Marxism and Hegemony: An Analysis

Marxism is the economic and political theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marxism’s main concern is to expose the political and economic contradictions inherent in Capitalism and to lead the way towards establishing a Communist society. Marxism emphasises the idea that social life is based upon conflicts of interest, the most important of which is the conflict between the Bourgeoisie, the upper classes and those who control the means of production in society, and the Proletariat, the lower classes and those who sell their labour to the Bourgeoisie. Because the ruling class controls society’s means of production, everything, including ideology, will be determined according to what is in the ruling class’s interests. Marx believed that

The happiness you get from consuming the product makes the labour involved in producing it invisible. Dolce & Gabbana’s The One perfume advertisement is an example of this. This advertisement shows Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey, two very famous and wealthy people. Dolce & Gabbana is associated with wealth and class so it’s no surprise that they are both dressed up in expensive designer clothes, Scarlett in a black lace dress and Matthew in a suit. They are both groomed to perfection, their hair and make up are meticulous and both of them appear to be very happy. The image as a whole is meant to seem very natural but it does not show the unimaginable amount of labour that went into producing it. Chauffeurs, assistants, agents and security make up just a small amount of the labour involved. Both actors look ‘perfect’ because of make up and hair artists and costume designers, and both actors have had some form of plastic surgery to achieve their looks and they seem happy because they are paid to act that way. This advertisement gives the impression that anyone who buys The One perfume can achieve this look and that we should aim for it.5 Gill Branston, Roy Stafford The Media Student’s Book, Ed. 5 (London: Routledge, 2010), p. 172. Advertisements offer the consumer an ideological image of who or what they should be. They are called up to the advertisement and invited to see it as representing their own interests and desires.“It is the naturalisation of particual beliefs, interests and desires, which are closely connected to the values of consumer capitalism, that leads people to argue that advertisements really work to sell the dominant ideology, as much as they sell consumer goods.” Lisa Taylor