The ad can appeal to women who want to be women in an old world view sort of way -- and not have to be the leader in a relationship or in a family. This dual appeal may also be discernible in the John White shoe ad, which at first glance appeals mainly to men.
The John White shoe ad features a nude woman holding a John White men's shoe over her groin. The nudity of the female form is sure to lure a man's eye, but the bold sexuality of her nudity is sure to catch the woman's attention as well and tell her what she can do to lure a man's attention. The woman's body is thin and fit, with large breasts and trim waist. While it can arouse the desire of the man viewing it, a woman might find the ad appealing if she believes such a shoe will help boost her man's confidence or draw his attention to herself.
As Susan Bordo suggests, the act of buying shoes becomes "an erotic experience in itself," (19). Here the eroticism is stark: the ad uses two tones, basically, with the shoe standing out because it is in color. The John White shoe ad is just as bold as the Dockers ad but in a different way. If the Dockers ad appeals to old world gender norms, the John White ad appeals to modern sexuality and even fetishism. The ad simply portrays the torso of a large-breasted woman in black-and-white holding a John White shoe over her groin. The opening for the foot to enter the shoe is held right where the woman's pubic hair would naturally...
The ad is erotic in the sense that it is designed to titillate: the woman's arms cover the sides of her breasts including her nipples, leaving at least something to the imagination; and the shoe, of course, covers the vagina. Both head and legs are missing from the picture, leaving the woman's identity anonymous and apparently unnecessary. The ad invites one to fantasize in a casual and sexual way. With the shoe placed where it is, the ad also appeals to a kind of sexualized shoe fetish.
While the woman is in black-and-white, the shoe is in color, emphasizing the importance of the shoe in the advertisement. The naked woman is simply there to sell the shoe and the shoe is held in such a manner that the man who wears can see himself walking all over the woman. It triggers a kind of egoism in the male consumer and links itself in a way to the Dockers advertisement. The Dockers ad appeals to the man's sense of honor by way of his intellect, and the shoe ad appeals to the man's sense of sexuality by way of titillation.
Works Cited
Bordo, Susan. "Hunger as Ideology." Eating Culture. (ed. By Ron Scapp). NY: State
University of NY Press, 1993. Print.
Gans, Herbert. Popular Culture and High Culture. NY: Basic Books, 1999. Print.
Hall, Stuart. "Spectacle of the Other." Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. UK: Open University, 1997. Print.
