Culture Jam Assignment Part 1

This advertisement was released by American Apparel as a series of minimalist portraits, often featuring young women of different ages and races to showcase their clothing line. This advertisement in particular includes a young woman, with the phrase “School’s Out.” in reference to American Apparel’s school-girl inspired look, such as the tennis skirt the model is wearing. The primary fault with this advertisement is that not only does it lean on the fact that the model is wearing a school-uniform type skirt, but also that the model them self looks to be about school age. The brands choice to use a younger, almost childish looking model in their advertisement touches upon their desire to mobilize the “good, pure, school girl” look is troubling onto itself.  The even more worrying aspect of this advertisement is that the model is featured on a bed, in a provocative pose. The model herself appears to be very young, in a school-uniform type dress, and instead of featuring her by a school or even just against a neutral set, they have her laying down on a bed. This advertisement is not only slightly pornagraphic in its construction, but also places a young looking girl in a hyper sexualized environment. This juxtaposition is no doubt supposed to be shocking, but almost brings forth connection to child pornography upon closer inspection. This advertisement utilizes and mobilizes the “school girl” fantasy as a means for advertising and selling product, which continues the sexualization and commodification of young girls.

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