Sex Sells, Baby, Get Used To It!
Fire is hot, water is wet and sex sells…
or does it?
Certainly it seems to be the logic behind a lot of advertising campaigns that bombard our media. Watching television with Nanna shouldn’t be a traumatic experience yet apparently horny perfume adverts didn’t get the memo.
It’s understandable for certain companies such as Durex- sex being the nature of what they do- to be somewhat rooted in the theme, but when you compare their creative campaigns…
to their more disturbing ones…
it’s hard not to feel like they take things too far for no reason.
I find myself wondering who it was that signed off on the second advert to get it published? Worse still, I would actually call it mild compared to some of the other campaigns that I discovered circulating their social media pages. Even worse yet, I could actually name you five people I know (who are most certainly not my friends) that wouldn’t see them as degrading to women at all. They also refer to women as ‘it’ so that gives you a bit of insight.
It’s clear to me that “sexy” -or in this case what I would consider offensive-adverts are the easy way out. They show a disregard for the problematic and degrading views they perpetuate to titillate less intelligent members of the audience.
The funny thing is a study by the American Psychological Association actually discovered that, the only impact these adverts made on the audience was- surprise surprise-a negative one. Which I can’t say I was unhappy to read. At least I’m not the only person who was sick to death of watching Nicole Scherzinger feign an orgasm over Herbal Essence shampoo.
So when it comes to advertising technically sex doesn’t sell. But what about in other aspects of the media. Music? Art?
Sex is a natural and vital part of the human experience and that’s what art is all about. Representing life in a way that we can understand and appreciate. But where do we draw the line between freedom of expression and a woman’s right to express her sexuality, from degradation and objectification? How do we show an appreciation for a less sexualised media without shaming those like Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus who are only exercising their basic human rights?
Well I would say that choice has a lot to do with it. What empowers one person may be another’s worst nightmare and a person should never be forced to do something that they are not comfortable with. Their choice needs to be respected and not shamed by nasty little internet trolls, *cough, cough* Pierce Morgan *cough*.
It’s also about context, as yes I do hear the barrage of Meninists wailing that topless men in adverts is also sexist! And yes, they are mildly, but that’s as far as it ever really goes. They are not subjected to the darker and more violent undertones in the same way that women in adverts often are.
Finally- and most noticeably- it is the realisation of the difference between sex and sexism. ‘Sexy’ adverts, films and music videos- although perhaps more uncomfortable during family TV time don’t have to be sexist to get the audience’s attention, the APA study proved that.
Because although sex may sell, we need to realise that sexism doesn’t. So we can leave all that degrading crap alone now. In a world where we can now call Trump, Mr President, I don’t think that’s the most outrageous thing to ask for.
