Who Said Anything About Jeans? [Fifth Lecture]

Class has been interesting but it has been scattered in its topics. I think Mark has so much to say and not enough time to do so. Today, however, we did something I have been waiting to do for quite some time. I had heard that semiotics was intense but really interesting, and our introduction to it today proved this entirely. We watched this Gap commercial starring Madonna and Missy Elliott:



Seems like a typical celebrity commercial, something we see all the time. In truth, it is much more than that. There are a variety of hidden messages and codes that we may only notice subconsciously, unless it’s studied further. The commercial begins with Madonna on a Hollywood-esque set singing, and then introduces Missy Elliott. They sing/rap together and have a dance off at the end. The song is vintage Madonna sung to new lyrics.

Mark proposed the thesis that the commercial has nothing to do with jeans, and is about racism instead. After watching it multiple times, I started to realize little things I had previously missed. As Madonna walks by, a backdrop of a nice sea design can be seen behind her. When Missy is rapping her part of the song, the same type of backdrop is pushed behind her, but this one is completely blank. The class also mentioned how Missy seems to dance equally with her dancers, while Madonna takes on a dominant role in her dancing. Mark mentioned how everything in advertising is there for a reason, and the commercial was paused on a part when Madonna is walking by a road with “STOP” written on it but only “TOP” is visible. The word seems to be pointing at Madonna suggestively.

Even though Mark’s points make sense, I think you can argue a positive side to the commercial as well. Madonna will always be Madonna, and of course she is legendary. I think it is possible to look at the commercial as Madonna paving the way for new, different musical artists. Missy Elliott’s style is very different from Madonna’s, which would explain their different “set styles” in the commercial. Perhaps Missy has a blank backdrop instead of a nice sea one because it is symbolizing a clean slate. As a female rapper, she is much more new compared to Madonna. The fact that they meet up and dance together can symbolize old and new coming together and representing a new sound. Remakes of older songs are popular for a reason. In the end, must everything come down to race?

Analyzing the commercial made me begin thinking about what I may possibly do for my semiotics paper. There are so many things I can do, but I’m thinking along the lines of studying a certain type of magazine. I’m still going to see what ideas come up during class and through readings, but it is due in about a month. Considering my media autobiography paper didn’t go too well, I want to get a head start on this paper and seek out as much help as possible. I’m pretty sure I’m going to need it!