Diesel® Plays the Fool: Translating Performance in Fashion Ads

This paper discusses the controversial “Be Stupid” advertising campaign by Diesel, recipient of the Grand Prix Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival (2010). Banned in some countries for its potentially negative impact on children, this campaign employs theatrical staging combined with provocative slogans, such as “Stupid Might Fail. Smart Doesn’t Even Try.” Illustrated with orginal images inspired by Diesel, the paper refers to prominent theorists and artists (from Derrida to Warhol) to consider the complex (and productive) relationship between translation and performance.