Is your erotic fantasy to lie around looking like you are about to be the victim of a drug-facilitated sexual assault?
If your a guy does the thought of taking a women, who apparently has had a hefty dose of GHB, while your friends stand around and watch turn you on?
This ad has been pulled and rightly so.
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According to Newsweek
“Stefano Gabbana says that he regrets the way the ad was perceived and insists that he and his partner Domenico Dolce were not intending to demean women. He adds that the image is artistic and was meant to “recall an erotic dream, a sexual game.”
I asked the question above because as I briefly scrolled the web I read a lot of comments indicating that many people think there is nothing wrong with this add and that it depicted normal fantasies.
Feel free to tell me what you think.
Addendum 5/22/09
For the hundreds of you a week trolling through here via the search term “gang rape fun”, “fun with gan rape” “how to rape” and so on and so forth. Congratulations we were able to trace you, in many cases, directly to your home address of office. Consequently you’ll be included in a human interest piece we are doing on “where are all these searches for “gang rape”, “fun with rape” and “how to rape” coming from”… . If you’d like to know when the piece will run feel free to email us.
We were just talking about this.
Definitely not my fantasy. I’d hate to be with a guy who thought this was a normal fantasy.
The more I look at that add the sicker it looks.
i have a LOT of non-run-of-the-mill fantasies, some including multiple partners, but i’ve always underlined care and consent among all parties. besides, not all fantasies are fantasies i want to see through.
i think our threshholds vary with regard to ads; i’m in advertising, and when you get down to it, things can get downright ugly and cutthroat. am i offended by *this* particular ad, at least visually? no. am i concerned by the controversial – if not mixed and misleading – messages it imparts? definitely.
the problem with glossy, high-fashion ads is that they’re all for controversy. for public attention. it’s what sells the fashion.
I wasn’t sure what that was selling other than a man seeming to keep a woman down while other men watched.
If it’s selling gang rape, or rape and watching, it’s a great ad
I hesitate to dislike images based on sexual content, but that wasn’t sex
I think there’s a place for rape fanatasies in both sexes, but it’s also about drawing the line between reality and fantasy. Ads are not a good place for these fantasies, I think, but of course advertising will use any kind of sexual imagery to try and sell.
From an artistic point of view, I didn’t like this particular ad. Too much macho imagery, domination. Clearly a situation in which the men are in control and the woman forced to submit.
There was a series of ads for Jägermeister in Germany, I read about, but never saw which were similarly protested for being seixist. Lots of innuendos about oral sex. This was long ago — I dont think there’s anything in the internet about it.
Which part of that is supposed to be sexy?
I didn’t even know what Dolce and Garbana sold. It isn’t clear from that add.I looked up their website to find out they sell “high fashion” clothing” and accessories. Definitely Italian because I can’t see anyone here wearing that clothing.
The add is gratuitous as it isn’t made to sell clothing it is selling a fantasy, you are right.
Nothing wrong with fantasy but when it involves what looks like some gang related activity and a women who doesn’t seem to be all there I think it is a problem.
kait: Nor mine.
illyria: I am more concerned with the visually provoked message and as Jacob said down below it is gratuitous. I can’t figure out what they are selling in this add if not an action. I don’t really see any clothing.
Pia: Like I said I wasn’t sure what they were selling either. Evidently that is the type of sex some guys actually prefer — coerced, violent and without consent.
inde: I am rather surprised that you said that. I admit I have never had a rape fantasy maybe I’m just behind the times. An add where the woman looks quite powerless bothers me…
coyote: I have no clue.
jacob: you are right in the use of the term gratuitous, I’m sorry I made you look up their website.
I’m leaving for Maryland in a short time, keep commenting I find this interesting if kind of shocking.
Hey, don’t even get me started on the fashion industry. JUST DON’T.
Love the re-design, Coop.
Cooper if you are coming down look me up, seriously. Since that day in high school when G introduced me to you and you ignored me I have wanted to have a real conversation with you. There are a lot of options in the city and I’d be willing to suffer through some R and B.
I can see your point, the add doesn’t seem to be selling anything but the action — where is the clothing.
I’m not going into my fantasy, everyone has them. Mine does not include a bunch of my friends, and in my fantasy the woman is awake, alert and more than a willing participant.
One more thing.
I like this design too.
The post stands out, that is important because you write good stuff. No distractions.
Honestly, what I think is all those people should spend some time at the Hometown Buffet. They all look powerless to me.
Rape fantasies won’t sell me anything but neither do any other fashion ads.
Oh, and the new site design surprised me but the photo on top looks fantastic.
I don’t look at it that way and I don’t have rape fantasies.
The add isn’t selling anything that is obvious, so I get your point. Dolce and Gabbona adds are always a little edgy.
My fantasy always involved surfing and having enough money to do what I want so I can’t relate to the add.
I’m home till Sunday with Yaggi, hit me up if you get in, we’ll be hanging tomorrow and Yaggi wants to see hid old travel buddy — you. I just send off an email.
I like this design and I love the picture.
The ad created a stir and got everyone talking. Now it is popping up in newspapers and websites everywhere… for free. Another classic case of the advertisers outsmarting the masses…
Dedd: I’d like to get you started on something dedd, I miss you.
jake: I’ll hit ya up if I have time.
I kind of like it too.
Doug: I heard you were a fashionista? Not true?
It surprised you? I am making my blog look more like the places I live — sparse.
I like it i messed with it but it is a picture I took last fall of the place we get on the Appalachian trail to start hiking.
G: Interview in the morning -
I like your fantasy.
Well, Alice. Every now and again ripped blue jeans come into fashion. Those years I’m red-carpet ready.
Brad: Where with come thee?
Doug: I bet you are a ripped jean aficionado.
Honestly I’ve yet to see a “high fashion” model photographed and not look like they’re in a drug-filled haze. They’ve all got that glazed look in this photo. I’d be disturbed by it even if there was nothing to imply that this was rape. They’re not participating, they’re watching and it’s having no effect on them whatsoever.
As for rape fantasies? I’m not exactly shocked at the concept. I’m not saying they have any place in ads – they shouldn’t be used to sell clothes. I’ll of course leave you to research and draw conclusions as you will, but I’ve yet to encounter anything that suggests that the fantasy (or even the roleplay in a consensual setting) is unhealthy. I could, as has been demonstrated in the past, be wrong.
I think you are wrong wombatty, I find it wrong to think a rape fantasy is acceptable.
Wow. I’m not normally surprised by the silly world of fashion advertising, but this is shocking. Were they blown out from doing a mound of coke from deep within their gated community when they thought this would be a good ad?
“Were they blown out from doing a mound of coke from deep within their gated community when they thought this would be a good ad”
I hear high fashion is somewhat prone to all that. T’is why I stay away from spike heels.
Some of you may think I am sick for saying this, but personally I am not ashamed of it. I actually feel attracted to this ad, I see nothing wrong with it. Thousands of girls fantasize about rape fantasy situations, will they follow through? Chances are unlikely. This ad to me simply portrays a fantasy, not the real thing.
Not saying that this wouldn’t trigger memories of someone who had been forced earlier in their life, and I feel mean for saying this, but they can’t hide from it forever. I just don’t think this ad should be that controversial to the point where people think it has no positive aspect– fulfilling a fantasy.