Bonbon
is a feminine fragrance launched by the fashion house Viktor & Rolf in
2014. The perfume was created by Cécile Matton and Serge Majoullier (Mane). The
publicity features the model Edita Vilkeviciute and was shot by Inez van
Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.
Ethyl maltol is
a popular aroma chemical used in modern perfumery and is strongly redolent of
caramel. Thierry Mugler’s Angel (1992) was the first fine fragrance to include
an overdose of this molecule in its formula and since then, perfumers have been
employing ever higher percentages to satisfy the sweet-toothed cravings of
Western markets.
Like Prada’s
Candy (2011) which similarly relies heavily on ethyl maltol for its gourmand vibe,
Bonbon initially keys consumers into its confectionery-like scent profile through
a direct and easy to decode name. Unlike Candy however, Bonbon - at least for
French speakers - is polysemic and permits of an especially rich set of associations
to be exploited:
In its adverbial
usage, bonbon means ‘expensive’. One
might exclaim ça côute bonbon! (‘it
costs a bomb!’) on seeing the price of a Viktor & Rolf dress and we note
the perfume’s flacon is styled after a couture bow that simultaneously recalls
the shape of an individually wrapped sweet.
Bonbon in French however, is also a slang term for ‘clitoris’ as knowingly
referenced by the placement of an eye-catchingly oversized bottle in front of
the model’s pubic region. Yet even for those on whom this linguistic play is
lost, the proximal connection of the product with a source of erogenous
pleasure is sufficient to establish a meaningful relationship.
The erotic
charge this image generates around the fragrance is furthered by the model’s
nakedness. Covering the nipple of her exposed left breast is a painted ribbon
and bow which design repeats across her torso and arms. Through their use of this
visual metaphor, van Lamsweerde and Matadin overcome the tricky problem of how
to represent the invisible state of being perfumed.
If we consider
the model’s overall disposition, we’re struck by an apparent incongruity: her sitting
cross-legged on the floor is typically child-like whilst her well-developed
body and mature face are those of a twentysomething. The infantilisation of females
in advertising is, of course, nothing new: in his seminal work Gender
Advertisements (1979), Irving Goffman noted that women and children were
depicted on the floor much more frequently than men - a process he viewed as ‘ritualized subordination’. Goffman also had
cause to discuss the common ‘fingers-to-the-mouth’ pose, which gesture too is
reminiscent of a child’s behaviour and suggests anxiety, uncertainty and an
overall lack of agency. Consonant with the advert’s high connotative index though,
this hand placement encourages further chaining: firstly, the model’s finger
points indexically at her mouth – the organ associated with taste, thereby
linking to the perfume’s gourmand theme; secondly, and more generally, the act
of self touch objectifies the body, suggesting it is a precious object or even,
in the present case, a gift, wrapped up in bows and ribbons.
As a key
oppositional feature, the contrast between the immature and the mature is
elaborated through the advert’s colour scheme. Here, the grey background and
pink foregrounded elements enter into paradigmatic relation, juxtaposing innocence (or at least abstinence) with express sexuality.
Finally, it is
interesting to muse on the use of linguistic signs that, prima facie, are limited to communicating only the bare facts about
the product. The name ‘Bonbon’ is privileged by its headline position and large
size. The white on grey sans-serif typeface
is contemporary and grown-up in feel, legible and transmits this key datum with
a directness that is served by the model’s gaze. The interplay between text and
figure can also be observed in the way that the word ‘Bonbon’, when taken
together with the seated model, suggests in outline a bonbon/bow shape. Scanning
downwards, we find at the bottom of the advert a description of the perfume as
‘the new feminine fragrance’. Its small font size however, indicates this
information to be of only minor significance. Ultimately, all these signs culminate
in a single super-sign, ‘Viktor & Rolf’, the brand's name which, as Jean
Baudrillard reminded us, is the only real message.
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