Images and Representation Approach

This image marketing BMW cars takes the male point of view, but exemplifies what Rakow describes when talking about male perception of females in imagery. On the surface this image portrays women as not just objects, but objects that are less important than the male's car. From a feminist point of view the image displays men, however perfect they may appear, as simply more interested in other aspects of their life instead of the beautiful half-naked female in front of them. Another aspect of the picture is the text in the back ground that reads, "The Ultimate Attraction", which of all the things in the picture, the car is probably the least attractive thing. The man is a stereotypical dream guy for females, and the woman is a stereotypical dream girl for males, yet the ad is suggesting that neither of those things are near as interesting as the car on the male's mind. It is obviously directed more towards males though because it is only the female's face that is replaced by the car advertisement. I feel like the same effect would have been even more wide spreading if both of the faces were replaced by the car ad, then the audience would have had a bigger range.