Liberation or Degradation? The Pervasiveness of Pornography in Fashion Advertising (2000 to 2011)

This thesis is an analysis of the porn‐chic phenomenon within fashion advertising from 2000‐2011. Pornographic imagery has become predominant in a diverse range of media, and fashion brands have taken it to an audacious level. This is problematic as pornography often involves the degradation of women. In Christianity, women are often portrayed as temptresses that are inferior to men. Pornography is a consequence of this repression, as it portrays inequality between men and women. Pornography was designed for men, therefore it typically excludes women’s desires. This makes the appropriation of the porn aesthetic in advertising extremely detrimental as sexuality is being represented from one gender’s perspective only. Women are being influenced by this unbalanced portrayal of sex, resulting in their desires conforming to those portrayed in the media. The ads of fashion brands Tom Ford, Sisley and American Apparel are visual evidence of this inequality in the media. They are competing for a place in the market, therefore they are all try to out‐sex each other. By doing so, images are becoming more offensive as a means to gain attention. This often includes women portrayed as submissive, objectified and degraded. Fashion brands dictate what is on trend, resulting in the belief that it is ‘cool’ to be interested in pornography and that it is erotic to be dominated.