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A forum for Blog Community #5 of CSCL 1001 (Introduction to Cultural Studies: Rhetoric, Power, Desire; University of Minnesota, Fall 2011) -- and interested guests.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Why Hollister Models are Usually Naked


Yes, I decided to "read" the HollisterCo it self, from the website, to its bags to the actual models. website after going to the mall two times this weekend and I always walked passed the store watching young girls and guys walk out with large bags. I've never purchased anything from Hollister for myself before and I always hated the scent of their ever-strong stench perfume as I walked by their store in the mall and it always struck me as to why their shopping bags are so thick, and plastered with bare naked men. As I stumbled upon their website, I was even more intrigued at what pictures were used to draw in their customers.

When you first enter the website, the first picture of the slideshow that appears is a young slim brunette teenage-looking girl in a floral spaghetti-strapped tanktop with the "30%" sign next to it. This first slide is a pretty generic clothing brand ad and pretty basic. As you wait for the slideshow to switch to the next photo however, the picture is of a young couple "passionately" kissing, where the young fellow is topless while his large hands are running through her hair, visibly showing his biceps and large arm muscles. This photo is next to the "40% off Redlines" ad but of course I don't even notice it since the picture is so large. Following this slide, is the guy himself in a tan, perfectly symmetrical facial expression. After viewing this "perfectly handsome" face, there is an ad for the "All New Awesome Butt Yoga" pants where the two pairs of legs are extremely long and skinny and if I may say so myself, very anorexic appearing and no butt at all whatsoever. Having mentioned all of these interesting attention-grabbers of Hollister's website, I immediately began thinking of the presentation and consumption of their ads, models, logo and brand name.

The logo itself Hollister: California signifies to their target audience that the consumer of their clothing will look and appear as what the amazingly tan, slim/skinny, and "perfect" Californian should look like. With the second photo slide, the couple passionately kissing signifies how wearer of Hollister clothes can also have the same relationship of finding someone who is "perfect" if they wear Hollister clothing. Not only that, it signifies how ladies can have the ever so-skinny body and "butt" if they purchase a yoga pant that is at least $20.00 or more. After viewing and analyzing all the photos and logo look, the environment is very provocative and has a very "sexy look" appeal to it, with the models being slim to the thinnest, and naked as much as it can be.

If you compare the website to its shopping bags, the male models are usually almost always bare/topless and the girls are almost always in very short shorts or small tops. When you go to the stores, the male models are also almost always shirtless. I've thought of many ways of what Hollister signifies and to whom it does to and what it argues and its most probable and consistent argument is that wearing a piece of clothing for its name is your exit ticket to always looking great and "sexy", no matter how expensive it is. Consumers, who range from pre-teen, high schoolers to old folks who want to keep their youth, or fit in with the young crowd, are all regular customers who are wealthy and have money to spend for the avid regulars could not possibly afford all of their Hollister clothes if they made any less money. I would never buy anything from Hollister for its over-priced cheap clothing but others do because it is the "thing" to do and the "thing" that is "in" among the earlier age groups mentioned.

On a side note, I just think it's interesting how Hollister always has its models half bare/shirtless when the point of their clothes/name is to cover up and wear them.

3 comments:

  1. I too have often looked at the bags and advertisements for Hollister and thought about their meaning. While the idea behind the advertisements is, as you said, along the lines of "buy our clothes and you could look like these models", the advertisements also have an effect on body image. Not many men and women can look like the models on the ads. Through an attempt to sell clothes Hollister (and other brands who use the same technique, such as Abercrombie & Fitch) end up adding to the problem our society has with body image.

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  2. There is not enough comment space for me to say everything I want to about Hollister and the image they project on young, developing, naive, easily persuaded adolescents. I agree completely with all the things you pointed out in this post, especially the size of the models, and the size of their clothing. The danger in certain brands monopolizing the apparel market is they will dominate the ideal image of a boy/girl. With Hollister becoming so popular (I have not been in a mall without a Hollister store), so is the image they portray. Which in their case happens to be an anorexic, barely clothed, sexual young girl and a big, masculine, teenage boy; how many teenagers in America have self-image issues? Hollister, let's get back to advertising clothing, not ideals.

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  3. I was so excited to read your post because I have had such negative thoughts about Hollister for...ever. First of all, it's hard to even know what you're buying in the store because it is so DARK! Also the stores I've been in have been like a maze, I couldn't find my way of some of the time (which may just be my lack of sense of direction).

    However, I had never thought about the fact that their models are hardly ever even wearing clothes...which is exactly what they are trying to SELL to their shoppers - hilarious! That is just so stupid!

    Thank you for opening my eyes to a new thing to laugh about when I walk by Hollister. :-)

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