Friday, January 28, 2011

Editorials are for men?

Why do editorials oftentimes seem aimed at a male audience, when the majority of fashion magazine readers are women and gay men?

1)


Go here to see the rest of the photos. The only way I can make sense of the seemingly necessary shower-scene is by reminding myself that sometimes men buy women jewelry. If Vogue Italia wants to entice men to buy jewelry, then putting it on a nude woman might work.

2)


You can go here to see the remainder of the photos.

I get that it's Vogue Paris and they're all into nudity like the Italians, but nudity has been done before many, many times. I understand that it is an art form, and I am totally cool with seeing naked people in art. But when it doesn't have a purpose, as in this case, I don't care for it. Arizona Muse is naked. That's great, but it's not why I want to buy the accessories. Surely they could've come up with something more original than purses and belts hanging off a model.

3)


Here are the rest.

This one is more tongue and cheek, and most of the photos make me laugh.

4)


There are no nude pictures in Cesare Paciotti's spring '11 ad campaign, but I really want to buy that dress and those shoes if it's going to make me look how she does here. She looks glamorous and haughty and bitchy and gorgeous. Not all of those characteristics naturally go together, but it works here. The remaining photos in this campaign are not worth mentioning.

There is a distinct difference between an editorial like this and the first two spreads I mentioned. The one lensed by Sorrenti is strange and interesting; it's not exactly beautiful. The first and second editorials are boring and lack substance. I suppose the magazines are wanting to sell the jewelry/bags/belts for various reasons (like making the designer happy, etc. etc.), but they're not selling it to me. I realize not everyone shares the same taste, but I wonder if anyone who actually reads fashion magazines is tempted by the first two spreads.

7 comments:

Leigh said...

i agree! i do love that last photo though...i am totally obsessed with nude colors!

thelibertybelleblog.blogspot.com

Josh said...

You know, it's funny how these things work out... I actually didn't think at all about the items any of these photos were trying to sell. I did think more about the items that featured nudity, but it was because I was confused, not aroused...

Definitey agree that these ads aren't targeted at men.

Amelie said...

Josh, I agree. I am of the opinion that most men won't view high fashion models sexually, unless they're of the Victoria's Secret variety (like Adriana Lima) – and even then they're getting help from the bras. So, really, I have no idea what audience this kind of nudity is going for.

Anonymous said...

"glamorous anad haughty and bitchy and gorgeous" - i love this little string of words and it's soo perfect for that picture. the whole issue about nudity is very interesting.
xoxo
secondtroy.blogspot.com

Mihaela Gurău said...

I totally agree! I was thinking about this few days ago.

Maria Popa said...

Great topic, I've been confused many times by the nudity in some editorials, that had no purpose for being used at all. I'm sure women would be more interested in buying a belt if it were around a pair of the 'it' jeans, rather than a belt around a naked woman. I know I would :D

http://thecomfortablynumb.blogspot.com/

LyddieGal said...

The shower caps are just weird, they aren't selling me anything, except maybe that shower, which looks amazing (are those walls marble?!). The second looks like S&M and I'm too frightened to buy one of the belts. The third is just funny enough that I like it, and that black dress with the cutout straps is really pretty. (or what is actually shown of it anyway)

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