In response to the analysis of the Calvin Klein ads, I think that people are thinking way to far into the whole child exploitation idea. I don't think that Calvin Klein intended on the ad to be perceived as childhood pornography. I think he, like most other advertisers, was using the idea that sex and sex appeal sells. Almost all clothing advertisements use some sort of sex appeal. I think that by people protesting Calvin Klein because of his ad, he received more publication and free advertisement. All though many people wouldn't buy the products, everyone still remembers the name Calvin Klein and the ads that Calvin Klein published.
I also think that the ads that say they have a medical reason why you should buy their product are stupid. I don't know about anyone else, but when an ad tells me that I will be less likely to get cancer if I use some product, I usually won't be anymore influenced to buy them. You can catch cancer by breathing in the air or by being born into a family that has members with cancer. I don't understand why almost every food product on the market reduces your chance of cancer and millions of people get cancer every year. If all I had to do was eat a bowl of Kellogs All Bran cereal everyday to prevent me from getting cancer, I would do it. I think almost anyone would. I also think that any advertisement that says four out of five doctors chose thier product are very misleading. I'm sure that most people who buy the products in those ads expect that the doctors would be real doctors in that field. Most times the doctor will be either a student or a doctor in an unrelated field. I personally think that advertisements that don't tell the whole truth are far worse than a girl and a guy laying together half naked, even if they are only fourteen.
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Actually, the problem with the ad is not so much the models in it, but scene in which they are portrayed. The setting evokes a sense of low-grade filth and depravity, and the images are generally associated with child pornography. The other major issue in the ad was the CK ad featuring children, like toddlers, jumping on a sofa.
The argument is really about who the intended audience for these ads is. Obviously, children do not buy their own underwear, so the ad is targeting adults. The problem is that, since Calvin Klein has such a history of using sexuality and homoerotic imagery in his ads the public was unable to separate the Calvin Klein they knew from this ad.
Good posting!
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