Dior homme and robert pattinson
Oh, to spray on some Dior Homme. An objectively handsome man or should I be more specific: Robert Pattinson, “the most handsome man in the world,” according to Golden Beauty ratio (Greene), sits stunningly over the edge of a roof of what seems to be a small duplex home. Black and white hues accentuate the nonconformist yet elegant aesthetic. Robert Pattinson is wearing dress pants and a blazer looking over New York City in a seamlessly superior manner. The frame then transitions to of course, the grand trophy of this all, a beautiful woman.
The woman is, nevertheless, French american- model Camille Norwell. She sits seductively on top of the toilet seat wearing only a tank top while Pattinson takes up most of the space in the tub, fully clothed; it is not a surprise, this is a representation of dominance.
In the next transition in the film we will come across Pattinson entering a room full of Burlesque performers automatically eating him up with stares and validation while he proceeds to assert his dominance and easily conquer the beautiful woman.
They both partake in an intense and passionate almost soft pornesque scene, representing a millennial rock and roll love story as the Led Zeppelin soundtrack “Whole Lotta Love” plays in the background. The audience which it is intended for are Gen Z’s who are indulged in superficial beauty and the need to be wanted or desired. Social media has only contributed to the necessity of individuals being validated. Sex sells? Maybe.
Oh to wear, Dior Homme. “Perfume is about emotions…it leads to seduction and desire, which is what drives all perfumes.” assured the scent’s creator Francois Demachy (Anbouba). To bring this vision to life, Dior chose Robert Pattinson, the young actor who was declared to be the most handsome man in the world, to integrate the rebellious, seductive, nonconformist and libertarian attitude of a man who wears Dior (Icon).
Pattinson’s execution in portraying this persona, was inspired by Jean-Paul Bremondo’s iconic performances from in new wave classic film “Breathless.” Bremondo was a French actor and producer known for his unique approach on editing, visual styles and narrative which was denominated ``New Wave '' and it made sure to focus on topics such as religion, class struggle, sexuality, and youth culture.
Bremondo delivered the perfect amount of airiness, beauty and self centeredness which was exactly what Pattinson characterized on screen; which leads us to the metaphor of him in various scenes looking over the city, the “on top of the world'' feeling of an indomitable beautiful man who attracts all the beautiful woman.
It is not rocket science to observe in this ad that “sex” is doing the “selling.” The creators knew what they were doing romanticizing and sexualizing the highly attractive characters, heart racing rock and roll music and erotism.
Nevertheless, the choice of music being rock and roll artist Led Zeppelin further favores the bad boy-lady’s man narrative as Norwell is shown running behind Pattinson on roofs, at restaurants, diving in pools and driving recklessly; by making her run behind rather than in front of Pattinson, this resembles the “power” you can have over a woman and the freedom you can have with her which the soundtrack helps bring to life.
To further prove this approach as “effective” on the audience, Robyn Mckay, Ph.d psychologist states “As females are socialized to be compliant and agreeable… she may be drawn to a bad boy as a way of vicariously expressing her own inner rebel”(Cheney).
This is a key psychological factor the ad takes on the minds of the audience. It is intended to appeal to pathos, leaving the men wanting to be Pattinson and the ladies wanting a man with Dior Homme because Dior Homme here represents love, wealth, rebellion and sexiness.
The sexualization of characters and black and white hues in the three minute ad, targets the audience who find themselves familiar with the genre of erotica like Fifty shades of Gray which romanticized the sexualization of its characters.
It is no surprise while browsing through the comments of said ad, you will find the audience suggesting Robert Pattinson should have played Christian Gray’s role in Fifty Shades expressing how they would allow Pattinson to “ruin their life,” emphasizing how they keep coming back to see the ad at least 4 times a day, stating how lucky Camille Norwell was to share all these intimate scenes with and finally, “If I wear this perfume, he HAS to come on to me like this.”
However, in the real world will a spritz of perfume change your economic status, change your physical appearance or make you less of a bad person or more of a good person? No it will not. So, yes. Sex does sell and so does Robert Pattinson.
