adbusters double page spread analysis

Representations- 

-Black people have no water, the dry sand and squashed empty bottle function as a symbolic code for this encoded ideology

-Standing on rubbish, suggests they depend on our throwaways and connotes the third world state, black people don't have luxury in their life, mise-en-scene of bottle shoes is intertextual reference to a water ad 

-Lack of further identity other than their race- this defines them and their lifestyle. There is no further complexities such as gender, sexuality or ideology

-the page is empty to reflect their empty lifestyle 

-the feet are dirty, further lack of water

-Codes connoting lack of water guide audience to conclusion they are African

-Audience is positioned as someone taking the photo and making the joke, they're looking down at someone else's feet

How do these representations reflect the industry context/ideology of Adbusters?

- making a joke about africans and lack of privilege- like dark humour

-anti-capitalist, preferred reading is for audience to feel guilty ruining louibouton

-cynical and satirical humour

satire is humour which attacks an institution

How can Stuart Hall's theories of representation be applied?

-Very stereotypical representation

-African's are commonly represented as poor, without water and the audience are positioned to be pitied then

-Using stereotypes to make a point and be controversial

-It is trying to deliberately upset the audience

Double page spread analysis

• A confrontational and potentially racist mode of address??? A shocking and controversial set of ideologies. 
• Binary opposition is constructed between a well known high end fashion designer and the clearly home-made shoes worn by the model. Constructs an ideological perspective that the fashion industry is exclusive, and indeed harmful; to people in developing countries. 
• Binary opposition between a fashion runway and the refugees struggling to push beyond a fence. Again, constructs an ideological perspective of struggle, poverty and exploitation
• Postcolonial perspectives: a gutteral mode of address, testing the audience, and suggesting that they are also part of the problem 
• Extremely low production values on 'red soles' image, like an old cameras phone. Symbolic code of poverty, conflict and a terrible life
• Expectation of audience knowledge. Adbusters expects audience to be familiar with high end fashion brand, indicating a potentially middle class audience. Are the audience themselves the problem? Does this magazine hate me?
• High angle, birds eye view shot 'looking down' on the model is symbolic that we, as consumers of the shoes are having an impact on those in a developing country, and are indeed 'looking down' on those less fortunate than us
• Hermeneutic code of dirty feet presents a question to the audience: "why are these feet so dirty? What life do they lead? How disgusting!" 
• Breaking of hegemonic norms and values. Bottles are clearly not shoes. They are not fashionable.
• Intertextual reference to charity adverts such as the water aid advert, a criticism of Louboutins marketing strategy, selling a deliberately trashy aesthetic to extremely rich people
• Runway page: a binary opposition between harsh, high contrast black and white and rich, colour creates the symbolic connotation of a desirable lifestyle vs a hateful and horrible existence
• Accuses target audience of being guilty of force people in to poverty. Criticises the capitalist ideology that in order for one person to be rich, another must be poor and exploited. Additionally, even high end brands are often constructed in 'third world' and developing countries for much much less than in would cost otherwise. Countries such as Bangladesh and Indonesia have drastically lower wages to pay, and many fewer laws protecting workers
• Extremely sparse layout, with very little copy. Forces the audience to construct their own meaning. Complete lack of anchorage. A funny joke??? A highly inappropriate joke??? With no anchorage, the audience are left to make up their own mind.
• A double page spread
• A stereotypical representation of an African individual. No apparent gender. Utilises the codes and conventions of a charity advert. Complete lack of anchorage. 
• Slogan draws attention to the brand identity of Loubitin shoes. Red soles ere refer to bleeding feet, and to global inequality. 
• Bottles function as a symbolic code for water, drawing to attention a stereotypical lack of water in Africa. 
• Possible reference to sweatshops?
• Oppositional reading: [possibly racist and stereotypical?]
• Draws attention towards accepted truths 
• Assumption that the readers of adbusters are middle class and comfortably wealthy
• Preferred reading of guilt
• MES of bared wire and black and white creates a sense of poverty and conflict

 Commodity fetishism is obsession with a brand.

Commidity fetishism is the process of ascribing magic 'phantom like' qualities to an object/brand etc.

Stripping away the function and basing meaning on brand 

Based on marxism as a manipulation of the working class

The working class focus on commodity fetishism rather than lack of privilege