Masculinity in Fashion Ads/Campaigns - Assignment Example

Masculinity in Fashion Ads/Campaigns Masculinity in is a critical factor in the contemporary fashion industry. Factors influencing masculinity are diverse and dynamic, but the common denominator is that masculinity plays an important role in influencing fashion ads and campaigns. It is vital to point out that masculinity exhibits both positive and negative aspects. While positive aspects promote the practice of masculinity, the negativity therein proves problematic in one way or another. In order to understand how masculinity fits into fashion ads and campaigns as well as the underlying problematic factor, it is important to consider an influential factor or figure in the societal context.

The specific model of masculinity I want to examine is a rap music artist by the stage name Lil Wayne. This artist is popular among the young generation and especially rap music fans. While there are many rap music artists in America, Lil Wayne’s music style stands out among the many others. Popular music videos done by this artist depict gangster settings, behavior, or thug life (Jeffries 77), aspects that in turn drive advertising and marketing of Lil Wayne merchandise. This makes this model an important brand to consider in today’s American society.

In the societal context, masculinity can prove to be problematic for many and different reasons. By focusing on Lil Wayne brand, it is evident that masculinity is not without its problems. In a more detailed aspect, masculinity could be damaging to the individual person, those living around him, and every other person who looks up to him. Lil Wayne as a model of masculinity maintains his music within specific social boundaries in order to maintain a specific perception among fashion industry stakeholders.

The history and evolution of rap music is self-explanatory in America. However, persons living behind this self-explanatory notion could suffer the consequences of their own belief, what they do, or the way they drive fashion campaigns around them. In Lil Wayne’s context, rap music is the selling point of Lil Wayne merchandise. The underlying lifestyle has to be maintained whether or not it damages the life of the person living it. For example, merchandise such as t-shirts and sneakers highlight crime, violence, drugs, and guns as a key factors in living an enjoyable life (Jeffries 117).

This notion is undoubtedly contentious, and it affects how fashion ads and campaigns are formulated and subsequently implemented in the larger society. It is evident that this model of masculinity encourages identification because rap and any other type of music influences behavior, perception, and thinking processes among fans and those close to artists. In the case of this model, the consumer base responds to the products offered in the market whose association reflects the brand of the artist.

This makes it vital for fashion advertisers and campaign marketers to incorporate aspects of thug life and related practices when target specific consumer units in the society. In other words, people whose behavior or personality resonates with thug life are captured by ads or campaigns that are run on a ‘thug life’ platform. In this respect, identification is evident. This topic can be seen as both timely and American because fashion is an ongoing process. Fashion ads and campaigns target different consumer segments, but the common denominator is that there are needs, interests, tastes, and preferences to be met.

A clothing brand cannot succeed if it is received well by the targeted party. In the model’s case, all it takes is to create a public image that resonates with what he does on a daily basis. The connection between music and fashion is easy to make in the contemporary world, an aspect that explains why this topic is relevant and timely. Finally yet importantly, the focus of this paper is American because America is an ultimate driver of fashion in the world. By hosting multicultural population, America makes fashion advertising and campaigns an enterprising practice.

The model of masculinity herein, therefore, has a widespread influence over the larger society. At the same time, the position and role of rap music in today’s American society is undisputable. Additionally, the influence of Lil Wayne and his fashion merchandise among young people is evident on a daily basis. In this respect, the critical connection between music and trends in fashion supports the notion that ads and campaigns in the fashion industry reflect the interests of the public (Jeffries 151).

This makes masculinity an influential and more so a critical factor to account for in fashion ads and campaigns. Works Cited Jeffries, Michael. Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011. Print.