PRADA FALL/WINTER 2016 CAMPAIGN

When I was researching fashion campaigns one fashion campaign really stood out to me , it was the fall/ winter 2016 campaign from the Italian fashion brand Prada.It was filmed by iconic photographer Steven Meisel and includes colourful scenery and starry nights. The campaign also includes 27 models including actor Millia Jovovich and longtime Prada face Sasha Pivovarova it also captures the spirit of wanderlust and femininity.

The main thing I really liked about this campaign was the use of changing backgrounds in relevance to the clothing the models were wearing.The backgrounds included moving shots of different environmental factors such as; starry nights , lightening , dusk and dawn as well as the aurora borealis, this is relevant as during the campaign whenever the backgrounds changed the models outfits would change to a relevant style, for example in the scene ( approx. 1.04- 1.19) where the background is of the aurora borealis the model is wearing a colourful jacket which could be a representation of the aurora borealis ( Image One). Prada could have included this as an incite of the inspiration behind this collection. Another aspect of the campaign I really liked was the fact that the hair styling reminds the same throughout the 1.19 minute video , I thought this was a smart idea that Prada as it kept the focus being on the clothes , however the hair styling could also be a representation of the collection being for fall/winter as the styling of the hair included the hair being damp which could be a portrayal of the models' hair being wet as a result of the weather that is associated with fall/ winter.Another characteristic that could support my point about the hair design being a representation of fall/winter is that the hair would be moving which could be another representation of the weather that is associated with fall/winter as it created an effect that made it look like the model was out in the wind.The make up application throughout the whole campaign remains the same however throughout the campaign a few models would have a red lip, I really liked how Prada did this as it kept the focus being on the clothes which is the main purpose of the campaign but it also allowed the viewer to notice the slight changes to the make up application which kept the make up application looking fresh and it avoided the make up from staying the same for the whole campaign. I also really liked the use of movement in the video, the models start walking towards the camera however it creates an effect that when watched it makes it look like the models are appearing to be in 3D, I think this is a really smart way to shoot a campaign video as when I was doing my research of campaign videos this was the only one that created an illusion like that.Prada created this to make their campaign stand out from all the rest and I honestly think they did what they wanted. Have a look at the campaign here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7iD5R4n6aw .

Image One.

Middle Eastern ideologies of beauty and body image.

If you think of a middle eastern women what will come to mind?A covered up women due to the strict clothing orders from their husband or father? This stereotype may be apart of some areas but in fact middle eastern cultures have their own set of beauty standards. Within different aspects of cultures Arab women follow their traditions as well as modern beauty practices to help uphold social standards.The Arab woman that comes to mind when you think is ; dark haired , olive skinned ,dark brown eyed with full lips and a curvy body. Whereas most of these characteristics have remained the same throughout the years aspects such as body shape has varied throughout the times.

The Hijab:is it protection or a threat to body image ideologies?


The hijab is a head scarf that is wore by some Muslim women around the world, opposing some beliefs the rule of the hijab vary across family values as well as culture. There are many different types of hijab which are worn in each different culture based on how covered up the women must be. For example, in some cultures a women is only meant to wear the hijab when she is in public where as when she is in front of family she is not required to wear it. Another controversial point of the hijab is of which age a women should wear the hijab, Arab Americans believe that a woman should wear the hijab when married to avoid being looked at by other men whereas in some other cultures they believe a child as young as 10 should wear it.Some may say that the hijab is a way to objectify women by placing a stereotypical image as culturally suppressed with no dignity. Despite what people say the purpose of the hijab in almost all cultures is to remove women from sexual objectification , the definition of sexual objectification is "the act of treating a person as an instrument of sexual pleasure. Objectification more broadly means treating a person as a commodity or an object without regard to their personality or dignity". (En.wikipedia.org, n.d.) therefore by a women covering herself she is trying to avoid being given sexual comments, objectifying looks and even body evaluations.In reflection to a study linking self- objectification and the hijab there is in fact a correlation with the idea of women simply as sex objects for their husband which is then leading to self objectification , self objectification is described as "Self-objectification is the psychological phenomenon of seeing oneself from an outsider’s perspective, as an object to be viewed — like a painting on a wall ." (aloftyexistence, 2011) The study also pointed out that the pressure of self objectification in Arab women could be a result from the exposure of western cultures beauty standards which can then lead to eating disorders, low self esteem along with body issues in younger Arab women.(What is Beauty?, n.d.)


In the middle east women are typically built curvier than the western countries.The most attractive body type used to be a healthy body with "meat on the bones" but after exposure to the western cultures, women in the middle west started to embrace the unrealistic idealization of body image and beauty that the women in America have.This sadly led to a rise in eating disorders and low self esteem . Regarding the trend of women being skinny in Arab cultures it is actually considered that being heavier reflects in your wealth and beauty and there are reports of in some cultures of there being a rise in obesity in women simply as they prove that they are the richest and prettiest. Parents are even reported to force feed their daughters throughout the day and even waking them up throughout the night to feed them as they believe it would enhance their ability to bare children.
what do you think? do you think that everyone is just reaching for an unreachable body? should everyone just be comfortable in their own body? If everyone women is striving to look the same will the true beauty of each women having her own look/style be lost. As they say the best feature a women can have is confidence in her own skin.

Image one.(beautyundefined.weebly.com, n.d.)

Image Two.(Haworth, 2011) Force feeding in Mauritania.

Image Three.(www.phillyvoice.com, 2015) The body type everyone woman is trying to achieve. 

Image Four.(Halpin, n.d.)

Bibliography :-


En.wikipedia.org. (n.d.). 

Sexual objectification. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_objectification [Accessed 20 Oct. 2016].


aloftyexistence. (2011).
Self-Objectification. [online] Available at: https://aloftyexistence.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/self-objectification/ [Accessed 20 Oct. 2016].


What is Beauty?. (n.d.). 

Middle Eastern. [online] Available at: http://beautyundefined.weebly.com/middle-eastern.html [Accessed 21 Oct. 2016].


Image One.beautyundefined.weebly.com, (n.d.). 

Middle western women. [image] Available at: http://beautyundefined.weebly.com/middle-eastern.html [Accessed 21 Oct. 2016].


Image Two.Haworth, A. (2011).

 Forced to Be Fat/ in mauritania where mothers will force feed their child in order to get a better suiter. [image] Available at: http://www.marieclaire.com/politics/news/a3513/forcefeeding-in-mauritania/ [Accessed 21 Oct. 2016].


Image Three.www.phillyvoice.com, (2015).

 France bans super-skinny models in anorexia clampdown/ this is the type of body that everyone is trying to achieve. [image] Available at: http://www.phillyvoice.com/france-banning-super-skinny-models/ [Accessed 21 Oct. 2016].


Image Four.Halpin, A. (n.d.). 

The body "beautiful"/"THE MEDIA PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN THE CREATION OF THE IDEALISED BODY TYPES” a photograph adriana lima before photoshop. [image] Available at: http://themediafiedbody.weebly.com/student-articles.html [Accessed 21 Oct. 2016].