Original Advertisement

There is no subtleness in this advertisement by Dolce & Gabbana, and one wonders how this advertisement actually made it to print. The purpose of my cultural jam is to actually show how it is possible for such a clearly misogynistic advertisement that clearly advocates, and even celebrates rape culture, managed to make it from an idea to published advertisement. The advertisement depicts one shirtless man pinning a scantily clad model to the ground by pinning her arms to the ground. The woman’s arched back and raised pelvis are sexually provoking and even suggests that she might enjoy her pending rape; however, the defeated look on her face suggests that she is simply preparing herself for the inevitable. The dynamic between the aggressor and the woman is bad enough; however, the dynamic of the advertisement is worsened by the other three men standing around watching the situation. These men are clearly enablers. However, all three of these men have postures suggesting they are waiting for their turn. Therefore, Dolce & Gabbana has created an advertisement promoting gang rape. It is hard to imagine exactly what type of connection the company is trying to make in relation to its product. Is Dolce & Gabbana saying that men who wear its clothes get to participate in gang rape? This advertisement speaks to an important concept that has come up repeatedly in GRSJ 300. This is concept is the connection between power and knowledge, and how hegemony can use its position of dominance to determine the content of different discourses. That is, in the Foucauldian sense, power can create knowledge. In GRSJ 300, we have seen this with how universal or Western feminism has controlled the feminist discourse, which includes ignoring the unique needs and interest of third world and people of colour feminisms. We have seen how patriarchy still controls the medical discourse on women. In this case, what we have is a disturbing example of the patriarchal and male dominance of both the gender discourse, and  the advertising industry. My cultural jam takes the power-knowledge  nexus one step further and exposes the impact that powerful people, such as the president, have on the gender relations discourse.

My Reimagining of the Dolce & Gabbana Advertisement

President Trump is quite possibly one of the most repugnant human beings on the planet. There is a very good chance that he is a pedophile with his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein supporting this possibility. However, while stating that Trump is a pedophile is conjecture, stating that Trump is misogynist and sexist is not conjecture. This is a known fact based on documented words and actions. My culture jam assignment uses Trump, and two other known sexual predators, Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein, all of whom are patriarchs, as symbols of patriarchy and the continued objectification of women in society generally, and in the media in particular. I decided to use Donald Trump and his verbiage as the focus of this jam because, as a man with a massive audience, he has been greatly responsible for perpetuating and strengthening gender-based sexism through the way he talks about and treats women. Therefore, his face appears four times in my jam. His face is the only item in the jam that is in colour. This is to highlight how much power he has in influencing the gender discourse. The other disembodied Trump head has been placed over the woman’s genitalia as visual representation of his infamous comment, “grab them by the pussy,” and other statements he has made that indicate that sexual aggression and rape-like behaviour are normal manifestations of male behaviour. Trump’s head has also been substituted for two of three models standing around enabling the actual rapist, Jeffrey Epstein. This is not an accident, as Trump symbolizes the patriarchal discourse on gender in my jam. Just as powerful men, such as Trump, enabled Epstein in his horrid sex trade business, it is this discourse that enables sexual violence against women. This is why Trump observes, as Epstein actually carries out the attack. As a perpetrator of rape and sexual violence, Harvey Weinstein stands there waiting his turn. Weinstein represents how sexual violence perpetuates itself inside the male- and patriarchy-dominated discourse on gender. That is, there is Trump, who represents the discourse itself; Epstein, who perpetuates the discourse under the protective umbrella of the discourse itself; and their is Weinstein, who represents the myriad of men influenced by the hegemonic discourse under discussion. The two sentences that I added to the advertisement can both be connected to Trump. The following sentence, “We have all the best rapists,” symbolizes the power that hegemony has to control the discourse regardless of how ridiculous this control is. In this case, it is clear that men in positions of power have abused their power through sexually terrorizing women. It is the job of patriarchy, symbolized by Trump to perpetuate this, even though it is clearly immoral. Fortunately the #metoo movement has exposed the machinations of patriarchy vis a vis rape culture. Nevertheless, the exploitation, objectification, and rape continue.