Sex In Advertising by Jackie Turner

Sex in advertising

You see sex everywhere on a daily basis. Especially in commercialism and advertisements for an endless list of items. It is on all types of commercials such as body sprays, cosmetic products, clothes and even food. Fast food restaurants among many are using sex in their propaganda. 

I see sex so much on television it seems normal to a point that I don’t even take notice to it sometimes. The shows that I tend to watch often are Keeping up with the Kardashians, shows on MTV, Love and Hip Hop Atlanta and The Real World just to name a few. It’s becoming so obvious that everything on television is using sex to sell it. I know that every time my parents see me watching it they pointing out how vulgar or sexually discriminating my favorite television shows are. Yet they are so popular for that very same reason. The characters constantly making sexual slurs and flaunting promiscuous behavior. 

An article pointed out [1] * how it is more common to find a sexy woman on advertisements than a sexy man. Men are of course attracted by women but how come there aren’t more promiscuous male advertisements. Being a feminist, I find this to be a little discriminating. Why is it that women are placed as more of a sex object, that’s subject to judgement and advertisements. 

Sex in advertising is so blatantly obvious. Why has every commercial turned to sex appeal to sell things that are so unrelated to sex. Well obviously because sex sells, and it has been proven that our country is a country of consumers. So obviously somebody figured out the key to marketing.

         In the most popular brands that have been around for what seems like forever, sex is what has brought them back just look at Abercrombie and Fitch as well as Calvin Klein. In the commercials for Calvin K it used young women and has even had complaints and banned ads as a result. To make the new and improved Abercrombie hop off they hired the old Calvin Klein photographer. You have probably seen his work through out all of Abercrombie's ads. The perfectly chiseled men and women wearing the clothes on the shopping bags you receive after a purchase. [2]*

1* Chacko, R. "The Mystery of Sex in Advertising."  Accessed January 16. http://www.mhlearningsolutions.com/commonplace/index.php?q=node/5957 

2* O'Reilly, . CBC Radio, "Sex In Advertising." Last modified April 21, 2012. Accessed January 22, 2014. http://www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence/season-1/2012/04/21/sex-in-advertising-1/.