Blog 7#

In the anti-advertisement for Tommy Hilfiger, sheep are featuring in front of an American flag with the tag line reading “follow the flock.” The irony of the statement relates the idleness of the sheep to that of the consumer to whom an actual ad would be geared towards. This is referenced in the chapter from the Politics of Looking in the term 'commodity self,' which is the idea that oneself is constructed through the products they consume. Advertisements encourage the idea that the a consumer can use a commodity as a means of conveying their personality; an idea which is made obvious by the ironic anti-ad. Consumers who are unaware of this subversive tactic utilized by advertisements would be shown by the anti-ad the fallacy of utilizing a commercialized commodity to create a sense of self-identity. The anti-advertisement shows how real advertisements sell this false sense of individuality to everyone at once. Also notable is the use of the American flag to cultivate a sense of nationalism in a consumer. A relationship with national pride is created so as to encourage the consumer that the product carries with it a certain legitimacy and sense of values. A consumer would attach preconceived notions of ideology and identity with the product simply because of the color scheme and design of the back drop.