Postmodernism Discovering Postmodernism in Advertising for the

Postmodernism Discovering Postmodernism in Advertising For the sake of this task, an advertisement from a company called Patagonia will be used. Patagonia is a company that provides an array of sporting and outdoor equipment, along with a huge variety of sports and active apparel. Patagonia is an American company that has been in business for more than three decades.

This is a company that began as a very small company that provided supplies for rock climbers that branched into a franchise that supplies equipment and apparel for many sports and outdoor activities. In addition to providing equipment and apparel, Patagonia is a company that supports environmentalism and "going green" before it was the trend that it is today. Patagonia is committed to environmental awareness, protection, and support in every stage of production, including after the consumer has purchased a product from their company.

Postmodernism is a term that came into circulation in the art, philosophical, and literary worlds towards the end of the 1970s. Postmodernism is a condition, perspective, and aesthetic strategy that many scholars, artists, and experts argue persists to this day and by definition, coexists alongside modernism. The paper contends that one of the latest print advertisements for Patagonia clearly demonstrates essential characteristics of postmodernism.

The advertisement is primarily composed of a photograph of a fleece jacket with large, black words superimposed on top of the jacket that read: "Do not buy this jacket." With reference to one of the seminal works that defines the postmodern condition by Jean-Francois Lyotard and other texts, the paper illustrates key components to the postmodern philosophy and how those characteristics translate into many forms of media and aesthetics, such as in the case of the Patagonia advertisement.

"Do not buy this jacket" is a reference to other postmodern examples of art and design, as well as demonstrative of postmodernist qualities in its own right. Lyotard, a foremost authority in postmodernism, contends, as aforementioned, that the transition to a postmodern society was underway concurrently with the development of modernism. (Lyotard 1984) One of the primary characteristics of postmodernism for Lyotard is an alteration of the status of knowledge within a society in the postmodern age.

(Lyotard 1984) Another characteristic of the postmodern condition for Lyotard with regard to changes in our relationships to knowledge is the transformation of knowledge acquisition and learning due to increase technological advancements. In other words, the human relationship to knowledge undergoes great change or shift that directly corresponds to the advent of specific media and communication technologies within the postmodern condition. (Lyotard 1984) There is increased awareness within the consumers as well as within the media itself of itself as media.

Furthermore, postmodernism demonstrates a playful attitude or relationship with regard to words and language. Puns and other forms of wordplay, sometimes called language games, are often signifiers of postmodernism. (Lyotard 1984) Postmodernism may additionally be reflected in a plurality of identity, plurality of subjecthood, and plurality in general that demands that one's judgment become more reflective. Repetition is another crucial aspect of postmodernism, as postmodernism often involves recontextualization, reappropriation, remixing, parody, pastiche, and other forms of repetition.

(Lyotard 1984) In 1968, French surrealist painter Rene Magritte painted a composition entitled, "The Treachery of Images." The painting is of a smoking pipe and underneath it, in scripted French read the words, "Ceci n'est pas une pipe." In English, the phrase translates as, "This is not a pipe." The Patagonia advertisement is a more indirect or circuitous, but nonetheless apparent reference to this painting. The painting is a picture of a pipe telling the reader that it is not a pipe.

The advertisement can be interpreted as "This is not an advertisement for this jacket" when it clearly is. Upon further scrutiny of the advertisement, readers note that Patagonia is in fact not directly advertising the jacket, but advertising how Patagonia assists its customers in reducing consumption generally and specifically through/with that company. At first glance, which is how/where most advertising works, the advertisement shows consumers a product and tells them not to buy it. It is akin to telling.