D&G. The G stands for Gang Rape, by the way.

I know this is an old ad, but the point still stands; please tell me someone else notices how wrong it is. A friend of mine brought it to my attention and now, I’m bringing it to yours. I know, sexism in advertising? Shocking. But this is at a whole other level. It’s not just statements of how to be a good wife, oh no. This, my friends, is gang rape.

This isn’t the first time there have been ads showing a dominant man and a submissive woman. It seems to have become a thing of normalcy now; a dominant woman is seen as more rare and exotic. This ad not only enforces gender roles (violent males and submissive females) but negative relationship stereotypes as well. It’s okay for men to pin you to the ground and have sex with you, because guess what? At least you’re wearing a hot black dress.

After Dolce & Gabbana recieved complaints from people in Spain, they were quoted as remarking “We will only withdraw this photo from the Spanish market. They’re a bit behind the times.” Behind the times? What times, the times where rape is suddenly appropriate for advertising?

This isn’t exactly the first time  Dolce & Gabbana has had such ads. In fact, they’re known for ads being overly sexual and risque, so I’m not surprised that of all companies, they’d be the ones to try something like this. Other ads include models brandishing knives and one with a couple pulling each others clothes off while a man in the background puts his pants back on. Looking through various ads, there seem to be a common theme through many of them. Men staring at provocatively posed women, a woman lounging, whether conscious or otherwise, even naked women and men (I thought they were selling clothes).

This is the address to their US office:

Dolce & Gabbana USA Inc.

148 Lafayette Street

New York, NY 10013

It only takes five minutes, please write your thoughts down and send them off. Women, let your voices be heard. If you feel strongly angered by this, speak up. Men, you can and should speak out as well; every voice contributes to the total volume. After all, these are your mothers, daughters, sisters, friends and girlfriends. And to all of you… whether we know it or not, we all know someone who has been raped or otherwise sexually assaulted or harrassed, if that person isn’t our self. Nobody wants to see something so bad glamourized, and nobody should treat something like this as if it isn’t a big deal, because guess what? It is.