University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 2007 Trophy Children Don’t Smile: Fashion Advertisements For Designer Children’s Clothing In Cookie Magazine Chris Boulton University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Part of the Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons Boulton, Chris, "Trophy Children Don’t Smile: Fashion Advertisements For Designer Children’s Clothing In Cookie Magazine" (2007). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 3. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/3 This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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. v 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. vi 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 vii 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 viii 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