h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...by the eyestorm banner I went to have a look and signed up. Not that I intend to buy anything but there are some pretty pictures . I also came across an interesting article on fashion advertising. Check it out.

You got me to look

The article reads like many I read in a media class years back, though the animals do allow that oh so necessary Internet tie-in. The other parts of the "trilogy" the writer decribes have been part of advertising for eons. And a thrid sex? I'm not convinced that is a logical conclusion. The article is an interesting, though. I sent it off to a the professor who is teaching "Women in Print Media" this summer

I'm glad you found it interesting , I think it touches on a lot of questions about what is 'acceptable' or 'art' verus unacceptable/pornography. I'm afraid social perception of this type of thing is one of the things that facinates me.

What always fascinates me about "questionable" advertising is that the ones who decry the objectification of women often bring more publicity to the advertiser, and any publicity is good publicity. I wonder how many people read that eyestorm article and went to check out the designers' web sites. Especially the ones that didn't allow their ads to be used in the story. I don't really think the author of the article is outright condemning the ads, though. Just reminding the reader what is out there.

I am not fond of ads like the ones described in the article, but if I saw similiar pictures without the advertising...I'd probably be less critical. Though...they are a bit too obvious--predictable.

I'm not sure, I think a lot of people seeing them will see them as 'avante guarde' rather than derivative, probably because they don't visit that sort of site. A bit like Furniture Porn, I don't think you get the joke as much if you haven't been 'elsewhere' .

Perhaps. I just think those ads are more about making noise and nothing about being creative. But...then again, I am not the designer-type

The Furniture Porn *is* creative And I like one of those Helmut Newton photos...

I don't know how this is going to end up as i thought I posted a response but things crapped out on me. If I'm repreating myself, sorry .

I think the only time these ads will make noise is when folks draw the parallel, but then, I dare you to say you didn't go and look at www.bestiality.com, just out of curiosity . I think that, although not as explicit, the exploitative capacity is the same.

I agree that the furniture porn *is* creative in that it shows pornography (Particularly internet type) reductio ad absurdum.

BTW which Helmut Newton? I like them all .

Nope...I did not go to beastiality.com. Honest. Not my cup of tea. Although...I am not being fair since I have never seen it.

The woman with the black stockings. The others didn't do anything for me. I can't imagine buying art without holding it first. Not that I *have* art, but if I did....

Well, as I have said before elsewhere, no animals, no children, but I do have to admit I looked, out of curiosity (not for long!). Nice choice on the HN, I had to go look to refresh my memory but there you go .

Do you own anything like that HN piece? I'd love to have the kind of occupation where I could have a photo like that displayed in my office and no one would dare to comment negatively.

Oh, I wish Sadly even here in the UK I suspect having a HN print on your desk might be deemed 'sexually threatening' or some such nonsense. Incidentally, have you seen the David Bailey '(If we?)Shadows' collection? That has some truly memorable pictures in it .

I am not familiar with many artists. A quick search on Bailey didn't turn up any samples, but his name is linked with Helmut Newton on the few sites I did peek at so I have an idea what the collection is like One of my simple pleasures is to go to the massive bookstores that are on every corner in Boston and look through photography books. I never buy them...I just sit on the floor, sip a cappuccino that isn't real cappuccino, and look at the pictures.

Sounds cool . David Bailey is a famous UK photographer and has photographed many famous people. Not all his stuff is like HN but he does occasionally have some interesting ideas.