Once again, Tom Ford's marketing is perfectly clear: "If you believe that women are fungible objects that exist to gratify your sexual urges, then you're a Tom Ford man. Even though I don't have sex with women myself, don't worry! I'll cheerfully genuflect to your misogynist patriarcy in exchange for full membership in Class Man."

I love perfume. I mean, I really, really love perfume. It's becoming a line-item in the household budget. But the entire Tom Ford line is out for me, because of these ads. And I've let the sales assistants marketing his things know it.

But breastfeeding is obscene and should be covered up. *sigh*

I do not in the slightest understand why this sort of marketing would appeal to anyone who might actually buy the perfume. Unless more men are wearing perfume than I'm aware of.

I wonder what the model looks like. Do models put shoots like this in their 'book'?

Actually, I find this image awfully confusing.

It looks like a woman's crotch, with a woman fingering it. But a penis does not typically lay on *top* of a woman's crotch, certainly not in this disembodied way, and it's much much smaller than the average erect penis, so it really looks to me as if it's a representation of the *woman's* body parts, and she's masturbating. Like a really oversize clit or something.

If they wanted to send the message that this is a penis, they should have grafted it onto a *male* body and had a female hand coming from a different direction. But the fact that it looks almost attached to the crotch of a woman makes me think of it as part of her body, or maybe an accoutrement, like panties. Is the message they want to send really "Wear our perfume and you can be women's panties?" (Although Prince Charles wanted to be Camilla's tampon... maybe that's a more common male fantasy than I think.)

Why didn't he just go all the way and shape the bottle like a dildo and shoot the picture with the bottle going up the vagina? He's only a few centimeters away.

Also, it kind of looks like a bottle in front of an oiled-up Barbie crotch. Hot!

"Tom Ford wants to make sure that you know he has the most cock-like cologne around."

Do penises smell that good (I'm not very flexible)?

When I first saw this ad I thought "Oh, a cologne that's scented like...a man's crotch???" Then I realized it was a woman and thought the ad was just a bad, bad joke- and now I just ignore the ad altogether because I get a serious headache thinking that someone out there gets paid more than me to think of these things.

Personally I'm delighted in this ad campaign. I'm delighted Ford is showing his true colours and delighted that my hard earned money won't ever part from me or a single thing Ford designs or markets every again. Well done Tom.

In addition to everything already said by previous posters, YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THROUGH THE BOTTLE. If you look at a close up the shape of the vulva is clearly outlined.

Oh how I love to squeeze cologne bottles between my thighs!!! It makes my airbrushed pussy so happy.

Sigh.

@ AlaraJRogers: I think you're right. Now that it's been pointed out, that bottle definitely looks like it is meant to represent woman parts, not penis.

I have never seen photographs make women's bodies look so horribly unnatural and, consequently, unattractive. Thanks a lot, Tom Ford, you douche. How far you have fallen since your glorious fall '95 collection for Gucci, which has influenced my mod (albeit thrift, resale, and vintage store acquired) style to this day. For shame.

Ok, what the fuck is wrong with Tom Ford? He's the most aggressively heterosexual gay man that I've ever heard of in my life.

It's not perfume, though, it's a "fragrance for men." Although all this ad says to me is that it smells like a woman's crotch. Is that what men want to smell like these days? Or maybe it is supposed to be a penis, and therefore smells like semen and smegma? Fabulous!

I hate Tom Ford. His "fragrances" are icky, he ruined Youth Dew, and he looks like a bad Jeremy Piven impersonator. Everything he touches these days seems to have a nasty, sweaty aura to it. He did some nice work for Gucci, but that's long gone.

Awful. Gross and awful. And insulting to everyone involved.

The bottle isn't supposed to be representing parts. The ad is just saying, "Hey look, A COOCH! Oh, Tom Ford, okay." Thus, imprinted into the brain. Supposedly.

Bad Jeremy Piven impersonator = ROFL!

True dat to all that you said, BluePencils.

