In other words, post-colonialism is related to looking at the effects of the European nations in other countries that were colonized such as Africa. When European nations were the world powers around the 15th to 20th century, they started to "colonize" other countries for goods and raw materials. They would use the country and it's people to harvest supplies such as silk, cotton, and spices and bring them back to the mother country to profit. Consequently, this put the European countries at a much higher ranking than those not of the white race. Born from ethnocentric views, colonies were expected to familiarize themselves and respect the culture of Europeons, abandoning their own foolish and primitive ways. How were the colonies then affected? Studying the effects born from colonialism is post-colonialism...
Moving on comtemporary media:
Has anyone heard of the brand "United Colors of Benetton"? It's a Italian clothing brand but they come up with the most controversial ads EVER.
Here's one example:
Titled, "Angel and Devil",
Released in September of 1991, the company aimed to spark conversations about the stereotypical "white is good, black is bad" image by releasing the above ad of a white girl being depicted as an angel and a black child potrayed as a devil. The company is quoted to say that they aimed to "feature images from the real world which have some social and universal relevance, in order to break through the barrier of indifference which often surrounds these issues". In reality, they only caused an upheaval of controversy and summoned anger from the public. However, if the underlying purpose was to get public attention, they certainly achieved it.
Address link to the article: http://www.fashionist.ca/2010/07/benettons-most-controversial-advertising-campaigns.html
Wow, what a great example! This one is quite blunt about it, too. And you're right, their statement is ironic. Yes, attention achieved. Honestly, I'm just amazed by this. This can be considered pretty offensive, can't it? Great finding and analysis, Mio!
ReplyDeleteMio, this is a wonderful post! I really love your example. Just like what Kaitlin said, it really was very upfront about the whole idea that Whites are better than Blacks. With the way they made the black boy's hair shaped into two points to represent the devil and the white girl's hair curly to showcase her as an angel...just wow. I'm speechless as to something like this was actually showcased on billboards.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job Mio!
This older ad perfectly depicts the clear contrast between good-bad and white-black. Ironic that their name is United Colors of Benetton and yet they depict people of different color as opposites. What struck me as surprising is how the company did not care or try to hide the message of the ad, yet displaying it as an advertisement. However, since this ad was from the early 1990's, I wonder if they still continue to make ads affected by post-colonialism, and if they are subtle or as striking as this one. Nicely explained post Mio
ReplyDeleteWow, the advertisement is a really good example of post-colonialism. This makes me wonder why a company as big as United Colors of Benetton would actually put forth such a controversial ad because I don't see how they could benefit from it. Perhaps they aim for a market of white people but wouldn't they gain more profit if a market of all races was targeted. Also I wonder if anybody has seen this ad as racist and refused to purchase products from them! Nice job, Mio!
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