Image via Complex Original
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Fashion advertisements have long sparked controversy. You know, Mark Wahlberg in his Calvins, sexed-up hipsters for American Apparel, a model titty fucking a bottle of Tom Ford cologne, et cetera. Ah, the good old days. Those are all relics of the past now. When was the last time you saw an ad or fashion spread that brought about about some real controversy and not just some conservative mom group on Twitter acting out? Lisa Lockwood and WWD covered the dearth of controversial fashion advertising in a day when brands are hyper-aware of everything said, tweeted or typed about them.
The piece is long, like, needlessly long, in my opinion, but it touches base with photographers, brand ambassadors and others involved in the fashion world. In short: Nowadays, brands are scared. While many noteworthy fashion companies have used risque ads to get into the limelight, they haven't necessarily continued the trend and now are avoiding any semblance of controversy, sexual or otherwise. Lockwood attributes the effect to social media. Companies are so worried about racking up likes, follows and whatever other bullshit metrics used to determine "success," that they want complete control over a company's image and feel they can't take cutting edge risks advertising anymore.
But amongst the douchebags of the world, controversy does have a pretty good track record. Take Benetton, who in 2011 featured Photoshopped images of world leaders kissing each other. Sure, an enormous backlash ensued, but not all of it negative. The company got unprecedented coverage (which it clearly needed because have you seen anyone wear Benetton post-1980s?) and public sentiment toward the brand remained at a steady 80% approval rating, while the campaign raked in a ton of awards. For the most part though, fashion ads remain safe and thereby stale. Lockwood also points to the Internet effect, where every week a new, dicey talking point emerges. Print ad campaigns don't hold the clout they used to and brands no longer want to unnecessarily stir the pot. Not only that, but brands state that they don't reap the rewards from a touchy ad at the register, which is the point of advertising in the first place, isn't it?
So, controversial and provocative ads have gone the way of the dodo and brands are acting like pussies. But if fashion is so avant garde, so different, so culturally relevant, shouldn't it return to its roots and throw down the gauntlet? Shouldn't these brands want to be exclusive? Shouldn't they prefer a higher-minded audience who doesn't give a fuck about public sentiment? It should be a competition to see who has the LEAST likes on Facebook. I mean, that's the most high-fashion shit I've ever heard. Maybe it's about picking the right controversies. Kenneth Cole dropping references to Arab spring on Twitter probably doesn't cut it. Naked people on an elephant aside, I support ornately shaven pubic hair having a larger presence in my life as a consumer, but that's just me.