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[DanaC]

I don't think it's that really. I think it's that, when we come up with our own little story to those images, the second and third conjure an over the top cartoon vengeance against rivals, whereas the first instantly conjures the all too familiar narrative trope in popular culture of women being abducted by male attackers and violently raped.


[eta] there's also a different power balance on show. Setting aside who the individuals are, the immediate images evoke different responses because they draw on different power balances, according to the way our culture defines power. There is a single driver in each case, and three prisoners. In the second and third pic, the imbalance in power that comes from three of them being bound and gagged is largely offset by the other imbalance of three men to one. Likewise with the three women bound and gagged and captive to another woman. But in the first pic, the imbalance that comes from the three prisoners being bound and gagged by the single driver is not offset by the imbalance in numbers. We do not see a three against one situation here, we see a man against women and that mirrors that first imbalance in power despite the uneven numbers.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I'm not so sure, Dana, The first one looks like it could be, or at least started as, semi-consensual. The leather outfits kind of going with ball gags and restraints. Maybe because Berlusconi is such a notorious sexist.

The other two, however, are clearly non-consensual kidnappings. But I agree they're cartoonishly preposturous situations. Like Hilton or Shumacher would drive a Ford Figo.

And for Ford, they don't want anyone annoyed, so it's all damage control.

[Griff]

My initial impression is in line with Dana's. Is anyone else weirded out that those particular public figures are relevant in India?