The advertisement I chose is the Victoria's Secret newly-launched "Eau So Sexy" Fragrance Ad from Hong Kong magazine ELLE. "Eau So Sexy" is not merely a product but a commodity fetish. It has a very high exchange value despite the fact that it is not a living necessity. The high exchange value of the perfume doesn’t lie in the use value but the social meaning or connotation surrounding the brand “Victoria’s Secret.” First of all, this perfume is emptied with the meanings of the production. Consumers are obviously unaware of who designed the taste of the perfume, where the fragrance ingredients were extracted and how the perfume is made. They are detached from production process and the labor involved in making this perfume. The perfume is “then …show more content…
She demonstrates the “traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact” (Mulvey 19). Her appearance, body language and costume suggest an internalized male gaze or idealized male spectator, displaying herself as an innocent and sexy girl rather than a mature woman. She is no longer an authentic individual, but an object for male visual pleasure. The model’s slightly disheveled and messy hairstyle conveys a sense of wildness and recklessness, together with the body-exposing bra, creating a sensual pleasure for male spectators and implying that she is sexually available. She is puckering her red lips, which can be seen as a way to flirt or seduce male spectators by self-infantilizing, acting like a surprising and innocent girl. Her childlike image is also portrayed by her precarious way to hold the perfume bottle with her outward blending palms, suggesting a sense of cuteness and playfulness. The damsel pink and white colors of the bra impart youthfulness and purity to the model. Indeed, the text also contributes to the infantilizing of the model, so as to generate sexual appeal to male spectators. First of all, the name of the perfume is “Eau so sexy,” which the sound of the French word “eau” is similar to “oh” in English. When “Eau so sexy” is aligned