7.3.2 Written task 1 – SL Sample 2b (Letter to Benetton)

Rationale

For Part 2 of our Language and Literature course we studied gender stereotyping and advertising. To show my understanding of these topics, I decided to analyse several Benetton advertisements from the early 1990s. These texts (included after the task) made me think critically about the messages that are constructed by the media. I discovered that while the advertisements claimed to raise awareness about racial issues, they actually reinforced some disturbing stereotypes. For example, while the image of a black horse mounting a white horse might be shocking or even funny, it can also be interpreted as the domineering, sexual aggression of a black person over white person. I was not sure if the artist, Oliviero Toscani, originally intended to send these mixed messages, which was why I thought a letter to the editor (or the artist in this case) would be an appropriate text type. I believe the letter is effective, as it criticises his work with coherent arguments and clear reference to the original advertisements. It opens by stating its point succinctly, and it ends on a professional note. The views expressed in this letter are not my own, but those of an offended English person living in the early 1990s. I thought it would be appropriate to adopt a persona in response to these controversial advertisements.

Written task

Anthony Grope 67 King St. London, United Kingdom

Oliviero Toscani Via Asconio Sforza Milan, Italy

12 December 1991

Dear Mr. Toscani,

As a person who travels regularly on the London Underground, I have noticed the shocking advertisements that you have created for the United Colors of Benetton. With this letter I would like to express my deep concerns that you are trivialising British values and stirring controversy in the United Kingdom.

I understand that shock advertising creates brand awareness and sells products, but I think you have crossed a line and gone too far. My problem with your advertisements also lies in the lack of sensitivity you have shown for racial issues in our country.

 

I realise that your depiction of two topless children hugging, one black and one white, is meant to make people stop and think about race. But showing nude children is not appropriate in the United Kingdom. It actively encourages child pornography. What’s more, children should not be used for marketing purposes. These young models are not old enough to know what they are promoting or what messages they are sending to the world. One day, when these children are grown up, they will look back and wonder how such codes of ethics could be broken so blatantly.

Furthermore, the black boy in this ad appears to have devil’s horns, while the white girl has the golden locks of an angel. His face looks sinister and serious, while hers looks innocent and happy. Rather than promoting racial equality, it sends the opposite message: It reinforces the stereotypes of the black boy as the aggressor and the white girl as the sheepish victim.

For similar reasons, your ad that depicts two mating horses is also disturbing and inappropriate. In England, sex is an act between two people who care intimately and deeply for each other. This image simply trivialises the act of making love all together, and it has nothing to do with the clothing of Benetton. It also fails to promote racial equality. Why must it be the black horse that mounts the white horse? Again, this advertisement reinforces the stereotype of the beastly, black aggressor against the innocent white person. I question if this was your intention when designing the ad, but I feel it my duty to bring it to your attention.

Your most disturbing ad in this campaign must be the one depicting a white baby feeding from a black woman’s breast. British people are not accustomed to seeing bare breasts in advertising. Perhaps we are prudish. Or perhaps we simply respect our bodies too much to expose our private parts to the world. Breast-feeding is regarded as a private matter in the UK. It is not something we show off frivolously for the sake of selling a jumper. But what is most horrific about this ad, once again, is the comment it makes on racial stereotypes and the history of Great Britain. It smacks of colonialism and the days when black servants and slaves whet nursed the children of their owners and the ruling elite. In the UK we are not proud of this past and a billboard is certainly not the right platform for addressing this history or having a national debate.

Unfortunately, Mr. Toscani, your ads have triggered a national debate in the United Kingdom. Yes, they are a discussion piece everywhere, from cocktail parties to the houses of parliament. But if you listen carefully to what people say, they are not commenting on how clever Benetton is for stirring up controversy. Instead they are commenting on the ineffectiveness and inappropriateness of this advertising campaign in the UK context.

For this reason, I would like to strongly suggest that you to think of a different approach when you design your next campaign for a major corporation. I kindly

 

ask that you consider the social values of the British people before you release another shocking campaign in the UK. And finally, I encourage you to show more sensitivity toward our colonial history and a greater awareness of racial stereotyping in advertising.

Thank you for considering my above-mentioned points. I hope that you, as a professional artist, can take them on board as constructive criticism, and I wish you the best in your career.

Kind regards,

Anthony Grope Source Text 1  

 

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