The controversial Armani Junior poster
By: Marthijn Uittenbogaard
Recently, a poster for Armani Junior caused a commotion in Great Britain. Seventy-four complaints were made to the publicity code commission. The complaints centred around the idea that the poster sexualises children. On the poster one could see an adolescent boy sitting, with a naked belly, long blond hair, and a notable large bead necklace. Moreover, he wore a pair of very neat trousers. They were Nail trousers from Armani junior.
So what's the problem? After all, don't we often see a boy with a naked belly? The fact that the poster has an erotic effect on many people, is caused specifically by the way the boy is presented. It is because he has the marks of a girl (hair and necklace), that one percieves him as sexual in this day and age. Today, one can no longer deny the erotic content! With only a naked belly, one would sooner be criticized for not recognizing the eroticism. Otherwise you must be a pedophile yourself. One doesn't find normal things erotic.
Until recently, only girls and women were supposed to be beautiful and erotic. In the case of men and boys, a taboo is still placed on this subject. To some people, girls' clothes are often disturbingly erotic. For boys, clothes have traditionally been totally non-erotic. One example of this is the so called 'tent'-trousers. (Excluded sleeve-less T-shirts; the beginning of a change is coming!)
It is the macho types especially, and people who think hierarchically, who have problems with breaking through this taboo, because they think that girls and women must be beautiful to pleasure men, and generally, they cannot make the same demands of boys and men. As it happens, they believe that males have greater value. This is easily observed in video clips and in erotic movies on television; e.g. a woman can have sex with another woman, but you will never see men acting sexually with each other. If they did, one or both of them would reduce himself to the level of an 'inferior' woman.
Today, women and girls are allowed to wear trousers and suits, but until recently these were considered to be male clothing. When I received my primary education (which is now primary school), one girl had started to wear trousers. For this reason she was called the 'trousers girl', and because of this taunting, she changed back to ordinary girls' clothes. Even today, in the Netherlands, there are still some strictly Calvinistic schools where girls are obliged to wear a skirt or a dress.
When has it ever been accepted that men and boys can wear skirts and dresses if they so desired? If, one did, he would of course be subject to ridicule, and the aggression of macho men. I believe that this prohibition still falls officially under the law 'against bad manners'. It is not explicit in the legislation, but with the law 'against bad manners ' one can forbid everything. In Amsterdam, the police will leave you alone when you wear a dress walking in the open, but in Staphorst, this will not be allowed I fear. In Amsterdam it does however generate the blind anger of macho men; you would likely see something similar to gay bashing. Mainly, it's the macho men, with their slumbering feelings of being gay, who would likely do these things.
Will Armani suffer from these protests? Of course not, young beauty is in. After their controversial 'child porn' commercials, Calvin Klein sold much more underwear. At Michael Jackson's home, a pair of Calvin Klein underpants was confiscated as evidence to be used at his trial.
The MARTIJN Association has to think of how to protect children against exploitation. Soon you will likely get innumerable child starlets that actually haven't chosen to be a star themselves. The world revolves far too much around money.
In the seventies, erotic mens and boys clothing started to become common. However the 'acceptance' of homosexuality caused severe troubles. Heterosexuals didn't want to be known as homosexual. And as a result of this, the polarised gays no longer wanted to be considered sissies. I predict that in the near future, boys will also wear navel sweaters and (again) very short tight trousers when the weather is summery. The entire outfit might even be garnished with collars, arm and angle strings. Summers are going to be much cooler for boylovers.
source: Article 'The Controversial Armani Junior Poster' by Marthijn Uittenbogaard; Translated from Dutch; Newsletter Martijn Association, 9 May 2004 - 22 May 2004; & Seksencyclopedie.nl/columns; 22 May 2004