J.Y.
Most teenagers are not truly capable of protecting themselves in the face of such power (Ibid 19). Both influential groups of adults are capable of presenting such a power of authority in the lives of teenagers that the cooperation of the teenager cannot be considered consensual. It can be argued that young teens really don’t have the tools or maturity to truly understand the consequences of the behavior they may be imitating (Ibid 18). The messages sent through these advertisements are subliminal. Some of the big advertisement corporations convince themselves and attempt to convince those around them that they are ‘doing no harm’. Advertisement companies, such as Calvin Klein, could potentially justify the use of young, underdeveloped models half nude, and in sexually compromising positions, as artistic freedom of expression and not harmful in anyway as well. People could argue that the ads are misinterpreted. However, despite possible misinterpretation, it is clear by the sizes of the clothing and age of the models just who the target group is, and it is the very same population that lacks the maturity to interpret the image in any other way than what strikes their fantasies in their hormonally driven years. So, are both of the responsible parties of exploiting youth sexually attempting to justify their actions by ‘normalizing’ the behavior? The messages seem to be just that.
Abercrombie & Fitch. Photograph. Abercrombie & Fitch, New Albany.