H&M’s New Advert Subverts Idealised Notions of Femininity

H&M team up with director Gustav Johansson to create a new advertisement exploring stereotypical representations of modern femininity.

The past few months have seen the fashion and beauty industry pursue realistic representations of women instead of the hackneyed stereotypes we’ve become brainwashed by. From Kenzo breaking away from traditional perfume adverts to renowned jewellers Georg Jensen focusing their campaign on determined professional women instead of models. Now Swedish brand H&M is the latest to join the movement, by creating a new advertisement for its Autumn/Winter collection.

The new campaign, created by advertising agency Forsman & Bodenfors and shot by Swedish director Gustav Johansson features actress Lauren Hutton, models Adwoa Aboah and Neelam Gil, trans actress Hari Nef, Design Army’s chief creative officer Pum Lefebure, Lion Babe’s Jillian Hervey and more. Narrated by Lion Babe’s cover of the Tom Jones’ 1971 hit “She’s a Lady”, the advert playfully provides a clear juxtaposition. As the camerawork moves from shots of women leading boardroom meetings, to eating fries in bed the film indicates — unlike the infamous song — that a woman no longer needs to “know her place” to be a “lady”. Refusing to succumb to dangerous stereotypes of femininity, instead the women in the advert provide a realism which is frequently absent in advertising.

H&M’s minute-long advert is just another example of how brands are trying to bring more awareness to inequality. Another example is Brazilian beer Cerveja Feminista, a self-proclaimed “feminist beer” that takes aim at the beer industry of having long objectified women through its marketing.

*This Article was written for Protien, by Kevin Arulrajah