Controversial Figures in Advertisements
Jordan Morey
CMC 100 Spring 2011
Textual Analysis
Controversial Celebrities in Advertisements
11 February 2011
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Abstract:
In the January 2011 edition of GQ (Gentleman’s Quarterly) Magazine, an Old Spice
advertisement shows Ray Lewis, an NFL Pro Bowl linebacker and an alleged murderer, riding a
raven holding a bottle of Old Spice “Showtime” body wash, while being struck by lightning. In
the background, as the advertisement transitions from dark to light, there is another image of
Lewis, but this time he is gazing mystically towards the sky. This first picture shows Lewis as a
stereotypical “angry black male”; however, the other image represents Lewis in a noble, even
remorseful manner. This advertisement is thus making fun of, while at the same time glorifying
stereotypical black masculinity, and makes us question whether it should be socially acceptable
to use people like Ray Lewis as a spokesman in advertisements. The Old Spice advertisement
uses Ray Lewis ironically to glorify stereotypical black masculinity, while at the same time
concealing the criminal implications of such a spokesperson in order to capitalize on both the
negative and positive publicity that construct his public image.
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Gentleman’s Quarterly Magazine, more commonly known as GQ, is directed towards
white, educated, upper-class men. According to the demographics from their media kit, its
average subscriber would be a white, single, educated male, who is around 33 years old, and
makes an annual salary of around $80,000 (Hunsinger and Nelson 1). The magazine focuses on
style, fashion, and culture. Their advertisements generally promote clean, classy, and
sophisticated images of professionals; thus it is rare to see an advertisement that is either hypermasculine, or mocking basic stereotypes (especially of an ethnic or racial Other, since GQ is
almost exclusively white). However, this is not the case in the January 2011 edition of GQ, in
which an advertisement features two distinct images of NFL Pro Bowl linebacker Ray Lewis
promoting Old Spice body wash. The main image is an absurdly staged situation in which Lewis
rides a giant raven whilst being struck by lightning; the second image transitions from dark to
light, and this time a translucent image of Lewis in the clouds is gazing mystically towards the
sky. This first image shows Lewis as a stereotypical “angry black male,” and the other image
represents him in a noble and remorseful manner reminiscent of major figures in Black American
cultural mythology. This image is not only mocking “stereotypical black males,” but also is
highly controversial due to the fact that Old Spice is using Ray Lewis as a spokesman even after
his manslaughter case in 2000. The ad uses the “angry black male” stereotype along with
signifiers of black struggle and power in the setting and situation, engaging race and masculinity
by simultaneously critiquing and embracing his claim to power and strength.
Ray Lewis is an NFL linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, who drafted him in 1996, and
since then he has been elected to twelve Pro Bowls, nominated as NFL defensive player of the
year in 200 and 2003, and has been named an Associated Press All-Pro ten times. Throughout
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this incredible football career, he has been looked upon by his teammates as a leader and a fierce
competitor; however, his image off the field is surrounded by scandals.
On January 31, 2000, after a Super Bowl XXXIV party in Atlanta, a fight broke out
between Lewis and another group of people, which resulted in the stabbing of Jacinth Baker and
Richard Lollar. Lewis and two of his friends were indicted on murder and aggravated assault
chargers eleven days after the incident. The murder charges were dropped in exchange for
Lewis’ testimony against Oakley and Sweeting, who were ultimately acquitted in June 2000.
Four year’s later, Lewis reached an undisclosed settlement with the families of both murder
victims and his two friends were charged with manslaughter.
Ray Lewis’s past has led to a development of two different characters: a leader, and a
criminal. The Old Spice ad in GQ magazine perfectly depicts Lewis’s dual image. The Old Spice
ad shows two pictures of Lewis; the first is Lewis riding a giant raven, covered in soapsuds,
while he his holding a bottle of Old Spice body wash called “Showtime”. In this image the sky
behind Lewis is dark; he is being struck by lightning and his facial expression is very angry. The
second image transitions from dark to light, and this time Lewis is gazing mystically towards the
sky. Lewis is represented in a noble, remorseful, and intelligent way. These two images represent
a construction of two different people; evil black man vs. noble black man.
Image one shows Lewis as a stereotypical “angry black male,” his is screaming, flexing
his muscles, and the image over is frightening. Lewis’s attitude correlates to the weather in the
image: fierce, with dark clouds and a sky filled with lightning. It is also important to note that
Lewis is riding a raven, an animal that is black, associated with evil, and frightening, rather than
an animal like a dove that represents peace or an eagle that represents nobility and power. This
raven is thus an ironic statement about black masculinity. I argue that image one relates to
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Lewis’s history as an alleged murderer: his is acting according to the role of the evil “angry
black man”.
Image two shows Lewis as a noble, remorseful, intelligent, and powerful person. The
background is much lighter, and his image is translucent, something like you would see in
pictures portraying mythologized versions of very notable African Americans such as Tupac
Shakur, Barack Obama, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (See Figures 1,2, and 3). This time Lewis
is shown as poised and commendable, rather than a murderer or an “angry black man”. The two
images distinguish athlete from murderer, and graceful and admired vs. feared and comical.
The tone and the overt messages of this advertisement are concentrated on irony, in
which multiple meanings conflict with one another to produce another message. The first form of
irony in the advertisement is the fact that Ray Lewis is covered in soapsuds. Old Spice and the
advertisement are preaching that he is clean; however, knowing information about his past,
viewers know that Lewis is not clean; in reality he is full of dirty secrets. Another example of
irony has to do with Lewis riding a raven. Upon first glance, we see a famous NFL linebacker,
someone who is supposed to be powerful and strong, yet he is riding a symbol of death, disease,
and destruction (that is, significantly, black). Moreover, although image two relates to many
other pictures of notable African Americans, Lewis is not a reputable person. It is ironic that he
is being compared to people of that nature because he is absolutely nothing like them. His
notoriety comes from a scandal in which he was certainly involved and purchased himself out of,
rather than assassination or political action.
I argue that these readings of irony suggest that Old Spice is using Ray Lewis as a
spokesman to catch people off guard, in the sense that he is not a person with whom most people
would associate a body wash advertisement. This shock and awe effect works because people
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find it humorous that a man who is so feared, as well as touted as one of the best linebackers in
NFL history, is riding a giant raven in front of a skyline that depicts him gazing into the heavens.
Anyone who knows anything about Ray Lewis and his reputation will look at this ad and
immediately wonder why Old Spice chose an alleged murderer to be depicted yelling in a soap
and deodorant advertisement. To the general public this advertisement doesn’t hurt Old Spice’s
image because most people look at the image with jest as they laugh at the Pro-Bowl Linebacker
covered in an overtly fake soap suit, while he rides a giant papier-mâché raven, holding a lone
bottle of Old Spice body wash so viciously, and all the while being struck by lightning. If one
were to look closer and in a more critical light at this advertisement they would begin to
seriously question Old Spice’s marketing campaign, as well as their ethical portrayal of an
empowered black male. Old Spice using Ray Lewis in this ad is the equivalent of Bill Clinton
being featured in a Durex condom advertisement.
Figure 1:
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Figure 2:
Figure 3:
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Works Cited
Donovan, John. "Super Bowl Slayings." Breaking News, Real-time Scores and Daily Analysis
from Sports Illustrated – SI.com. 3 Mar. 2000. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.
<http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com>.
Hunsinger, Peter K. "MEDIAKIT." Condé Nast : Digital Media Kit. Ed. Jim Nelson. Peter King
Hunsinger, 23 Sept. 2010. Web. 02 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.condenastmediakit.com/gq/circulation.cfm>.