Analisa Veloz
Professor Smith
MCWP 50
17 July 2023
Proposal
For my research paper I will be looking at the exploitation of young girls in Calvin Klein advertisements in the 80s and 90s. This will help me to find out how the power dynamic between men and women has allowed young girls to be sexually objectified to please the male gaze in order to help my reader understand the oppression young girls face in the modeling industry, or generally in the workplace. I also want to understand why the sexualization of youth and innocence is so appealing in the modeling industry in general considering the multiple cases of underage girls featured in risque Calvin Klein modeling ads. This question is imperative to ask as pedophilia is rampant in pop culture today. In pornography, social media, TV, the exploitation of minors has only become a larger issue as these platforms allow for the spread of such substance. It is important to look back 40-50 years before when these concerns were continuously overlooked as the development of womens’ rights had yet to become the standard of how women were to be treated as employees and coworkers. There are still discrepancies to this day. Looking at models like Brooke Shields and Kate Moss who were featured in Calvin Klein ads in a sexual way, either by posing topless or through suggestive dialogue, as minors and as adults today are now coming forth expressing their discomfort and feelings of objectification in those ads. I hope to find more cases like these young women to substantiate the argument that young girls have been and still are used as sexual images to satisfy the misogynistic male fantasy or desire for young women. In my research, I also am looking to develop my understanding of this topic of male supremacy in the workforce as a woman myself who will enter a male dominated workplace.
So far, I have come to understand that this topic is more discussed than I originally anticipated. Finding evidence related not only to the exploitation of children in the modeling industry but more importantly specifically related to Calvin Klein has proven to be plentiful. Initially, I only had knowledge of two models that experienced this uncomfortable situation and I have come to understand there are multiple instances of inappropriate Calvin Klein ads featuring adolescents and children and an ample number of pieces regarding them. I have added a number of new words to my vocabulary from the evidence I have already found such as “sexuality education” defined to be “…challenging gender inequities, countering prejudice and stigmatization…” (Carlson 3) as well as “youth culture”. These words are important in understanding the differences between adolescent sexuality and the exploitative sexual image the media puts on to minors. So far, the sources I have looked at have their own speculations and opinions on this matter but they fail to relate their focus to the focus of other works. For example, sources discussing the sexual nature of adolescent Calvin Klein ads have yet to mention specific models and how their experiences are relative to each other. I would like to form that bridge between the experiences of one model to that of another.
The type of sources I am looking for are testimonials, scholarly articles, and journals. The sources I have found to be most useful are those that analyze the influence of popular culture on society. Such as in the book chapter by Dennis Carlson, “Constructing the Adolescent Body: Cultural Studies and Sexuality Education” he has analyzed how popular culture influences youth culture and sexuality and how not only adolescents but also adults perceive its influence. The objective of advertisements is to appeal to an audience whether that be children, a specific race or class and without analyzing its effect on this audience, there is no meaning to popular culture. For one, he discusses how Calvin Klein advertisements “…were part of a culture of pedophilia…” (19) in which he argues the negative influence fashion ads have on youth sexuality and their experiences. This opens the discussion to the hidden targeted audience of these advertisements and why their influence is negative. I have also found a secondary source, “Does She or Doesn’t She? Revisited: The Calvin Klein Jeans Ads” by Maria Simpson to provide an insightful analysis of the primary source Calvin Klein ad featuring underage Brooke Shields. This article uses the features of the ad – camera angle, dialogue, and posing – as the basis for the audience to understand the way a young model has been exploited in the modeling industry. This relates to the “hidden message” of these ads as it highlights the concealed nuances meant to appeal to a very specific audience.
The challenge I am most anticipating is the sensibility of the subject. The idea of the sexual exploitation of minors is not a topic easy to discuss and remain objective and so I must maintain a tactful and indifferent writing style. This discussion may be uncomfortable for others, only proving the importance of the matter and how it has been overlooked by many for years because of this unease. Additionally, it may be difficult to find a counterargument to such a blatantly one-sided stance although there may be one not directly related to the main topic, there could be one to argue against a subtopic. I also know the limitations I may face in my writing such as getting stuck in the box of my ideas. I may find myself searching for sources that are too specific to my topic versus looking for sources that discuss topics adjacent to my main claim, therefore finding myself stuck in my search for relevant sources. One huge resource I can look to for support are peer reviewers as they can provide a fresh outlook onto my work by seeing things I may overlook as the writer. I can also find help in my Professor who has experience with previous students who were in the same position as me and possibly the same hindrances to their writing as I may experience.
Works Cited
Carlson, Dennis. “CHAPTER 1: Constructing the Adolescent Body: Cultural Studies and Sexuality Education.” Counterpoints, vol. 392, 2011, pp. 3–28. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42981014. Accessed 11 July 2023.
Simpson, Maria. “‘DOES SHE OR DOESN’T SHE?’ REVISITED: The Calvin Klein Jeans Ads.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics, vol. 38, no. 4, 1981, pp. 390–400. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42575571. Accessed 12 July 2023
