The Fashion Media: Selling High Status, Highly Sexual Fantasies

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Fashion media constantly and consistently create, and promote a lifestyle to its viewers. More often than not, it is concerned with the selling of an idea of an ‘ideal life’ and creating an image of a desired lifestyle in the viewer’s minds. It plays a vital role in shaping the viewers’ identities, notions and norms about ethnicity and race, sexuality, class distinction, and self-image amongst other things. In their work, Rhodes and Zuloaga (2012) have pointed out that fashion media describes a spectrum of identity, unified in a general type of signifiers—young women, high status, high sexuality—and through the constant repetition and variation of images on these themes serve to create this identity spectrum. "It is important to remember that the fashion media is not concerned with the sale of clothes, but rather with the sale of images and the projection of fantasies that can be incorporated into the lifestyle aspirations and dreams of readers" (Bryson et al, 2013, p.171). This essay aims to critically evaluate the above quote with a specific example – a series of still images from the 2013-fall winter Michael Kors campaign shot in New York by Mario Testino featuring Simon Nessman and Karmen Pedaru. This essay examines the work of various theorists in relation to the theories of representation, publicity, ideologies, class and social status. Demographics, self-image, youth, beauty ideals and the myth of the American dream are also discussed in this essay.

Michael Kors – the designer brand catering to the high-end, premium market segment has become synonymous with luxury that is both timeless and elegant. This is evident in their recent campaigns, with scenes being shot on plush yachts, swanky cars, and private jets. The 2013...

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Tungate, M. 2011. Branded beauty. Philadelphia, PA: Kogan Page.

Wahba, P. 2012. Michael Kors expects sales to keep soaring. [online] Available at: http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/gc07/idUKBRE85B0IM20120612 [Accessed: 10 Mar 2014].

Who.int. n.d. WHO | World Health Organization. [online] Available at: http://www.who.int/en/ [Accessed: 13 Mar 2014].

Worldhealth.net. 2009. Global Anti-Aging Products Market to Reach $291.9 Billion by 2015, According to New Report by Global Industry Analysts. [online] Available at: http://www.worldhealth.net/news/global_anti-aging_products_market_to_rea/# [Accessed: 14 Mar 2014].

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