This is a print ad for Bongo clothing:
The thing that caught my attention (other than the absurd, gratuitous sexual imagery) is that, as far as I can tell, Bongo only sells women’s clothing. This means that the ad isn’t supposed to have some sort of Axe Body Spray-esque appeal to men (i.e., “Wear Our Jeans And An Ambidextrous Woman Will Give You And Another Guy A Handjob!”). Thus, the point of the ad appears to be that women should want to purchase and wear a denim vest/corduroy miniskirt combo, so that they may earn the right to sexually service men in a way that reinforces the invisibility of female sexuality (except as a mechanism by which men can be satisfied).
And that’s just not a good enough reason to wear corduroy.
Comments 11
Patrick — July 14, 2008
this could be interpreted as her "having them by the balls" so to speak.
having said that, they seem to be enjoying it.
Penny — July 14, 2008
Cavallari is 21 (I just checked), but doesn't this image seem to be styled to make her look underage? Blech.
Laura — July 14, 2008
I would argue that the woman in the ad is in control, and seems to be choosing to sexually pleasure the males. Whether or not you agree with her decision, I think it's positive to see women actively engaging in sexual acts, instead of the all too prevalent images of highly-sexualized yet docile, passive, if not lifeless women subject to the desires of the men around them. Furthermore, the woman in this ad is far from invisible. Instead, she stands tall and looks a bit fierce, with her face and body facing the camera. The men on the other hand are wearing identical outfits, half turned away in the shot. They seem much much less visible.
Zerographic — July 14, 2008
Fierce? Look at her face! She is unsure, nervous, and is presented as vulnerable next to the men looming over her. The man on the right of the photo is especially intimidating, and seems to be almost glaring at her.
anomie — July 14, 2008
This ad strikes me as a failed attempt at creating a reverse axe effect, in which the woman attracts the men like flies. But yeah, she does look dead in the eyes. That kinda kills the allure for me.
Bryce — July 14, 2008
I have a reading of the ad similar to that of Patrick. I see the ad as trying to send the message that Bongo clothing allows a woman to have men "by the balls" (i.e., be in control of men).
George — July 14, 2008
Imagine the scene reversed - a man in the middle with two women fawning over him. We'd be condemning it as stereotypical male domination. That the roles are reversed is fine. I think the point should not be to disapprove of any one sexual behaviour, but to allow for all practices to be engaged freely.
Pages tagged "ambidextrous" — July 19, 2008
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Sunny Dark — November 9, 2009
Bongo does make men's stuff too. That ad is super hot.
Lurkin Merkin — April 1, 2010
This creeps me out, because she looks so numb and just...not there, while the men (to me, at least) seem sort of threatening. I am totally okay with the idea of a woman enjoying herself while doing sexual things with two guys, but looking at this makes me feel claustrophobic.
In spite of my creeped-outness, however, I didn't read it as her giving both of them handjobs. I think it's supposed to be that she "has them by the balls" as a previous commenter said. Actually, my very first thought for a few seconds after seeing this was that she was going to choose one of the men based on who had nicer feeling genitals - but I'm really strange.
Laurel Westbrook — January 31, 2013
Rosalind Gill provides a great analysis of this type of figure (which she calls "the midriff") in her article "Beyond the 'Sexualization of Culture' Thesis" (Sexualities, 2009).