Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium Perfume Advertisement
Date
1977
Credits
- Helmut Newton Photographer
Format
- Advertisement 215
Clients
Locations Made
- France 11
Links
In 1977, Yves Saint Laurent designed a fragrance to pair with his China-inspired fall/winter collection, called “Opium.” The scent was marketed as seductive, addicting, and highly sexual; blatant fetishization of The Orient for Western consumers.
The advertisements for YSL's Opium were provocative for the time, depicting Jerry Hall draped on a sofa in a Kimono, posing in ecstasy and exuding sexuality. The depiction perceived Eastern women as sensual and exotic, tone deaf to the history of Opium in China being recreationally addictive and sustained by illegal British imports.
The campaign slogan, in French, writes “For those who are addicted to Yves Saint Laurent.”
A 1977 advertisement for Yves Saint Laurent's Opium fragrance.