they're Indian. Being from India, this issue really irritates the sh*t outta me... and I even happen to be light skinned!
tree — December 26, 2009
and beyond on that, bachelor #1 appears to have a GIANT right foot, and bachelor #2 has a very turned in left leg. he looks as though he's going to trip over his own foot.
Tamara — December 26, 2009
I thought the photoshopped shoes were about...well, shoes. Something in the ad needs to point at them, right?
ps — December 26, 2009
Possibly porn influenced as well...the male consumer "fantasy" of getting to pick whatever flavor of woman he wants to do whatever he wants. (I think porn has also contributed to men feeling very free to criticize bodies & express desire/lack of desire to fuck any woman they see. See the comments sections on youtube or any gossip site for examples.)
Kate — December 26, 2009
Something else to note is the company's name: Red Tape. The man is "cutting through all the red tape" by choosing which woman he wants and her simply obliging without going through all that boring and lengthy getting to know her and gaining her trust stuff.
Marc Singer — December 27, 2009
Can you imagine if the male-female roles were reversed? You don't have to! Sara Evans, a country singer, has done it for us. Here's a cute music video that shows a woman trying to buy an artificial "perfect man" from a store and discovering that what she really wants is the real thing. If only the men who made that offensive Red Tape ad could learn the same lesson.
"As If" by Sara Evans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31UEGl9tvX8&feature=PlayList&p=BEE669A977141F16&index=0
chris — December 27, 2009
I hope cola-cola sues them for associating "the wave" with human trafficking.
julie — December 27, 2009
oh yeah, anyone catch the naked anorexic woman "wall art" in his super-smooove bachelor pad? I'll bet this guy was the prototype for Pepsi when they came out with that "how to score with (insert sexist female stereotype here)app.
Anika — December 28, 2009
I think the weirdest thing about this ad is that it's for shoes. The advertising completely overshadows the product. Also, I'd be embarrassed to watch this because they're so clearly peddling adolescent fantasy instead of an actual item. Objectification in advertising has reached such epidemic proportions in India that it's become its own product, overshadowing all others.
JSF — December 28, 2009
Tell 'em:
marketing@redtapeindia.com
.
dottywine — January 4, 2010
The joys of having light skin...
Angel — January 4, 2010
From reviews on the net,we know that MBT shoes will improve your posture
rhea.d — January 6, 2010
Hi, thanks so much for putting this up. Like some of the other people the ad immediately reminded me of trafficking at first and I went with this in the letter I wrote them. The fact that they were foreign-looking models only occurred to me later, and it's almost common now for co.s to do that (if it's good enough for white people then it really must be good for me!). The ads are still on, I've passed by quite a few of their shops with the images in the windows. Here's the letter I wrote them before I contacted Sociological Images.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I'm quite aware of the advertising industry's eagerness to use women to sell everything but your latest ad can put Axe deoderant to shame. I'm referring to the one I had the pleasure of seeing when opening the _____ Times today and saw a man in front of a vending machine dispensing his choice of women. What kind of fantasy are you selling, precisely? It is common knowledge that women have been prostituted in shopwindows and your ad makes a mockery such real-life degradation. Your advertising team may not have a problem with it but once the idea is out there people are going to see it and I have a problem with my kid, or anyone for that matter, thinking that it's okay to sell women like soda pop (however much the advertising industry glams it up).
sincerely etc...
I don't think anyone has really noticed.
Anna — February 12, 2010
Did anyone notice the photo on the wall (upper right) in the second picture? I didn't notice it at first! The woman in the photo is shockingly thin, but I can't seem to make a connection to the advertisement?
rhea.d — February 17, 2010
I didn't notice the picture Anna. I'm guessing it's some high fashion photography to make the guy's room look all swanky, It's not a luxury label but they're trying to sell the image of this rich, progressive guy who can afford whatever he wants, including 'beautiful' women, and because this is what success is supposed to mean to men. This ad is wrong on so many levels.
IV — April 27, 2011
Nothing new about this. Average schmucks need to work towards this goal of a human barbie bubbling over with excitment at getting to please HIM. I mean, what girl wouldn't turn down an opportunity to walk around with this overgrown boy in Eurotrash loafers? Plus now she feels pretty again, because he picked HER! Maybe she'll have the confidence not to throw up today!
Its a fantasy...but fantasies want to become reality, and girls are manipulated to want to BE this.
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The way this campaign encourages people to live their fantasy is really thought-provoking. In a similar vein, we're helping people in South Africa achieve their own dreams by creating Nasi Ispani, a platform that connects job seekers with employment opportunities. Just as fashion campaigns inspire confidence and bold choices, our platform is designed to empower people to take control of their job search and pursue the future they deserve. It’s all about turning aspirations into reality!
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