Provocative. I'll try not to forget Charles Jourdan shoes (not that I'm a shoe shopper anyway, at least not for women). I would want, if possible, to avoid spending my money for any product associated with this company. It's a melodrama cliché situation of villainy & suffering (murder) being toyed with to invite/arouse consumerism. In melodrama the victim is always rescued by a hero. But I have no such hero fantasies to rescue the feelings this image arouses. To the contrary, the image represents to me how advertising has potential to inoculate culture against normal feeling, in this case against empathetic response to images of suffering. My first impression, the most important one. of this artist, Guy Bourdin, is I do not want to know him further. A strong reaction, yes. Maybe that's the aim. Undoubtedly it is — at least in part. The word that comes to mind for me to characterize my reaction is"disgust" . . . associated with a frustration in that I'm somewhat lost about to whom (or to what agency) might I address my anger? The photo arouses my anger & it's a kind of floating anger — since it doesn't have a place to land, except in this text message that CMOA invites me to send & yet realistically I expect no response. Furthermore, I'm not shown any way to access other people's response to this image, which might allow me the possibility to have a more satisfying interaction.
