Maybe She's Hungry? Dead? Poor? Kids React to Fashion Campaigns
Sometimes it takes a child’s innocence for adults to see something in an entirely new light. Visual artist Yolanda Domínguez asked some 8-year-olds what they saw in fashion campaigns from well-known brands such as Loewe, Hugo Boss, Balmain, and Dolce & Gabbana. The results? Eye opening, to say the least.
“Kids decoded the images and exposed the implicit violence and inequality when it comes to the way women and men are treated in these editorials,” Domínguez told It’s Nice That. “They often offered themselves to help women … while they projected their dreams and ambitions on to the men’s roles.”
For example, when the kids were shown the above image from Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2015 campaign, they believed the model to be poor, drunk, ill, alone, frightened, hungry, and in need of a first aid kit. But, when shown the below Hugo Boss ad, they said the men looked like heroes, that they’re going to study at a university, they’re spies or FBI agents, and, most telling, they’re happy.
“This revealing document poses many questions about hidden messages that are launched by the fashion industry,” Domínguez added. “Why do we link these kinds of images with glamour and luxury? Why doesn’t anybody denounce this situation? How do these images influence our visual education?”
A few sample responses:
Balenciaga
A Vogue editorial
Dior Homme
Miu Miu
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