This is a recent ad for Skyy, a brand of midshelf American vodka. The ad depicts a beach scene with a beautiful, blonde woman lying down on a beach with glamorous sunglasses on, with an ocean and a skyline in the background to set the scene of a fun, nice beach scene. A man stands above a woman with his feet spread in such a way that his body posture is very dominant, wearing the clothing of a successful businessman or wealthy individual. The man's garb is supposed to convey expensiveness, classiness, and exclusivity. He wears shiny dress shoes, nice dress pants, and a shirt covered by a dress suit. If one looks closely at his hands, a few gold rings and an expensive looking watch can be seen. The man, in every way, is a picture of success, dominance, privilege, and in this aspect is something of a male ideal. The man is faceless, however, allowing for any male reader to feel himself able to identify with or aspire to his situation and position. Even his hands, the only visible part of his actual body with all his clothing on, are of such a skin tone as to be completely ambiguous -- he could be any race or nationality. He stands above the woman with his legs spread in such a way that his groin is positioned directly above the woman's head, with her looking up with anticipation and not appearing to have any qualms with the situation in front of or above her. The key to the advertisement, however, is what he holds in his hands. In his left hand he holds two glasses with large stems and brims, along the lines of those used for martinis. The right hand holds a bottle of Skyy vodka, which is the entire point of the advertisement. The advertiser's message is simple: Skyy, despite its modest price, is to be associated with the successful, dominant, attractive men of the world, and most pointedly, the most sexually active and attractive to women.
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