Understanding Icons

According to Barthes, we interpret meaning of visual representations of a sign. A sign is composed of a signifier (image, sound, word, etc.), and whatis signified by that image (the meaning). Saussure further expands on Barthes' model to conclude the meaning we take from the signified is directly related to social, historical, and cultural context. This can no better be seen than in advertising, and the iconic images which are frequently used. In 2004, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' clothing line, Sean John, unveiled the largest billboard ever to hang in Times Square. Diddy himself is featured in the ad with his head lowered, holding his fist above his head.

The action shown by Diddy is

very reminiscent of the iconic symbol popularized during the Civil Rights Movement by Black Panthers, a group regarded as violent and revolutionary. Raising one's fist signified more than a loyalty to the Civil Rights Movement, the action had the potential to arouse fear in others.

As time passed after the Civil Rights movement, the raised fist became less and less connected to the Black Panther Party, and more and more connected with the idea of black power in general. The "Black Power" movement, was not threat-based like that of the Black Panther Party, it instead was associated with African American equality in general. At the 1968 Olympic Games, African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos performed the Black Power Salute on the Olympic medals podium after finishing first and third in the 200 meter race. In this instance, the raised fist was seen as a testament to African American equality, not a

threat.

Although in each instance, the same iconic symbol was used. The action signifies a different meaning in each situation, and the context of the image creates its meaning. Although the motives behind the Black Panther Party as well as Smith and Carlos are clear, it remains to be said what the message of the Sean John ad is.

In a press release concerning the billboard, a Sean John rep writes Diddy "holds his hand triumphantly in the air, evoking a modern day image of the Colossus of Rhodes" (http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-112100807.html). This statue, now destroyed, is said to have port

rayed the Greek God Helios (the sun god), who stood watch over the harbor of Rhodes. This raised fist, is neither a symbol of intimidation nor of resistance, this is a symbol of protection. What remains to be seen is what Diddy's raised fist is representing. The meaning of the one single action is changed depending on the context it is presented in. But what is meant when the context is an advertisement, not directly tied to any cultural or historical event, but invocative of all the events from which the icon has been created?