[Editor's note: This post was originally published May 5, 2010.] Photographer Holly Norris‘ provocative American Able series looks at the ways in which women with disabilities are ignored in advertising and mass media. She chose to spoof American Apparel ads because they’re easily recognizable and to point out how homogeneous the rail-like “every day” women the company uses in spots truly are. (You might remember a hilarious video Jezebel did a few years back that drove this latter point home.)
“Too often, the pervasive influence of imagery in mass media goes unexamined, consumed en masse by the public,” Norris explains on her website. “However, this imagery has real, oppressive effects on people who are continuously ‘othered’ by society. The model, Jes Sachse, and I intend to reveal these stories by placing her in a position where women with disabilities are typically excluded.” Click through to view more images, and be sure to let us know what you think.
[via The Frisky]
Comments (27)
awesome :)
Totally fucking awesome. Thanks for sharing this.
fantastic
Would love to see these ads run! They’re great.
I think she has a great sense of humor. Especially the way she holds that cucumber. LOL.
I think the model is daring, the photographer smart. In advertising the body of a woman is bought and sold, like pork bellies or orange juice. The body that that does not play into common fantasy, that does not ‘sell’, is not to be seen. I love the way the model challenges our conventional ideas of beauty and startles us with a a body that is unconventional and celebrates its own existence.
Refreshing take on our pop culture with new insight. Jes has a great presence.
These actually made me cry, I’m 16 and over the last year I’ve been reading up about the over sexualisation of young girls. It’s so upsetting that all these advertising campaigns have become so common that they are just taken as gospel by women thats that the way ‘real women’ look, I think most people have completely stopped noticing. When I try to explain this to my friends they dont seem to get it at all, anything outside the perfect image to them is gross and disgusting. To the point were its normalized in my school to avoid the disabled and over weight. Those photos are beautiful, really inspiring.
[...] http://flavorwire.com/88294/youll-never-look-at-american-apparel-ads-the-same-way-again [...]
Can you successfully “spoof” something that is, in essence, a self-parody to begin with?????
It’s kind of like a female dressing up as a “drag queen.”
I go to university with this chick.
Which disability is this supposed to represent?
eww
thats so disgusting she looks mentally retarded and her nose looks disgusting it looks like she has no fucking ribs ewwwwwwwwww
http://www.americanapparel.net/presscenter/dailyupdate/dailyUp.asp?d=48&t=1807 at least american apparel does some people some good…thanks for playing, folks.
This is great. I’m glad there are more people who are willing to stand up and say that the average woman is NOT 5’10 and wearing a size 0. Thank you.
@ sam: just because they do good for some people doesn’t mean that they are right about everything. Therefore just because they say gay marriage is right doesnt mean they should make ads that leave out a majority of the population. Thanks for playing.
pretty sweet tits, actually.
amerikkkan apparel sucks so terribly, it is refreshing to see their assholeness addressed. I have an urge to tear up their porno ad magazines in their disgusting stores. no iota of conscience visible in anything they do & sadly bimbo women keeping the sexist consumerism thriving til we are are drowned in oil spills, coal mining explosions & genocidal drug wars. oh we humans are headed for hell beyond words….
gross. i dont understand why people care so much about how women are portrayed in advertisements. if you dont like their ads so much dont buy their fucking products. id rather see some attractive woman than some gross chick in an ad. i mean come on, how pissed would you be when you’re walkin around on the street or watching tv and some gross ugly ass woman appears on the screen?
@josh..or when most guys take off their shirts downtown, right? 90% of them only look good in their mind and leave women gagging to see their pale underfed, no muscled fish colored torsos parading around
What is disgusting is the disassociation from the person in advertising. They are selling the thing through emotional connection of fantasy. Jess is actually advertising with a connection to the person. We are all flawed in some way. I think its great to see some reality in advertising. However I do think she’s on that line of appropriate exposure in her advertising.
what an ugly beezy
Bahahaha the cucumber is priceless!!
Love the pictures. :)
American Apparel ads are pretty ridiculous and overly sexual, so for me this is so hilarious and priceless.
[...] You’ll Never Look at American Apparel Ads the Same Way Again [...]
While it is alright to parody American Apparel (I mean, c’mon, give it a break!) the idea that people with disabilities aren’t advertised enough is about the most ridiculous statement ever made… ESPECIALLY on a clothing line. I was going to elaborate, but you know what? If people don’t see the stupidity in that, there’s purely no point to even try.
anni said: “This is great. I’m glad there are more people who are willing to stand up and say that the average woman is NOT 5’10 and wearing a size 0. Thank you.”
This person is far from average on her best day. These ads are nasty. Put some clothes back on and cover up, no one wants to see this.
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