Pulp Advertising Campaign - By Stephanie Heney

The advertising campaign for the new Pulp album, This is Hardcore has attracted an unusual amount of attention. The poster, and some unusually articulate graffiti in particular seems to have caused quite a ruckus. If it could be possible, if there is anyone unfamiliar with the image it depicts a seventies - style topless woman, bending over what seems to be a bed. Nothing especially naughty is depicted, maybe a half shot of one breast. The girl wears a tranced out expression and I had previously been drawn to this image finding it kitsch and sleazy. However, on particular bus journey past a postered area in Finsbury Park I noticed someone had written, right across the girl's chest, THIS OFFENDS WOMEN. I felt simultaneously surprised and guilty. Don't I consider myself a feminist? Shouldn't I too be offended by this blatant degrading imagery of women? But the truth is, no, I'm not. Next to this poster sits a Destiny's Child billboard advertisement. This is promoting some new all-girl group. All four girls are pictured pouting and protruding, wearing a very small amount of tight shiny PVC. Bands, and these standard accompanying images are flooding the market at the moment, all jumping on the Spice Girls bloody bandwagon. Now, this is perhaps more offensive. Packaged feminism under the banner of 'Girl Power'. Academics tell us that men look at women, and women look at themselves being looked at. They call it the 'male gaze.' What are the Spice Girls telling me? Women can have power as long as they are beautiful enough to be looked at, conforming to rigid and pre-defined concepts of femininity? Such bands are gaining an enormous platform, a captive audience of countless young females hanging on every word. Yet they do nothing. Fair enough the Spice Girls are probably laughing all the way to their nearest NatWest but is it really worth selling their souls for? If I am looking at myself being looked at, what would I sooner? A contrived, narrow, packaged, voiceless, smiling stereotype, or, a kitsch, naughty, dangerous image of sexuality? Perhaps at this point we should consider what the advertisements are selling. As least the Pulp album is concerned with hardcore images of sexuality, and therefore why not use such an image for the promotion? The sexually charged imagery used by the Spice Girls et al is merely incidental; an attention grabber. Girl Power is a good idea but using one's body as a selling tool isn't really telling the young female recipients of these messages anything to do with power, more like exploitation: 'sell your body, use your looks, it's all you've got'. The fact that the Spice Girls' shelf life is undoubtedly limited appeases my annoyance with them. But back to the advertisement in question. After considerable pondering I've come to the conclusion that, this advert doesn't offend me at all, what is offensive is being told what I should and shouldn't find offensive as a female. Are we not even allowed to make up our minds concerning this? I'll choose my own bondage thank you.....