Utopiography

Dark lit interiors, little black dress, jewlery that doubles as bondage. Classier drinks means non-butch lesbians, threesomes, wild orgies and a morning free of hangovers and STDs. Remy Martin’s latest NYC ad, “Things are getting interesting” tells us nothing we don’t already know. The equation between expensive drinks and better sexual encounters is as classically capitalist as a blond-haired, blue-eyed Playboy Bunny. Where things are perhaps interesting is the campaign’s use of  mixed-race models to undermine (what is often white) heteronormative capitalist propaganda. This was done in the early 90’s with the Benetton ads which not only promoted the “world of united colors” but also lean production systems and just-in-time retail, trademarks of globalization and neoliberal economic policies.

The comparison is neither here nor there, just interesting.