For the February 2010 issue of Vanity Fair is an image of Tiger Woods drastically different from any image the public is used to seeing. Tiger is displayed rugged, sweaty and holding dumbbells in each arm, his shirt is off and muscles protrude. The image unveils a tempestuous provocative man not normally associated with Tiger. When Tiger is on the cover of a magazine the photo regularly depicts him in motion of his swing. Most images of Tiger resemble a typical golfer. He is in usual Golfer attire, a Nike baseball cap, cotton slacks, and collard polo. Tiger’s image is synonymous with a clean cut athlete because of his work ethic, sportsmanship, beautiful model wife, and capabilities.
Early in the morning of November 27th, Tiger Woods drove his Cadillac Escalade into a neighbor’s fire hydrant in Orlando Florida. It would be days before Tiger would make an official statement and a matter of time before the image most held of Tiger would vanish like smoke in the air. It was later revealed that Tiger was driving away from his wife who was trying to attack him after finding out about his adulterous affairs. Tiger had a plethora of women in different cities from New York to Las Vegas, $60,000 escorts, drug binges, and monthly allowances to keep his women quiet.
The cover of the Vanity Fair shows Tiger as he appears to the public now. This image takes him out of the sports realm and more so identifies him with sex appeal and masculinity. The image makes him fit the part of a vigor cocktail waitress- porn star loving sex crazed man. The connoted meaning of the photo is associated with sex. Shirtless and sweaty Tiger is looking into the camera. Tiger, in essence, is stripped down and exposed, much like his personal life. There is a sense of dominance and confidence; qualities women look for in choosing a mate. The image seems to strip away the squeaky clean images and ignite lustful tendencies in women. Vanity Fair, a woman’s magazine connected Tiger’s new image to women by resonating feelings of sexual prowess. The photo parades why women found him to be irresistible.
The photo reinforces Tiger’s new public image. In the book Practice of Looking Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright make the example that placing images into the public eye can influence the public and label. Strurken and Cartwright explain, “simply by taking Simpson’s image out of the context of the police file and placing it in the public eye, Time and Newsweek influenced the public to see Simpson as a criminal even before he had been placed on trial. The new revelation of OJ possible being associated with murder changed his super star athlete image and media outlets reinforced the “criminal” image of OJ.
The same is being done currently with Tiger. The photo of Tiger was taken in 2006 and was never used because Tiger as a “sex symbol” was not fitting of the idea the public held until recently. Now that Tigers image has been tarnished the public can perceive and are aware of his extramarital affairs and activities. The photo appears as who he is instead of a character.
No comments:
Post a Comment