Friday, September 30, 2016

In the Time article, "It’s Time to Stop Beautifying Violence Against Women for Fashion," it shines a light on the implications some ads give in order to sell clothing, like the idea of glamorizing sexual assault and rape culture. The Times author brought attention to photographer Raj Shetye, a recurring offender when it comes to the implications of rape culture. The article focused on a few of his photos where it is very clear the beautiful model is completely uncomfortable with the forcefulness of the male model. The female model seems to be extremely outnumbered in a 1 to 3 and or 4 ratio while wearing very little tight clothing. She is also being forced in to sexual positions. You can see the despair and agony on these woman's faces. The implication of rape culture and sexual violence is clear. These ads are for clothing brands, yet it is very hard to see the actual clothing the woman are wearing. These model's parents have spoken out about these photos, these bring shame to their culture, their daughter, and their family. The family believes photo shoots like these should be banned. What impression would these photos leave on a young child? The article talks about how it is impossible to view these ads and not take notice of the uncomfortable dominance the man has over the woman. These photos hit home to victims and their families, "35% of women experience sexual and domestic violence", most people never imagine it could be them until they are the victims.
As a woman viewing these photos made me uncomfortable and angry. Sexual violence is something that is overlooked in our society. Sexual assault happens to men as well, but is rarely heard of. I think it is a huge double standard that photos of woman being helpless exist, but no photographer would never have the idea to put a woman in the dominant role leaving the man helpless. While people attempt to bring awareness it is things like this advertising that needs to stop. How would you react if your daughter was a victim? How would you react if your son was the culprit? 


article: http://time.com/3093670/indias-gang-rape-plague-violence-against-women-for-fashion/

2 comments:

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  2. It is interesting how you pointed out that sexual assault happens to men as well as women. While sexual assault happens to both genders and affects many people, the topic it is not openly discussed enough. The fact that sexual assault is an individual struggle limits the number of people willing to confront the issue. Though people may advocate against the crime, truly committed activist are the ones who have experienced the pain.

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