The Beauty of Pinup and Commercial Art

This is a blog about men and women as seen throughout the history of advertising and pinup art. Art has always reflected the distinct diversity and beauty of both sexes respectively. Just as there is a moon, there is a sun, a night and day, cold and hot...male and female. It is the very sustenance of Nature.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

There is an Arrow headed your way...



Here is a 1954 ad for Arrow men's shirts. In this ad there is a rising sexual tension between the man wearing the Arrow brand shirt and the woman in the background who reveals her interest in this man by how she looks at him. At the same time, he's aware that she's observing him, and so they play this game. The setting is in some Caribbean paradise where perhaps they can let themselves more lose. Here there is no hustle and bustle from the city, no deadlines, no phone calls and no CNN Breaking News. The male and female energies are more free to interact.

In this ad, the woman is surrounded by men on all sides. She's attractive and desirable. The storekeeper smiles provocatively as she looks for a hat, yet her eyes are set on the man wearing the Arrow shirt. The man in the shades, wearing the blue shirt in the background seems to be coming in. Perhaps he too is interested in the woman, but he's too shy, hence the shades to hide his eyes. Also, he's not wearing an Arrow shirt like the main character in the foreground, therefore the woman doesn't notice him. The man wearing the Arrow shirt holds a souvenir in his hands. It is a toy bull, which is a symbol of male fertility and sexuality.

The main dynamics here is the interaction between the man and woman. He knows she's looking at him, and she seems to know that he is aware of her presence. They keep a distance, but for how long? In our minds, we eventually put them together and create a relationship. Thanks to an Arrow shirt, perhaps two people will be together and hopefully be happy.

1 Comments:

Blogger Dave said...

Your examination of these vintage advertising pieces, often laced with subversive sexualized tension, is insightful and fascinating.

Keep up the great work!

Dave
"The Cherry Red Report"

11:14 AM  

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