Dear Gap,
I’ve been meaning to write you a letter for about a week now, but I had to work on controlling my inner rage monkey (like the ones at the beginning of 28 Days Later) so I didn’t damage my keyboard.
I think I’m ready now, though, so here goes: I loathe your new ”The Skinny Black Pant”’ ad campaign (click here to see it), the one where you marry the image of Audrey Hepburn getting jiggy in Funny Face to AC/DC’s ”Back in Black,” and turn her into an unwitting pitchwoman for your product. The woman is dead. She did not ask to have her jaunty moment of movie self-expression turned into an idiotic call to pair a white sock with a black trouser (even if her son approved the message). And no, I am not bitter just because I’m allergic to sit-ups, and therefore not an ideal candidate for a look that’s best displayed over the most slender of physiques. The ubiquity of your campaign — on TV, on billboards, on subways and in magazines — only serves to fuel my fury. There are few things more gag-inducing than having a trend stuffed down your throat (no, actually, not everyone in khakis, okay?!). And worst of all, you’ve managed to make me despise Audrey Hepburn a little bit, and for that reason, I hate you.
Going back to baggy,
Michael Slezak
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Thank You!! I’ve been telling everyone I know how I loathe those ads.
I concur!
Nothing could make me despise Audrey Hepburn even a little bit, but the ad does make me hate the Gap for whoring her image this way. Certain legends should be considered taboo, and Audrey Hepburn is one of them? What’s next, Kate Hepburn promoting Depends?
I liked it at first because my name is Audrey. Also because I am a narcissist. The windows outside the store say “Hello Audrey” and I almost say “hi” each time. But here are my problems with the ads:
1). Everything Michael just said, and
2). I tried on those skinny pants and my calves are just too freaking big for them. Going back to flares.
Slezak, you clearly read my college newspaper and saw my opinion article expressing these same sentiments. Next time cite your source. But besides that, I absolutely agree with you in every way (but I heart Audrey too much to let Gap ruin her for me). My friends thought I was overreacting but I’m glad to see I’m not the only one!
thanks for that…when I saw the ad for the first time, my jaw dropped to the floor! it’s so wrong!
I like the idea of pairing Audrey Hepburn and AC/DC, and I like the cool dancing visuals and the song. But yet there’s something unnerving and ultimately turn-the-channel-quick inducing about it all. Super yuck.
I like the ads, and the great thing about them is that they keep Audrey’s name in public mind. Being 23, most people my age don’t know many old Hollywood stars. Using ad’s like the one in question remind everyone just how stylish and legendary stars use to be. And it has the possibilty to open up a whole new, younger audience for old Hollywood stars, like Audrey.
Anyone remember the travesty of “Kerouac wore khakis”?
Loves the ad, loves Audrey Hepburn, loves ACDC, and loves skinny black pants!
Audrey Hepburn was a symbol of elegance and poise, with a hint of rebellion. However, even if she were alive today, I don’t think she’d be hoofing it to AC/DC. Call it a hunch.
That commercial is definitely creepy and oh-so-wrong, but there’s something about it that fascinates me and I can’t look away, except to hide my face in shame once it’s over.
I have a love/hate relationship with those Gap ads. I love them because it makes Audrey look silly and I hate them because they make Audrey look silly. I’m perplexed.
What I despise the most is that the skinny jean is coming back into vogue. Just when I found my perfect jean, the low-rise boot cut, Gap goes and changes their style.
Gap is o-v-e-r anyway so I’ll shop at Express.
While I agree that people my age (23) should know a little more about the stars of yesteryear, this is not the way to teach them. The commercial takes the funky, sweet choreography of the film and mucks it all up and Audrey’s sampled “A girl want to dance… A girl want to dance…” sounds strangely robotic. Also, I just have a problem with the idea in general. Were those Gap pants she was wearing in “Funny Face?” Because that’s what people who don’t know better will think.
Go watch PBS when they rerun classics like “Sabrina” and cherish old, dead Hollywood that way (I just caught “Bringing Up Baby” with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn and laughed my a$$ off in addition to perfecting my Hepburn voice impersonation)
i love the ads and the jeans. Of course, I’m a Gap kind of gal and have always been infatuated with their ad campaigns.
I love Audrey Hepburn. I hate the ads and I hate the way the Gap is using her image to shill its products. I do think the pants are cute, but the Gap sucks.
No no no no no no no no no no no no no no i hate the gap ad with the heat of 1000 suns. It’s disgusting. its an abomination to her memory, her grace, her elegance, the entire era she represents.
the ad sickens me.
Wasn’t there a similar controversy when one of the vacuum companies (I think it was hoover) brought back one of the more famous leading men (fred astair, right?) to dance all night with a vacuum. The ad was pretty darned offensive.
I was on a personal level irked to hear John Lennon’s “revolution” play over a Nike ad, and very annoyed to see John Wayne hawking non-union brewed beer from Colorado so many years after his death.
Now that Audrey’s been dragged through the mud, who is next? Jane Mansfield hawking champagne? Marilyn Monroe shilling for Diet Coke? How about an ad with Ossie Davis and that lizard to sell insurance?
I KNEW it wasn’t from Roman Holiday like that girl in my film lecture said! Cause I’ve seen Roman Holiday and I do not remember that
I concur with everything. also tawdry audrey is hilarious
Never woulda thunk that Audrey was such an Angus Young fan. Oh well, the quiet ones always surprise ya…
Poor Little Audry! Funny Face is one of my favorite movies, & GAP ruined that part of the movie for me! If Audry were still alive i’m sure she’d express herself for someone other than the GAP!
What’s next???
Joan Crawford bringing back the Wire Hanger?
-Concerned Gay in SF
All of you, including Michael, are being too dramatic.
love audrey – love funny face – love acdc – am not offended any which way about ad – it is fun, provoking and anybody who doesn’t get that is a bit too serious for me – icons have been selling out since the dawn of time and this is no different. get over yourselves
If she decided to do this when she was alive, it would be different. But she is no longer with us, so it’s creepy, offensive and just plain wrong!!
I don’t like the ads, only because they’re annoying and on all the time.
Audrey Hepburn’s legacy won’t be tarnished by a Gap commercial.
Oh please make them stop!!!!! Loved Audrey Hepburn, hate the ads.
If it gets more people looking at old Audrey Hepburn movies, what’s the harm?
I am getting a little annoyed by them because they’re on all the time, but I always find myself running into the room when I hear her voice. It’s not a bastardization of her memory, though it would have been nice to use the original music she was dancing to.
It’s just a commercial. Like the Astaire/vacuum debacle, this too will pass and we’ll forget about it until the next dead celebrity shows up in a commercial.
I think the ads are very inteligent, very well done, and of course, the money goes to Audrey Hepburn charities. So, get over it. What’s the problem???? Why don’t you worry about the real world?
The first time I saw this ad I thought it was cute. However, each and every other time I’ve seen it it makes me want to kill my tv. And that’s saying a lot since I love my tv.
Boo! You gays are way too dramatic. I enjoy the commercial and find it quite amuzing.
All my best,
Phyllis G.