Sex Sells
Let’s talk about sex… in advertising.
I have vague memories as a child of playing ‘Models’ with my friends; strutting our stuff down an imaginary catwalk and trying to contort out prepubescent, baby-fat bodies into poses we identified as “sexy”. And where exactly did we pick up such a concept when we didn’t even know what sex was yet? Certainly not from shows like ‘Mona the Vampire’ or ‘Tracy Beaker’. No, the ideas were set between programmes, when the commercials rolled.
Sexualisation is a prominent tool commonly and increasingly applied within advertising. To quote Austen, “it is a truth universally acknowledged” that sex sells. Images of scantily-clad women and men posed mid-orgasm over some product draws attention — be it desire or disdain — promoting the idea that ‘you can have that if you buy this’. We see it all the time, out the corners of our eyes. Sex sells everything and anything; even the most unrelated items can be turned erotic with the right wording and a [semi-] naked model alongside.
With that in mind I decided to set-off with a friend on a scavenger hunt around town to see what we could come across. Lo and behold we spotted plenty of examples. And yet, often we found ourselves questioning whether an image counted as sexualisation or if it was simply subject to society’s [unrealistic] standards of beauty? Do they class as the same thing? Or are they separate issues rooted in the same underlying problem: the patriarchy? (Pardon my feminism)
Regardless, there’s no question that sexualised imagery has become the norm; and whilst this may have a positive effect on sales, there’s much concern over the negative impacts it has upon us as individuals and a society.
One of the major problems with sexualised imagery is that they set unrealistic expectations of beauty for ourselves and our partners. The average woman is not a curvaceous sex-fiend, performing household chores in lace panties, as much as the average man doesn’t sport a six-pack and recline with a well-placed centrepiece between his legs. And yet, that is how the media portrays us; these are the standards we’re led to believe we have to meet.
Readers may recall Protein World’s ‘Beach Body Ready’ campaign which sparked outrage across the UK; accused of body-shaming and spreading toxic ideology. Similarly, there are the controversial cases of Dora the Explorer and Disney Princess Merida whose original designs have been unnecessarily glamorised to better meet beauty ideals; the issue amplified when you consider the child audiences at which they’re aimed — even as kids we knew what was hot and what was not.
A further damaging effect of sexualisation is that it goes hand-in-hand with objectification. One memorable example is Robin Thicke’s highly-criticised ‘Blurred Lines’ music video, in which naked women are paraded alongside fully clothed men. Objectified models (women and men) are treated as pretty, nude and sexual accessories or backgrounds for the actual products to be placed against. Essentially, they are the cherry on top of the sundae, a nice ribbon that wraps the gift.
The danger with objectification is that it has the added effect of dehumanisation; turning the individual from a functioning, feeling human to a doll that can be used and abused however one pleases. It’s hardly surprising that recent research by Dr Vasquez from the University of Kent found a direct link between the sexual objectification of women and aggression towards them.
Worst still is that this abuse — particularly towards women — is becoming a fashion trend in itself. Rather than shunning away from these brutal images of battered women, some advertisers seem to relish in these apparent ‘violent delights’.
Of course, such imagery and advertisements still receive wide and heated criticism — and yet, as this phenomenon continues to grow, I wonder if such dispute might only be fanning the flames. The main point of all ads is to gain attention and what can do this better than a raging firestorm on Twitter? After all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Think about how much unpaid advertising the ‘Beach Body Ready’ campaign received and all they had to do was play upon our fragile self-esteem. As much as it makes one lose faith in humanity, there’s no denying the twisted logic behind these campaigns — the more outrageous the commercial the more focus it’ll receive.
The simple truth, as we earlier established, is that sex sells and so long as those sales stay high it’s unlikely this particular technique will be go out of style anytime soon.
Nevertheless, let’s not abandon all ye hope just yet. Recent advertisements have started to recognise the untapped goldmine of body-positivity in their promotions. Lynx’s ‘Find Your Magic’ campaign asks “who needs a six pack when you have your own thing?”, pointing out the unique qualities of various, average males. Likewise, Right Guard’s ‘Gym Dance-Off’ commercial shows three men with six-packs defeated in a dance duel by a trio of less-than-ideal-more-natural male body-types, who go on to win the girls, all because of their individual, quirky abilities and the use of Right Guard. That said, I’ve yet to see a female-focused commercial that makes me pump my fist in the air and scream ‘PROGRESS!’ but that doesn’t mean they’re not out there or on their way.
Yes, sex sells. But equality might just be the new sexy.