Are you sure "most cock-like" is the message? I guess I really am literal-minded, just like my wife says: I thought it was a women's perfume, presumably meant to smell like a vagina or something.

"Are you sure "most cock-like" is the message?"

I think it depends on how you look at it. The bottle kinda looks like it's supposed to be inserted in the vagina- hence the term "cock-like".

Either way- gross.

Maybe the bottle of cologne is meant to represent The Male.

The base of the bottle is wedged between her legs; The Male can be wedged between a woman's legs (if we wears this cologne).

The woman is stroking the tip of the bottle; a woman will stroke the tip of...The Male/penis, if The Male wears this cologne.

The Male who wears this cologne will be irresistible.

I don't think it has anything to do with "Hey! This cologne smells like a penis and/or vagina!" C'mon people.

Correction: The "we" should be "he".

greasy pre-pubescent-looking vulva. I must go out and get this "fragrance for men".

"I don't think it has anything to do with "Hey! This cologne smells like a penis and/or vagina!" C'mon people."

Mizza--it's a joke. No one really thinks that. I'm sure it smells like every other dull, boring, modern fragrance out there. Even Ford's much-touted ultra-sexy "Black Orchid" perfume: yawn.

BluePencils - it's obvious you were kidding. I wasn't directing my comment at you. It was more at AmitJoshi, and their self-proclaimed literal mind.

I get it's a joke. Har har.

So, let me bring up an issue: suppose I really like this cologne, which I don't, would it be the un-feministic of me to buy this product?

It seems like we're always wading through the personal vs. political of feminism, and this is a good example of such.

When do we wear our feminism on our sleeves, and when do we "be real" and give in to a very gendered and sexist society that's based on consumerism?

Secondly, just on a marketing note: even though I am an ally of the LGBT community and my roommate is gay, I am not buying any cologne that looks like a cock. Perhaps Ford should re-think his strategy.

ProFeministMale - It depends on how much you care about making a statement with your spending. Unless it's a really recognizable scent (I have no idea; I've never smelled it), it's doubtful that anyone will smell you and think "hey, this guy supports that sexist ad campaign!" The exception to this is of course Axe and TAG, which can be smelled from several yards away, and are rather distinct. (I remember once returning to my dorm, and as soon as I passed the door to his suite, knew that my friend John was back from visiting his girlfriend.)

So be your own judge. The fact that you're taking it into consideration is a lot more than most guys do.

PS (AND A NOTE TO ALL): if you do want to know what your money is supporting when you shop, I highly recommend The Blue Pages, which is a convenient guide-book sized source of information about all kinds of companies we use as consumers. Info includes which political parties they donate to, whether or not they give benefits to domestic partners, have anti-discrimination policies, labor and human rights issues, and more. There may also be a website, but I can't remember.

What I don't get is where is this advertised? Aren't there still minimal laws on what can and can't be shown in public ads? Because I would think that violates a lot of them.

I think it is very strange that Tom Ford uses this imagery to sell a product and a brand that probably mostly sells to gay men.

really it is a sick and f*ck#d up way to advertise perfume...it's saying, 'hey ladies we want your crotch to smell like our perfume'... I actually think it is just his way of wowing and sensationalizing the item...her crotch...and getting us to talk about it. that is what advertising is about is getting the product talked about.

"But breastfeeding is obscene and should be covered up"

No shit, huh? Women's bodies are offensive unless they come pictured as airbrushed barbie parts.

And by the looks of it, plastic tits and asses are not longer enough. The good news is, there is not much further they could go.

Perhaps once Tom pictures a plastic model actually fucking his fragrances, he'll have enough decency to use something else.

No likely though.

How come, when women's more intimate parts are covered only by something see-through/tiny/cunningly-distorted etc it is perfectly acceptable ad-fare, but when a woman wears a miniskirt on to a plane she's dirty and slutty and should cover herself up because her OMG!legs are showing?

I still haven't got the hang of the real world...

I would certainly not be interested in perfume that smells of weenie. *gags*