BANG: The Marc Jacobs Controversy

Marc Jacobs new fragrance ad

Shot by one of my favorite photographers and long-time MJ collaborator, Juergen Teller, the uproar lies not so much in the male nudity as much as in the over-exposure (no pun intended) of Mr Jacobs himself. He has been baring it all quite a lot lately: on giant posters for his boutique windows, as well as for Visionaire, Harper's Bazaar and François Nars. He has also put live nude male models in his West Village shop to promote a line of skin cancer awareness t-shirts.

Maybe the designer is trying to desensitize us to male nudity. We could argue the use of female nudity in advertising of all kinds, especially fragrance, as de rigeur for campaigns worldwide, but that's a moot point and rampantly evident in any fashion magazine.

Far more risque' is the Tom Ford fragrance ad shot with the harsh glare of Terry Richardson's strobe. Richardson's forte is a sort of glamour-porn look, with a gritty fashion sensibility, and the ad (pictured below) has much more thought-provoking shock value. It is also, in my opinion, much more "artistic" than the MJ ad, in a Butt magazine sort of way (both Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs frequently advertise in this Dutch iconic gay rag).

Tom Ford Fragrance Campaign

So what is in fact the big deal? I have possibly been in San Francisco much too long, but the Marc Jacobs' ad seems to be just a tad boring. As the Fashionista blog rants in An Open Letter to Marc Jacobs Regarding Bang, "You may be gay, sexy, and a famous fashion designer, but you are not Tom Ford." They later plead, "We miss the your signature awkwardness and rejection of pure sex-appeal." It seems that MJ's new found 'sexy gayness' is disturbing some of his die-hard fans. The tone of the "open letter" seems to imply that being gay okay as long as one is modest, dresses well and reveals himself only through clever, witty innuendo, but does not act as an overt sexual being (unless of course you are Tom Ford).

Or maybe, as I have heard from other fashionistas, they are just sick of seeing MJ's nude body everywhere.

The most disturbing thing about the Marc Jacobs new fragrance is the name. What could BANG smell like? An intense whiff of sodden and oily bedsheets after an all-night session? Musky and manly? Or is it citrusy and light? Whatever the case, I doubt anyone when asked "What's that smell?" would want to respond, "Oh that? It's BANG!"

Read: http://fashionista.com/2010/05/an-open-letter-to-marc-jacobs-regard...