Representation- The Man

We were set the simple task this week in Media to construct a representation of the photo seen above. Going on what only I could see from the picture, I took into consideration his clothing firstly, and the fact he is smoking a cigarette partially covering his face with one hand and with his beanie hat pulled down low. I noticed very quickly the patches on his trousers and the plaid shirt he is wearing, something that I personally picture when thinking of the homeless, therefore I was very quick to jump to the conclusion that this man was homeless, and was covering his face in a way to hide himself as he may have been ashamed. Along with his scuffed shoes and the cigarette this backed my presumption that he was in fact homeless. However, I could not be more wrong. 

The man seen is Doug Bihlmaier, one of the very first stylists at Ralph Lauren, and a very important member of there team. When we discussed the photo in more detail with Mr.Ford, he pointed out several reasons as to why we where wrong. Firstly, the trousers; the turn ups are very neat, almost as if they had just been pressed or ironed, and the patches are too neat and precise, clearly deliberate and thought through. Secondly, the plaid shirt. Most importantly it is his size, it fits him, something that a homeless person may not have the luxury to obtain, well fitted clothing. Smoking may just be a habit, and we later learnt the shoes he is wearing cost around $320, so not in any way cheap. 

 This just goes to show how quickly people are to judge and jump to conclusions using various personal experiences and stereotypes when viewing certain forms of media, when they couldn't be any further from the truth.