Should men be objectified by women? A controversial fashion campaign sparks debate

Suistudio’s new ‘Not Dressing Men’ campaign is sparking debate about male objectification [Photo: Suistudio]
Suistudio’s new ‘Not Dressing Men’ campaign is sparking debate about male objectification [Photo: Suistudio]

Seeing women being objectified in advertising campaigns is unfortunately a regular occurrence, but what about the objectification of men?

Women’s tailoring brand Suistudio recently revealed a new suit campaign, along with the hashtag #NOTDRESSINGMEN. The campaign was created in order to highlight the fact that the brand “specialise in suits, but we’re not dressing men.”

In order to switch up stereotypes of the menswear garment, and to empower women, they released a series of images, which show strong-looking women ‘power suiting’, whilst posing next to naked men.

In the Buff. It’s time to go nude. #SUISTUDIO #NOTDRESSINGMEN #womeninbusiness #officewear

A post shared by SUISTUDIO (@suistudio) on Sep 18, 2017 at 7:10am PDT

A woman places her hand on a male’s butt cheek [Photo: Suistudio]
A woman places her hand on a male’s butt cheek [Photo: Suistudio]

The roles are completely reversed, as one woman is seen with her hand on a male’s buttocks, while another sits on top of a completely nude and vulnerable-looking man.

The controversial images have sparked debate, as women respond with divided opinions. “A much needed brand for women”, one Instagram follower comments.

Meanwhile, many think the campaign is simply fuelling the consent of objectification. “If it was the other way around with the woman on the couch and man above her, feminist groups would jump and criticise. This double standard needs to end,” commented one person.

This wouldn’t be the first time the brand have hit major controversy. Last year, the company’s menswear division Suit Supply hit headlines for its ‘Toy Boy’ campaign, which showed deeply sexist images objectifying women.

Is it okay for women to objectify men? After all, we’ve been subjected to it for decades. Or is it simply reverse sexism further normalising the notion of objectification that is already so heavily rooted in our society.

If anything, the campaign simply proves we still have a long way to go to figure it out.


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