Monday, September 22, 2008

Addbust


I busted this advertisement for Bacardi because I was interested in the intersection between the portrayal of women in alcohol ads and the amount of domestic violence and rape that alcohol plays a role in. The ad portrays the midsection of a woman's body, a glass of Bacardi in hand. The ad caption reads "veterinarian by day, Bacardi by night". Implied is that thanks to the alcohol, she has been transformed from a Veterinarian (someone with responsibilities, intellectual, important, smart, ect... all unsexy things according to Bacardi) into a pair of breasts, a tummy, and some hips. She is removing her pants, exposing her underwear. The gaze is a heterosexual male who is invited to fantasize about the removal of this woman's clothing, and the transformation Bacardi is claiming to bring over her. The gazer is invited to associate alcohol consumption with adolescent sexuality and fantasy. Women in alcohol ads are usually filling two roles, that of "partier" and "sex object". Women are part of the party atmosphere the male gaze is invited to join. The combination of partying and alcohol promises to end in a happy ending, an adolescent sexual fantasy. This combination of objectification and alcohol creates a situation where the sexual abuse of women is a natural part of partying. The message here is explicit: alcohol will lead to sex. That message, when directed at its target viewer, the heterosexual male, is incredibly dangerous and destructive. Not only does it contribute to the transformation of female bodies into sex objects, but it encourages a situation in which rape and sexual assault can result.
My adbust is attempting to expose the message that I've discussed above. I found the "veterinarian by day, bacardi by night" piece especially enraging. The women is transformed from someone with an important profession into a brand name, in this case the alcohol being sold. The booze company has literally taken this woman's body and presented it as theirs, an object they have the right to use in furtherance of their goal of selling more booze.

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