What is your first thought when you see the above ad?
Do you see a young actress resting in between filming of takes for a movie (presumably a movie that involves trains) OR do you see a crying teenager trying to get herself run over by a train?
The former is the interpretation of Prada, the commissioner of the above ad, and the latter is the interpretation of the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The ASA contends that the model (Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit) looks visibly upset as she sits by herself on a railway track and wipes a tear from her eyes. This apparently protrays a young child (Hailee is 14 years old at that time) in an unsafe environment and is suggestive of teen suicide. Prada defended that Hailee is supposed to look "wistful" in a high fashion way, and not suicidal. No thanks to Hailee's bad acting (and bad styling by Prada!), the ad was banned in the UK.
I have to say that, funny enough, I find myself veering towards ASA's side. This ad is simply hilarious. First of all, I think it is ridiculous to use young teenagers to model adult clothes. That whole outfit probably cost, at least, 10 grand. Which (normal) teenager do you know has 10 grand to burn on clothes or even wears clothes like that? These clothes are obviously targetted at adult women consumers and to be honest, as an adult woman, I am not enticed to buy these clothes simply because they look plain wrong on a model that I cannot associate the clothes with. In the words of Fashion Style gurus on E! Entertainment, it is not "age appropriate".
Also, I am curious as to how Prada interpreted the scene as an actress in between takes of a movie. Which part of that ad give any indication at all that this is a movie off-take? As for the expression of Hailee, I thought she looks she lost one side of her contact lens and has wandered off to the railway tracks by mistake as she is blind in one eye....!
What do you think?
2 comments:
Child modelling is all the vogue now - have you seen the French version?
http://jezebel.com/5827092/fashion-industry-salivates-over-creepy-photos-of-10+year+old-french-girl
I think Prada's interpretation is rather implausible; but on the other hand, I don't really see it as promoting suicide either. Everyone knows that anyone so vain as to dress up in heels and color-coordinated clothes and a clutch, would choose a prettier way of dying like pills or gas, so the ASA's interpretation is just as implausible :)
~SP
Hahahhahahhah!!
OMG, the vogue child model in your article is younger and more contentious definitely!!
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