This print advertisement is for the “First Fragrance for Men from Tom Ford”, launched initially in 2006. In the advertisement, a bottle of the fragrance is strategically positioned between the legs of a female lower body. The woman’s body looks to be glistening with sweat under a set of bright lights.

discussion

Who do you think is the intended audience (or audiences) of this advertisement (gender, age, race, economic status)? What about the ad suggests who the intended audience is?

Based on this advertisement, what would you say the Tom Ford company thinks about the role of women in their business and marketing strategy?

critique

This advertisement could be critiqued as an outright objectification of a woman’s body. The fact that all that is seen of the model is the area from her navel to her thighs insinuates that her sexuality is all that is important, from the ad’s perspective. The placement of the fragrance bottle equates the woman’s genitals with a product to be purchased and used by men.