Real people had real sex in these ads

The label Eckhaus Latta recently published photos for their new spring 2017 campaign with real people having sex with pixelated sections in the photos. These advertisements are supposed to have a non-pornographic approach with Eckhaus and Latta commenting that, “We were thinking of how we were using sexuality, the relationship between fashion advertising and sexuality—and in very direct terms saying sex sells,” 

I understand that people want to make a statement these days but I’m not sure that this was the right place to make it. Theses images do seem pornographic and at first glance seem to be nothing about fashion but rather about getting it on. Their website supposedly crashed when these appeared but is that because people wanted to jump on line to be challenged of the relationship between sex, fashion and advertising or because they wanted to see people having sex in a platform that would nearly feel forbidden (which makes it more enticing).

If there is any chance that there is some element of these photos being used to also sell the clothing, I think they are barking up the wrong tree. When you look at these images, do you take any notice of the little clothes that partly remain on these near naked bodies or does your attention go straight to the image of two people having sex? Does this make you want to shop these items or grab the person closets to you to get it on?

People use sex to make a statement and are entitled to do so. But I’m not sure this campaign motivates anyone to think but rather highlights our society’s obsession with sex. Was this a way of pointing out something many of us already know or using sex to create a stir for their benefit. Now so many people will know the label Ekhause Latte not because of anything else but those photos of people getting it on. Maybe instead of highlight the relationship between sex, fashion and advertising we should just be more honest with when we want to use it to sell.