H&M released an advert for their new autumn clothing collection very recently. On first watching, we can already see that this piece is amazing in terms of positive representation of women. From the diversity of the models used to the portrayal of women in comfortable and empowering environments, this advert positively screams of girl power. It was incredibly refreshing to see an ad that was completely for, and about, women.
One of the ways that this advert achieves this is through camera angles. A lot of low-angle and close-up shots are used in order to emphasise the dominance of the models. This shot is especially effective when the subject is looking directly into the camera, which is interesting since a lot of adverts nowadays use women as props or background characters for the main male lead. The steady eye-contact with the viewer reinforces the idea of their confidence and also personifies them further. The movement of the camera during shots also sends a message about the freedom of this advert. The majority of it looks like it's been filmed by a handheld camera, which gives a spontaneous feel to the piece.
The song played in the advert ('She's A Lady' by Tom Jones) was originally recorded in 1971. We tend to think of the early- to mid-1900's as a time where women weren't as respected as they are now. Even the lyrics don't do much to discredit this:
"Well she knows me through and through,
She knows just what to do, and how to please me.
She's a lady. Whoa, whoa, whoa. She's a lady.
Talkin' about that little lady and the lady is mine."
I feel that having the song sung by female artists over an empowering advert flips the song's message around. By showing lots of different women and singing the phrase "she's a lady" over it, it suggests that the message of the advert is that there is no right way to be a 'lady'.
This is very much an ad created entirely for female consumption. Unfortunately, there are ads out there that should really be tailored to women, but still have elements that are meant to appeal to men. Lingerie ads, for example, are usually the most guilty of this. This is where this advert excels. A woman is shown wearing lingerie and looking into a mirror, but it's never sexualised. The focus always remains on her face and, for a short moment, on her back. Her 'assets' are never scrutinised like they would probably be in other adverts. Also, I liked how they used a slightly heavier woman to be the one to model the lingerie since it's very rare that any body type but thin would be used in this case. On that note, the casting of a muscular woman wearing a dress and, supposedly, going to a party or date, was lovely to see. It's even rarer for a woman of her build to be cast in anything other than sports adverts, let alone mainstream media.
If I had a single criticism for this ad, it would be that I feel enough body types aren't represented enough. There is one curvy girl and one muscular girl, but all the rest are thin. It would be nice to see H&M cater more for plus size girls, in both their adverts and their clothing range.
My overwhelmingly favourite part of the advert is the inclusion of a female same-sex relationship at the end. Better yet, a female same-sex relationship that wasn't sexualised or for the male gaze in any way.
Edited 8/10/2016: I can't believe I forgot to mention this earlier, but Hari Nef, an openly transgender woman, is also featured in this advert. Trans women today are, at worst, killed and, at best, ridiculed - even more than trans men at times. To portray a trans woman on the same level as her cisgender counterparts with "She's A Lady" playing in the background is a huge step towards acceptance of trans woman as female, not as men in dresses and make-up. This entire advert is a huge breath of fresh air.
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