Cinco continentes

The Paco Rabanne ‘Invictus’ commercial was first aired on the 10      ​^th July, 2013,  ​⁴⁶ and features    Nick Youngquest as the main character. The commercial is produced by the French feature        film producer Alexandre Courtés and portrays a victorious journey for the male protagonist,        from when he enters the stadium, to the steamy post­match celebrations in the changing        room.​⁴⁷ 

Semiological analysis 

The male character throughout commercial is presented with an exposed torso. This        visualises the man’s chiselled bodily features which signify an athletic and physically active        person. Moreover, this physical feature is seen as an ideal to be strived for in Western culture,        as it signifies physical perfection. Whenever the male character makes a gesture with his        arms, certain actions occur around him. In the first instance (0:11), with a single gesture, the        man causes the floodlights of the stadium to switch on, signifying, in this way, an outburst of        power and dominance. In the second instance, the same gesture results in the shattering of a        group of white­coloured chasers who bear a close resemblance to moving statues.       

Furthermore, the protagonist’s attitude appears calm and collected with a hint of        self­satisfaction throughout the series of challenges he faces; signifying mental strength.       

Taking these three instances into account, the powerful gesture connotes a divine power        attached to the male character, which allows him to perform supernatural actions by merely        raising his arms. In the second instance, the connotation is also attached to a divine control        over the life and death of others.  

The setting in which the commercial takes place contains signs leading to a reading of it as        being connected to Greek mythology. This interpretation is built on a series of factors.       

Firstly, the stadium in which the story unravels itself bears close resemblance to the        amphitheatres of classical Greece. Secondly, many of the characters that appear around the        protagonist all bear white toga­like clothes, which are typical of the classical period in        Greece. Moreover, the characters are all, with the exception of the five women at the end of        the commercial, large in proportion to the protagonist, which connotes supernatural attributes        connected to divinity. In the first instance two women (0:08), who appear to be goddesses,       

one of their hands as if they are guarding the entry to the stadium. In the second instance, the        imagery created at (0:22) bears close resemblance to Michelangelo’s famous painting, ‘The        Creation of Adam’,    ​⁴⁸ except, in this instance, it is the Goddess who attempts to reach the        protagonist but he does not reciprocate her attention. She is pointing at him, which can        signify that he is the chosen one, and consequently these signifiers can connote male        superiority. The third instance of Greek mythology present via the characters is at (0:25)        when two toga­clad male characters with full grey beards smash a pole­like object to the        ground, which immediately creates sparks that fly around the protagonist. The sparks can        illustrate lightning bolts, which can be associated with the god Zeus, who these male        characters also bear resemblance to, due to for instance their beard and garments. 

The female representation throughout the commercial is connected to the male character and        appears to relate to every one of the male protagonist’s actions, as they all pay close attention        to him. Furthermore, the women who make their appearance in the changing room of the        stadium (0:39) all have a similar slim body type, and wear white clothes which signify purity        and divinity. Within this Greek mythological framework, the women in the commercial        connote many of the features attributed to nymphs: as divine female spirits associated with        beauty, youth, and freedom.  

The soundtrack in the commercial is the song       ​Power ​performed by Kanye West. The lyrics      ​⁴⁹  suggest a possession of unlimited power and excellence. This supports the connotations        attached to the protagonist and his actions throughout the entire commercial.  

Myth 

The mythical framework created within this commercial relates to the idealisation of features        and attributes that are traditionally considered masculine and are attributed to the category       

‘man’. The connotations attached to the male protagonist (victory, divinity and physical        activity) are co­creating a myth in which the man is presented as the dominant one within        gender discourse. Placed within a gender­representation study, reading this myth adds to an        uneven distribution of the role of male and female participation in society. The female        characters are passive bystanders, whose only role is to support and pay attention to the man,        whereas the man creates the world through actions, and is applauded for doing so, thus the        man is seen as superior to the woman both in strength and in action.  

Narrative 

The narrative of this commercial leaves an impression of the male character, being wrapped        in mythical supernatural attributes who demands the acknowledgement of women to every        action he performs. Throughout the commercial, the protagonist appears calm, in control and        proactive. This is to be observed in opposition to the gender counterparts who play the role of        applauding, observant bystanders. The binary opposition of male and female is clearly        formulated in this setting and reinforces stereotypical notions traditionally connected to the        sexes and their respective roles in relation to each other and in their respective society.