Women in advertising…. How Women’s sexuality is used to sell a product.

Women in advertising…. How Women’s sexuality is used to sell a product.

When flipping through the latest magazines there are two distinct ways of advertising. The ones that feed into your self-esteem and those that uses the potential of a woman’s sexuality to sell a product. The advertisements I am examining are the ones that have women portrayed as sexual objects to sell things ranging from makeup, clothing, to even something that the mind would never imagine remotely sexy, sneakers. Looking through the latest magazines of Glamour Cosmopolitan, and even Seventeen magazines, advertisements where there is a woman using her sexuality as a tool for selling a product clearly restricts no age. This goes to show, no matter what the age or magazine women and the way they play up their sexuality plays a huge role in the American Culture.

            Women in advertisements use sex to persuade mothers and their daughters alike, to buy a product.  However women don’t realize how much sex is a factor in order to sell a product. Looking back when advertising started, which dates back around the 1950s women were never portrayed in a demeaning manner. Women were always portrayed as individuals that were respected, never looked at as sex objects. However over time the advertising scheme changed dramatically. Even when it comes down to selling the magazine itself we see our favorite celebs using their sexuality, through the clothes they wear, or may not wear, down to the poses that simply exudes sex in order to sell the magazine in which they are featured in. This goes to show that a women’s mind is influenced down to even the magazines she buys because of their intelligently schemed provocative advertising strategies.

            Looking at the latest advertisements you have to think, are all women good for in that business is sex? Everywhere you look where a woman is in an advertisement, lacks clothing making the prime focus of the ad her body. Men are the subjects of attention in order to ogle these women. By noticing the reaction men give off other women feel like they need the project themselves in a sexual manner in order to get the same attention. Until a change in the advertising strategies begins we will never be able to argue otherwise. The change has to begin with the latest celebrities who are usually portrayed in these manners. Until they realize woman being used as a sex object isn’t the only way to sell a product then changes will never be seen.

Reebok, Easy Tone Shoe.

When thinking about shoes what usually pops into to the human mind? The outdoors, a track, fresh air and last but not least the sun are usually the first things that comes to mind. These are normal things sneakers are associated with. However, Reebok has found a way to make selling such non – sexual object utilizing sex. Just by looking at a simple glimpse of the Add the first thing that pops into a women’s mind when looking at this Add is, “I need to achieve a body like this, and the only way to do so is through these sneakers.” Who is the consumer and both the advertisers trying to impress with this sneaker? It goes to show consumers will know how women think therefore achieving success with the “sex sells strategy”

            In college there are many active individuals, especially women, all striving for the same thing when doing a physical activity to get them in shape. Some type of attention from the opposite sex. Looking at this Add the model is clearly tying to advertise an asset that many people seem to want because of the attention that a curvier body seems to achieve in American society. By receiving this attention gives the woman confidence in gaining sexual attention from men. The advertising agency knows sex is the focus in selling this product. Sneakers obviously do not make the model sexy, the one object that does make her sexy, which is her backside, is achieved by the sneakers according to those trying to sell the sneakers. They are taking advantage of the fact that in today’s society sex is what on the brain.

            American women have to know not to be sucked into this scheme. I am in no way, shape. or form not saying the shoe may not work. However why sacrifice so much on one shoe immediately before testing out others that might be in the better price range. In order to receive a product like this often the woman would go out of her way by going to the mall to receive this product.  By going to the mall for this product the women then spends countless time, and money on something that could be found somewhere else cheaper and more efficient. “The construction of identity and the enjoyment of friendship… were dependent on their husbands for money.”  (Anna Norton, 103)  American women sacrificed their financial safety to satisfy the satisfaction of “relying on special products to make her body more attractive.”(Steve Craig, 211)  By looking at malls throughout America; seeing how women go spend their time buying products, that advertisers claim can help you achieve the sexier look you want, their job was well done.

            Lipstick is a coloring tool meant for the lips of women for centuries. In the earlier days lipstick was made of nature’s greatest berries. Today however they are more defined and designed for the modern day on the “go woman”. Although lips do cause a lot of sexual attention and by receiving this attention lip color does play a factor, there are more tasteful ways to advertise this product while challenging who the consumer is trying to impress.  Why easily expose what you are trying to promote.

            This Add clearly uses visuals in order to promote the product they are selling. One thing that pops is the fire engine red lipstick the woman is wearing. This lip color, for years, has been associated with a woman comfortable with her sexuality to wear such a bold color. Women like Marilyn Monroe, who is known for being a sex symbol, have been seen wearing this lip color. This Add is trying to play up the Marilyn Monroe sex symbol status that a woman can achieve by using this lipstick. Looking at the woman’s face you see the mole that Marilyn was famous for on the side of her lip. This Add suggests that the bold red lipstick will make any woman look sexier like the famous Marilyn Monroe was. “Once again the product is the source of promised fantasy fulfillment…but not too liberated.”(Steve Craig, 213) This Add plays the fantasy card to the max. The symbol of red lipstick and what it actually does are two different things consumers confuse very often.

            This Add is promoting sex the smartest way possible. Without showing all of the model’s face the buyer is still intrigued with the wonders this lipstick can create. Lips call to the attention of the men, make them stand out with bold color and you get the attention you need. Without saying much and showing much the consumer is sucked in and this now unknown makeup brand is suddenly popular to women everywhere. This Add demonstrates that you don’t have to show much to make it clear that American women have different means of getting sexual attention from the opposite sex.

            “Women who don’t wear underwear never get their panties in a bunch.” Without any visuals it is clear the way women are projected in the add, and in general. This advertisement is intended to sell Van Gogh Blue Triple wheat vodka, in what seems to be during the 1950s or 60s. The way the women is positioned on the chair with half her leg exposed it is clear that this is a different way of selling a product using sex. Compared to the previous advertisements the women sold products using sexual confidence, while this advertisement displays the opposite of a sexually confident woman. This advertisement portrays women as people that can be easily taken advantage of. Other than the stance she is making on the chair, the words intended to capture the audience signify that women are easy, and sexually submissive because they “don’t wear underwear.”

            Alcohol is the best way to portray women in this light, because unlike men, women are known for not handling their alcohol very well. This advertisement states that alcohol is the cause of an easy sexually submissive woman. During that time period women were viewed as weak, and unintelligent, therefore it would make sense that advertisers thought women would drink to the point where they would not be aware of their surrounding and actions. If women were portrayed in this light during a time that women were only meant to be pristine housewives instead of sexual objects, it shows that advertisers always knew it was a fact that women who were portrayed sexually would sell products that needed to be sold.

            Will there ever come a time when women will not be portrayed  as sexual objects in order to sell products? In order to see this happening there has to be a stance taken by the women who agree to do these advertisements against sexually explicit ads that portray them as useless sexual objects. These advertisements do not affect the men in any way shape or form because men will always receive some satisfaction seeing women portrayed sexually. However they do affect women of all generations and ages because this is how women have been viewed for centuries and will always continue to be viewed if things do not change. Even those who aren’t trying to portray themselves in a sexual manner will be viewed that way because that’s simply what comes with the package of being a woman in this society. This should be a concern for women. There is no need for women to be looked at and portrayed in this manner. Instead we should be viewed as the beautiful powerful people we happen to be.