Fashion Advertisements For Designer Children's Clothing In Cookie Magazine

145 Pages·2017·9.58 MB·English

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Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014
2007
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Chris Boulton
University of Massachusetts Amherst
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Boulton, Chris, "Trophy Children Don’t Smile: Fashion Advertisements For Designer Children’s Clothing In
Cookie Magazine" (2007). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 3.
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TROPHY CHILDREN DON’T SMILE: FASHION ADVERTISEMENTS FOR
DESIGNER CHILDREN’S CLOTHING IN COOKIE MAGAZINE

A Thesis Presented

by

CHRIS BOULTON

Submitted to the Graduate School of the
University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

February 2007

Communication
© Copyright by Chris Boulton 2007

All Rights Reserved
TROPHY CHILDREN DON’T SMILE: FASHION ADVERTISEMENTS FOR
DESIGNER CHILDREN’S CLOTHING IN COOKIE MAGAZINE

A Thesis Presented

By

CHRIS BOULTON

Approved as to style and content by:

______________________________________________
Emily West, Chair

______________________________________________
Erica Scharrer, Member

__________________________________________
Michael Morgan, Department Chair
Communication
DEDICATION

To Clay Steinman, who taught me that media studies could do more than just
cultivate better taste, it could change the menu.

To mothers everywhere who, having grown up in a sexist society, now work to
create equal opportunity for generations to come.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project would have never seen the light of day if not for the support and
guidance of my colleagues, friends, and family. First off, I am grateful for my parents’
constant encouragement and occasional proof-reading. My girlfriend, Jennifer Seavey,
helped bring balance to my life and doused more fires than I can count. Erica Scharrer
was an early advocate of this idea, encouraging me to theorize a media literacy for
adults. And, finally, my adviser Emily West was a steady and thoughtful editorial hand
throughout, protecting me from my own foibles and teasing out the very best in my
analysis.

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ABSTRACT
TROPHY CHILDREN DON’T SMILE: FASHION ADVERTISEMENTS FOR
DESIGNER CHILDREN’S CLOTHING IN COOKIE MAGAZINE

FEBRUARY 2007

CHRIS BOULTON, B.A., MACALESTER COLLEGE

M.A., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST

Directed by: Professor Emily West

This study examines print advertising from Cookie, an up-scale American
parenting magazine for affluent mothers. The ads include seven designer clothing
brands: Rocawear, Baby Phat, Ralph Lauren, Diesel, Kenneth Cole, Sean John, and
DKNY. When considered within the context of their adult equivalents, the ads for the
children’s lines often created a prolepsis—or flash-forward—by depicting the child
model as a nascent adult. This was accomplished in three ways. First, the children’s ads
typically contained structural continuities such as logo, set design, and color scheme
that helped reinforce their relationship with the adult brand. Second, most of the ads
place the camera at eye-level—a framing that allows the child models to address their
adult viewers as equals. Finally, almost half of the ads feature at least one child looking
directly at the camera with a serious expression. This is significant because, in Western
culture, the withholding of a smile is a sign of dominance typically reserved for adult
males. When children mimic this familiar and powerful “look,” they convey a sense of
adult-like confidence and self-awareness often associated with precocious sexuality.

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CONTENTS
Page

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.............................................................................................v
ABSTRACT................................................................................................................ vi
LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................... ix
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................1
Why do ads matter?...........................................................................................2
Childhood: A Moving Target.............................................................................6
Woman/Child..................................................................................................10
Indecent Exposure............................................................................................15

2. THEORIES OF CONSUMPTION...................................................................22
The Model Child..............................................................................................24
Conspicuous and Vicarious..............................................................................27
Affinity and Distinction...................................................................................30
Race Matters....................................................................................................34

3. METHODS, TEXTS, AND CONTEXTS........................................................43
Methods...........................................................................................................43
Texts................................................................................................................48
Contexts...........................................................................................................54

4. PROLEPSIS....................................................................................................63
Brand Bloodlines.............................................................................................63

Rocawear.............................................................................................64
Baby Phat.............................................................................................68
DKNY..................................................................................................72
Kenneth Cole.......................................................................................76
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Ralph Lauren........................................................................................78
Diesel...................................................................................................79

Gender Displays ..............................................................................................81

5. FACIAL EXPRESSION..................................................................................85
Impression Management..................................................................................90
Para-Proxemics................................................................................................92
A Brief History of the Smile............................................................................99
Indecent Expressions.....................................................................................104

6. CONCLUSION.............................................................................................115
The Model Child Returns...............................................................................115
Argument Summary.......................................................................................118
Limitations and Future Research....................................................................122

BIBLIOGRAPHY.....................................................................................................124
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LIST OF FIGURES

1. Original Coppertone Ad...................................................................................10
2. Kenneth Cole Ads............................................................................................14
3. Child Magazine Fashion Show.........................................................................22
4. Recent Headlines.............................................................................................23
5. Baby Phat Ads.................................................................................................27
6. Rocawear and Huey Newton............................................................................38
7. Rocawear Ad...................................................................................................52
8. DKNY Ad.......................................................................................................53
9. Fancy That!......................................................................................................57
10. Book Smarts Article and Kashi Ad...................................................................60
11. Rocawear Ad...................................................................................................64
12. Rocawear Ads..................................................................................................65
13. Baby Phat Ad...................................................................................................69
14. Baby Phat Girlz Ad..........................................................................................70
15. DKNY Ad ......................................................................................................71
16. “On the Street”.................................................................................................73
17. DKNY Ad ......................................................................................................74
18. DKNY Kids Ad ..............................................................................................74
19. Kenneth Cole Reaction Ad...............................................................................76
20. Kenneth Cole Reaction Kids Ad......................................................................77
21. Ralph Lauren Kids Ad.....................................................................................78
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