THE PUBLIC FETUS AND THE FAMILY CAR: FROM ABORTION POLITICS TO A VOLVO ADVERTISEMENT by: Janelle Taylor Terms anchorage, reframing, meaning, propaganda, connote, representation, aura, image, reference, distortion, exploit, diverts, transformation, context, signify, social space Summary Janelle S. Taylor is addressing the implications surrounding the use of images of the fetus in public spaces, in her article The Public Fetus and the Family Car: From Abortion Politics to a Volvo Advertisement. As a framework to discuss these implications, she is using the Volvo ad that appeared in Harper's magazine in February 1991, in which the image of a fetus was used. In the ad, a sonogram image of a fetus was used with a traditional advertising image of a Volvo and the text "Is something inside telling you to buy a Volvo?" Taylor states, "In this essay, I offer a critical reading of this advertisement, situating it as an instance of the deployment of the image of the fetus in public culture. I argue that, although by employing the ultrasound image the advertisement draws upon and makes reference to anti-abortion materials, it simultaneously distorts the logic according to which similar images are used in those materials — and in so doing, both exploits and diverts the explosiveness of this highly divisive social conflict." (pg 67) Like any advertisement, there are several ways in which viewers can decode the intended message. What is interesting with the Volvo ad is that by using the sonogram image it implies some very complicated social debates. The first — and probably intended — message in the ad is one of safety. By using the image of the fetus in conjunction with the text, "Is something inside telling you to buy a Volvo?" it makes one think, if I want my baby to be safe, I need to buy a Volvo. However, the idea that a fetus is something that needs protecting like a child is one that is politically loaded and according to Taylor "is itself a highly political cultural artifact, emerging from the anti-abortion uses of the image of the fetus in the context of the contemporary abortion debate." (pg 67) To adequately explore the use of the image of the fetus, Taylor makes a distinction between personal and public uses of fetus imagery. The personal use may be one in which the mother-tobe uses the sonogram like she would a family portrait. The public use Taylor refers to is when these scientific images are used in a non-scientific context, which can mostly be seen in antiabortion campaigns. Because the public typically only sees these scientific images of the fetus in anti-abortion propaganda, Taylor states that this results in the Volvo ad being seen as possibly linked to the same ideals pushed by anti-abortion efforts. "This sort of public deployment of ultrasound imagery, in particular, implicitly refers to the first major use of ultrasound imagery outside of the clinical setting, according to the logic of "pro-life" uses of photographic fetal images, in the 1984 anti-abortion "educational" videotape The Silent Scream." (pg 69) According to Faye Ginsburg, "The idea that knowledge of fetal life, and especially confrontation with the visual image of the fetus, will "convert" a woman to the pro-life position has been a central theme in both local and national right-to-life activism."(pg 69) Taylor goes on to discuss the role of aura and trauma in the viewing of public images of the fetus. She states that the photographic tactics used by pro-life campaigns typically employ methods of conveying aura and trauma in a photo's signification. Aura is created by the use of warm, fuzzy tones with soft lighting in the image of the fetus, thus creating a link to that of a portrait of a baby. These photos are typically used in photo albums and framed by families. Taylor uses the term aura in the same way that Walter Benjamin did — to convey as sense of authenticity. It is a way for anti-abortion activists to provide a connection between people and images of the fetus. Using the ideas of authenticity, people will look at the image of the fetus and even though it is not their fetus, they will feel like it is. "The image of the "public fetus" is intended to create an "aura" around every actual fetus..." (pg. 72) In contrast to aura, which is used to create a warm and fuzzy connection to the image of the fetus, the use of "war images" or trauma images are used to silence any other discourse surrounding the abortion issues. Taylor states that the way that the anti-abortion activists use the gory dismembered fetuses in a sense silences all other opposition. "It is not that all language is suspended, but rather that the "shock" of the image is meant to underwrite a very political agenda, and silence all other discourses." (pg. 74) Taylor continues on by identifying the strength pulled from the denotative power of the photograph in whatever manner it is used (pg. 74). This is a real problem in all photography, as it is accepted

by the viewer as the accurate representation of the way something is. In the case of the Volvo ad, Taylor points out that we do not see the pregnant woman, her body is on the page, but her face and identity have been stripped away. She has become only the transport carrier of the child (pg. 74). Taylor identifies that the ultrasound image is only applicable to a specific class of people, in a specific way. You must be "family-oriented, well educated, and think in terms of investments,"(pg. 75). I must point out, all advertising is specific to a certain group or social class. Language, and economic spheres play an important role, as well as geography. In this sense, I think the ad is speaking to a specific group. I don't feel this is unique, but perhaps the way it is conducted is excessive and exploitative when compared to an ad for Wal-Mart that identifies Hispanic women as their demographic of choice. The use of medical "language" in a certain way can only be read by someone who has experienced that level of care, and medical aid in their life. Someone who has not ever been to a hospital, or is a low-income mother, may not even know about pre-natal care. Taylor also identifies that medical technology, like photography reads as objective, and is not up for question. It is fact, cut and dry, with no need for debate. Volvo uses this tactic to make the viewer think "I need a Volvo, that is what is safe," (pg. 75) The advertisement is using the fuzzy, grainy and "real-ness" of the ultrasound in order to sell the concept of "Volvo-safety" as fact, (pg. 76). The last point Taylor covers is what Barthes calls "Anchorage" — which is the function of the text, as it draws out the intention, and directs the reader to what the ad is really getting at, the heart of the message. The anchorage works because the image is objective, and vague. This works with the text to create a strange mix or direct, and indirect advertising language. Meant to disorient the viewer and manipulate the viewer into a well-positioned perspective. In the case of the Volvo ad, you become parent or medical professional, (pg. 76). The anchorage directs the fuzzy meaning of the image to one specific outcome, that would be open-ended without the text (pg. 77). Taylor wraps the article up by pointing out that this Volvo ad is a great example of how a company will use an explosive social issue to sell a product to a consumer. They used shockvalue, emotional leverage, and the connotations that surround a fetal image to draw in the viewer (pg. 80). This ad exploits and trivializes the social issue in order to sell a product. (pg. 80) Response This article is interesting because it takes an advertisement we would normally ignore and bypass, and deconstructs it. It's fascinating how much you can actually read into an advertisement if you try. Taylor identifies the real threat of advertising and its potential for manipulating important social issues and the public. As graphic designers we must address this issue, and not exploit it. Photographs have the power to detach the subject of the image from the context it was removed from, the extra "stuff" that surrounds it, but was not captured by the lens. With the image of the fetus, this photographic or graphic framing is critical to the social implications. By presenting the fetus in this floaty slightly upright way, it completely negates the presence of the mother. It creates a situation that presents a car, the Volvo, as safer than a mother's own body. It disconnects the mother from child, which is also a tactic seen in anti-abortion protests. You will see many images of fetuses, both used to create aura and trauma, but you will never see the photos of a mother who died in a back alley abortion. This article also brings up some issues that show why it is critical for a graphic designer to understand their content and context. I doubt that the advertising team at Volvo planned on creating an ad that was linked with anti-abortion activism — that would have narrowed their audience dramatically. As designers, we must be aware of what we are producing, beyond form and think of the ethical implications in what we are creating. Even if on a purely communicative level, we must understand our content, context, and audience to assure that we are succeeding in our jobs. by Marty Lane Gretchen Rinnert