Mel Ramos was an American pop artist who became known for his provocative and humorous depictions of pin-up girls. His work “Five Flavour Fannie” is a typical example of his ironic take on consumer culture and female sexuality. In this picture, Ramos shows an idealised, erotic female figure lolling in a suggestive pose on a pack of colourful “Life Savors”. The woman is both a seductive icon and an object of consumption, blurring the boundaries between advertising, sexuality and art.
The serigraph “Five Flavour Fannie”, in which the famous actress Uma Thurman lolls on a packet of “Live Saver” sweets, reflects the way in which the advertising industry uses female bodies to promote sales by exaggerating this process in a playful yet critical way. Ramos thus questions society’s treatment of the female body and the mechanisms of commercial objectification, while at the same time incorporating the aesthetics and bold colours of pop art.
