Just Looking ...

Flipping through this month's issue of Vogue UK, I was struck by Aquascutum's advertisement for their spring 2009 campaign, The Blue Collection. The image really jumped out at me, and after searching online for other reactions it seems to be that the general consensus is that the campaign is highly effective despite its simplicity.
I really began to question exactly what it was about this image that resonated, and what came to mind was Prof. Kalmar's lecture on the universal and particular. In this lecture we discussed how in ordinary thought, white is the default race; it is rational and predictable. We extended this default theory to Hollywood movies, noting that romantic comedies are overwhelmingly about white couples, because otherwise it is no longer just a romantic comedy, it is a romantic comedy about a black couple, or latino couple, etc. Whiteness in Hollywood is the default race, for it does not detract or distract from ordinary plot lines.
I find this notion of whiteness as the default to be an even more useful conept in fashion advertisements. Of course advertisements are reflecting socially constructed values of beauty, what beauty looks like, and how to achieve beauty. However, it is crucial to remember that fashion is ultimately an industry and so what is of utmost importance - of commercial importance - is the product. The clothing must stand out above all in a fashion shoot, and Aquascutum's depiction of heteronormative romantic love between white couples is testament to this reality.