Throughout the past week we have been looking at ads and how they sell a type of merchandise. After spending some time looking at these ads I have come to realize that in all ads there is some form of sexual references to sell their product. In almost all ads that are seen today there is something refering to sex, whether it is showing the act itself, the wording that is used, or just a women that is considered a sex object. Why has our culture gotten so caught up in the fact that sex is the only way to sell a product? Not only is it not giving enough reference to the product, but it also discriminates against women.
The reason I feel that it is discriminating toward women is because the women that are seen in the ads are usually these beautiful, skinny, big breasted women that are thought to be the "ideal" woman. The issue with these kind of women being in the ads is the way it effects the way young girls think about themselves. Teenage girls seem to be most effected, they see these ads with the "ideal" woman and they think that that is how they are suppose to look. The self-esteem of a teenage girl is very fragile and just the tiniest thing can make them feel like they aren't good enough. When a teenage girl sees these ads and see how most of those women in ads look they begin to think that if they don't look like those women then they are not good enough.
The advertisement industry needs to stop using sex to sell there products. I mean it isn't sex that they are really trying to sell is it? Or has the ad industry totally forgotten about the products they are trying to sell?
Accomplishments
12 years ago
Maybe they are trying to sell sex. The "fantasy" seems to reap ad industries with millions of dollars a year. Women, particularly, are caught up in this fantasy. Traditionally, the only power women had over men (given that they could not own property, vote, or even have rights to their children) was through their "Feminine allure" or sexual prowess. Women are constantly told that if we look "sexy" we can "control" or have power over any man or any situation. Many women like wielding this type of power. And, of course, it's impossible to obtain this power without having the perfect shade of lipstick. Right?.....right?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shannon in that maybe instead of trying to sell just their product they're also advertising sex. Businesses are in a way all intertwined; for instance you go to the mall and there's an "Old Navy" and a "Banana Republic" these two companies are owned by the same person. Somewhat different clothing i.e. price but if you look closely there are similarities almost hidden to the eye. So maybe that's the way advertiser work they're just intertwined businesses. For instance if they can't sell the pair of jeans that a girl in the ad has half way off then they'll sell sex. In selling sex they could also be selling Condoms, Jellies, Birth control, Plan B, and if all else fails then Pregnancy Tests. If the girl ends up pregnant then there's Clothes, Diapers, Formulas, etc.. In a way it's clear that businesses do have an alternative meaning for the way their advertisements are setup and maybe it is just a fail safe to sell sex.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you saying that every ad has something to do with sex, and it is because that is what sells. I also agree with you in females all over see pics, and ads of women, and the "preferred" look of them and feel as though they need to look like that in order to be loved, which in actuality is not the case.
ReplyDeleteI know what you are saying but i am going to have to disagree with one thing that you said. You said that "After spending some time looking at these ads I have come to realize that in all ads there is some form of sexual references to sell their product." Now as i am sitting here watching tv i am noticing that not EVERY ad has a sexual innuendo. Some ads have nothing to do with sex but i do agree that the media does portray women in a negative way. Young girls worry way to much about how they look and should instead worry about who they are and not what they look like. Granted alot of ads out there do have sexual innuendos but not all of them do. Young love relationships tend to be focused around self image. As people grow they will learn to realize that how you interact with people and how you get along with someone is more important than how they look
ReplyDeleteI think that the advertising industry has forgotten that they are selling actual products and not sex. They choose the spokespeople for the ads based on their sexiness. This does pose a threat to young girls because they see these ads everywhere and all of the time. The more they see the ads the more likely they are to have self esteem issues in the future.The advertising agencies should realize this and stop using these images in their ads
ReplyDelete