“Come To Sunny Prestatyn, Laughed the girl on the poster, Kneeling up on
the sand, In tautened white satin”-First stanza is positive creating a false
sense of utopia similar to the poster -Imperative copied from the poster-
satire on advertising and consumerist culture. 'Girl' reinforces her
innocence - she is not mature enough to be classed as woman, but her
body is mature enough to be itemised-makes the highly provocative,
pornographized image more concerning, or demeans someone who is
actually a woman (patronising infantilisation). 'kneeling up' - sexualised
position -powerless submission to her viewers – allure intertwined with
‘the commercialisation of the male gaze’ is disturbing (feminism).
'Tautened white satin' – “satin” = connotations of sensualisation, yet
colour symbolism-innocence and angelism-ironic images of purity-
paradox- (merely a passive objectified symbol for male fantasy/ sexuality
under advertising that prioritises hegemonic and complicit masculinity).
However, the sexualisation of the woman is juxtaposed with the word
'white' which is traditionally associated with purity and virginity, perhaps
in order to further entice those of the misogynistic view that women are
more attractive if untouched (virgin-whore dichotomy/Madonna whore
complex)-idea of the male enticement of female sexual promise
(polysyllables). “kneeling”- gives her agency, active, but men/masculinity
anonymised, passive, not given accountability/ responsibility. This
oxymoronic paradox- girls vulnerability to the overwhelming androcentric
perception of an idyllic submissive woman, manifesting in the societal
concept of ‘aspirational advertising’.
“She was slapped up one day in March. A couple of weeks, and her face,
Was snaggle-toothed and boss-eyed; Huge tits and a fissured crotch, Were
scored well in, and the space, Between her legs held scrawls, That set her
fairly astride, A tuberous cock and balls.”- End stopped declarative
establishes a more graphic and grotesque tone rooted in disposing of the
exotic pretence-volta -'slapped up' links to sexual violence - removed the
woman of her agency, it was something that just happened to her-casual
and careless connotations. 'snaggle toothed, boss eyed' - vivid
colloquialism/neologism, honest, uncompromising description, - compound
epithets-violation and defacement of the female form. Use of passive
voice and compound adjectives instead of saying someone gave her a
'snaggle-tooth', as if she becomes that way without interference- perhaps
removing any blame from people (men) angered by the poster. 'scored'
forcefully and great effort to draw public hair -contempt for unattainable
idealism that ignores the reality of post war urban austerity-Larkin implies
that artistic representations of beauty and fulfilment cannot transcend
objective reality (nihilistic view). “Set fairly astride”- metaphorical rape-
brutal abuse- the vandal's attempt to destroy her feminine beauty by
giving her male genitalia-when the male gender realise the realistic
prospect of exploitation, femininity is no longer deemed essential for
womanhood. The poster represents the utopian lifestyle, the men defacing
shows societies general cynicism to accept such ideals. A degree of sexual
politics with the sexualised image of a young woman and how the actions
of the vandals tarnished her beauty in a seemingly cruel manner.
the sand, In tautened white satin”-First stanza is positive creating a false
sense of utopia similar to the poster -Imperative copied from the poster-
satire on advertising and consumerist culture. 'Girl' reinforces her
innocence - she is not mature enough to be classed as woman, but her
body is mature enough to be itemised-makes the highly provocative,
pornographized image more concerning, or demeans someone who is
actually a woman (patronising infantilisation). 'kneeling up' - sexualised
position -powerless submission to her viewers – allure intertwined with
‘the commercialisation of the male gaze’ is disturbing (feminism).
'Tautened white satin' – “satin” = connotations of sensualisation, yet
colour symbolism-innocence and angelism-ironic images of purity-
paradox- (merely a passive objectified symbol for male fantasy/ sexuality
under advertising that prioritises hegemonic and complicit masculinity).
However, the sexualisation of the woman is juxtaposed with the word
'white' which is traditionally associated with purity and virginity, perhaps
in order to further entice those of the misogynistic view that women are
more attractive if untouched (virgin-whore dichotomy/Madonna whore
complex)-idea of the male enticement of female sexual promise
(polysyllables). “kneeling”- gives her agency, active, but men/masculinity
anonymised, passive, not given accountability/ responsibility. This
oxymoronic paradox- girls vulnerability to the overwhelming androcentric
perception of an idyllic submissive woman, manifesting in the societal
concept of ‘aspirational advertising’.
“She was slapped up one day in March. A couple of weeks, and her face,
Was snaggle-toothed and boss-eyed; Huge tits and a fissured crotch, Were
scored well in, and the space, Between her legs held scrawls, That set her
fairly astride, A tuberous cock and balls.”- End stopped declarative
establishes a more graphic and grotesque tone rooted in disposing of the
exotic pretence-volta -'slapped up' links to sexual violence - removed the
woman of her agency, it was something that just happened to her-casual
and careless connotations. 'snaggle toothed, boss eyed' - vivid
colloquialism/neologism, honest, uncompromising description, - compound
epithets-violation and defacement of the female form. Use of passive
voice and compound adjectives instead of saying someone gave her a
'snaggle-tooth', as if she becomes that way without interference- perhaps
removing any blame from people (men) angered by the poster. 'scored'
forcefully and great effort to draw public hair -contempt for unattainable
idealism that ignores the reality of post war urban austerity-Larkin implies
that artistic representations of beauty and fulfilment cannot transcend
objective reality (nihilistic view). “Set fairly astride”- metaphorical rape-
brutal abuse- the vandal's attempt to destroy her feminine beauty by
giving her male genitalia-when the male gender realise the realistic
prospect of exploitation, femininity is no longer deemed essential for
womanhood. The poster represents the utopian lifestyle, the men defacing
shows societies general cynicism to accept such ideals. A degree of sexual
politics with the sexualised image of a young woman and how the actions
of the vandals tarnished her beauty in a seemingly cruel manner.
