SOCI 403: Gender and Media
​Lexi Hilderman
UCID 10187876
Gender Binary, Sexual Orientation, & Advertising
Dior 2021 Campaign
Dior’s Spring 2021 campaign focuses its composition on single figures through a combination of both close-up and full-body images with solid colourful backgrounds. Also included are images from a second Dior Spring 2021 Campaign that demonstrated a more classical look using full representational images or scenes with fabric drapery.
Overall, Dior’s images portray figures, both male and female, that were represented in each image with similar compositions and framing. That is, both male and female figures were represented evenly in close-up, half-body shots, and full-body shots taking up the same amount of the frame. As it pertained to Goffman’s (1985) relative size, there was not much difference between the characters portrayed; female figures were portrayed at equal size to male figures in their own consecutive images (Goffman, 1985: 28).
When it came to function ranking, interestingly enough, feminine and masculine figures demonstrated more versatility in clothing they were portraying, stepping away from the distinctions of men taking on a primarily executive role and women for aesthetic (Goffman, 1985: 32). Instead, female figures were portrayed in more formal attire as compared to male figures in more casual and playful. However, this stark contrast from the previously analyzed campaigns of Versace and Dior, demonstrated an overabundance of freedom for male figures as female figures were held to more static postures with a serious tone.
In terms of a feminine touch, it became apparent as compared to the campaigns by Versace and Prada, that the use of feminine touch was employed by both male and female figures (Goffman, 1985: 29 ). This was especially evident in the use of accessories by both male and female figures; this brought attention to the use of the hands of each figure as it pertained to engagement in self-touch or the touching of objects, specifically noted by the use of flowers. Flowers were especially relevant to the male figures portrayed, giving note to the male form as it contrasts stereotypical feminine objects. This allowed deviation from the idea of hyper-masculinity and the devaluation of femininity (Hoskin, 2020: 2320). The place of both male and female hands was of significance.
The ritualization of subordination was not actively employed through obvious means in Dior’s images. Both male and female body positions were equal in the utilization of both a solid stance as well as canting postures such as knee bends or body contortions by rotating the body or looking sideways (Goffman, 1985: 46). However, one specific element of notice was that many of the female figures either had their back turned or wore clothing that covered their eyes (i.e., with hats or glasses) whereas male figures faces were almost always unobstructed, other than a couple of images that utilized flowers in front of the face. This obstruction of the female gaze gestures to a sort of defencelessness or loss of identity as viewers cannot make out the actors behind the clothing (Goffman, 1985: 41). This also notions to the fact that women may be connected only to the physical appearances they take on, the guises that make up their identity; that is, the stereotypical view that women must focus primarily on their looks in order to be accepted by society (Goffman, 1985: 51).
The obstructed face of the figures portrayed in Dior’s images also notions to the idea of licensed withdrawal. By obstructing the faces of the female figures, this beckons to the literal blindness to everything around them (Goffman, 1985: 57). These barriers also gesture to that of a shield, dissociating the figure away from face-to-face interaction and eliminating the availability of oneself to others (Goffman, 1985: 70). Although there is an obvious withdrawal of the female gaze, masculine figures are also represented in various photos with their gaze averted away – either looking off into the distance or down at the floor (Goffman, 1985: 65). In this sense, the masculine form is called into question as it brings forward a sense of defencelessness or submission.
In terms of body display, all figures did not demonstrate nudity or reveal. Instead, the focus was on the clothing and the composition of colours and accessories. Overall, Dior’s Spring 2021 campaign demonstrated a levelling between the various forms of masculinity and femininity. Rather than falling into the dynamic of domination and subordination or contrasting masculinity to femininity as opposites, Dior did a good job of bridging the gap in the gender binary system. By pairing various feminine elements with that of the masculine form, the images called into question the distinct gendered paths between males and females (Risman, 2004: 431).
