Constructing Hortiporn: on the Aesthetics of Stylized Exteriors

Hewer, Paul; Brownlie, Douglas

Constructing Hortiporn: on the Aesthetics of Stylized Exteriors

‘Constructing Hortiporn: On the Aesthetics of Stylised Exteriors’

Paul Hewer, Department of Marketing, University of Stirling, Scotland

Douglas Brownlie, Department of Marketing, University of Stirling, Scotland

The paper examines the use of glamorously stylised photographic images embedded in highly refined aesthetic text (the Plant Room), not only as an information technology, but more formally as a situated representational practice producing meaning through signification (Williamson, 1978). We argue that there is a discursive economy of signs and spaces operating within the images and that when embedded within texts, they become active sites of representational practice. Images are referred to as ‘hortiporn’, where photography inscribes a ‘look’ into a subject position that demands submission. In this way, the premeditated images of the subject-text not only anticipate forms of arousal, they provide simulations of pleasure.

Citation:

Paul Hewer and Douglas Brownlie (2006) ,"Constructing Hortiporn: on the Aesthetics of Stylized Exteriors", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 33, eds. Connie Pechmann and Linda Price, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 36-42.

Authors

Paul Hewer, University of Stirling, Scotland
Douglas Brownlie, University of Stirling, Scotland

Volume

NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 33 | 2006

Share Proceeding

Featured papers

Featured

Changing the World, One Word at a Time: The Effect of Font Size on Prosocial Intention

Rima Touré-Tillery, Northwestern University, USA
Ayelet Fishbach, University of Chicago, USA

Featured

Consumers' Journey into Access-Based Consumption

Swapnil Saravade, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Lorena Garcia Ramon, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Jacob Almaguer, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Mohammadali Zolfagharian, Bowling Green State University
Hazel H. Dadanlar, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Featured

Meaningfulness in New Products: Conceptualization and Measurement

Maria Sääksjärvi, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Katarina Hellén, Univeristy of Vaasa

Engage with Us

Becoming an Association for Consumer Research member is simple. Membership in ACR is relatively inexpensive, but brings significant benefits to its members.

Join ACR now!